Category Archives: Exercise

Diet vs. Exercise – You Can’t Out Train a Bad Diet

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Ronald McDonald

A lot of people believe that their exercise  will somehow make up for the way they eat. They use the excuse that they can eat whatever they want because their exercise offsets the excess calories taken in. This way of thinking is typically a set up to fail.  Most people do not end up with a six pack and really low percentage of body fat eating whatever they want whenever they want. The body just doesn’t work that way.  Often a person does not realize the amount of calories they consume and they also think they burn a lot more calories than they actually do. The majority of people have no clue how many are in the foods that they eat, but justify them with spending 30 minutes jogging or in the gym. The bottom line is that healthy eating and adequate exercise are the way to good health and a tone body.

In the same 3 minutes it takes to consume 800-1000 calories of food a person only burns approximately 40-45 calories in high impact cardio exercise.  It takes a lot more effort to burn 800 calories than it does to eat 800 calories. Yes, we all know that it takes less time to eat then exercise but the comparison helps us realize that one donut can defeat the results of an hour of aerobics.  Is it worth it? The excess calories rarely get burned off. In diet vs. exercise you can never out train a bad diet. The bad diet will win every time.  For someone who desires to be lean it takes eating the right amount of proper foods and an effective exercise routine. Receiving the maximum results from exercise will not happen without eating the right foods.  They go hand in hand.  Most of us are not Olympic Athletes who train up to 10 hours per day. They are an exception.

bad diet   Diet Recipes for Success

  • Eat 4-6 small meals per day
  • Snack on bananas, non fat yogurt, nuts and seeds 
  • Cut down on portion size – a fist full is enough
  • Choose lean proteins – tuna, salmon, egg whites, lean beef, turkey breast, ground turkey
  • Increase water drinking and stick to non caffeinated beverages – an average person adds an extra 500-800 calories per day drinking soda
  • Choose healthy fats – extra virgin olive oil
  • Eat high fiber carbs – corn tortillas, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, whole grain bread
  • Cut back on alcohol intake
  • Don’t think you have to clean your plate 
  • Track daily calories – it surprises a lot of people how many calories they actually consume.

The general population that is serious about exercising spends approximately 6-8 hours working out per week. This most likely will not cover the amount of calories taken in for a person who eats whatever they want whenever they want.  A great exercise workout program works if it does not have to go against an unhealthy diet. This is why you can’t out-train a bad diet.  It is so important to know what to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat. A lifestyle of eating healthy is the way to utilize working out to the fullest. When a person says they can eat what they want because they exercise the body has news for them. The exercise will not offset their excess of calories. Running on a treadmill is great but it will not burn the excess calories of eating half a pizza. In general, people underestimate the actual amount of calories they eat and drink and over estimate the amount of calories they burn during a workout. Unless a person lives a healthy eating lifestyle combined with a regular exercise routine the body will not be able to burn the excess.  It takes both.

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Tips for Weight Loss Success

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Here are some tips that I use while conducting my nutritional counseling here at work : Please note that even though I work in the realm of health and nutrition, I am not a doctor or dietitian, just a regular person like you.  These tips are mostly learned through my own personal experience.
 
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#1 – Eat enough food!  Your body can’t function without it’s fuel!  You need a MINIMUM of 1200 calories a day for woman, but I personally recommend at least 1500, but you should consult your doctor for a better amount.  Just remember if you don’t eat enough, your body goes into starvation mode and will store everything as fat.  Also if you eat to much, you’ll gain!   Remember 1lbs is 3500 calories!   Your body burns calories when we do nothing so dont’ think you’ll gain 3500 calories if you eat that in a week.  Here’s more information about that.  It’s to hard for me to explain.  http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial_BMR.php
 
#2 – Count your calories, at least for the first week or two.  You’d be amazed in what you think is healthy and is not.  I was drinking a skinny vanilla latte and a reduced fat cinnamon swirl coffee cake for breakfast every day, and that was over 500 calories.  Not smart, not to mention I was hungry a short while after breakfast, which brings me to #3.
 
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#3 – Eat breakfast!  As Mom always said it’s the most important meal of the day and it is.  Your body needs fuel to speed up your metabolism and to get you going.  I like to eat yogurt with fruit and granola, or oatmeal with Greek Yogurt, and sometimes eggs and pancakes.  I like to eat about 300 calories for breakfast.  Having full hearty meals, with protein, a pinch of fat and carbs will keep me filled for 3 or 4 hours.
 
#4 – Snacks!  Snacks are important to keep the metabolism flowing.  I eat a mid morning snack such as hummus and veggies, or a piece of fruit, hard boiled egg, granola or even yogurt. Just stay away from bad foods, like chocolate, fried stuff and nothing higher then 100 – 150 calories.
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#5 – Read Labels!  If you choose processed foods to eat, read your labels, not everything is bad for you, but some stuff is.  I look at the calories, serving size, carbs, protein, fiber and sugar.  If it’s low on protein and fiber, I don’t get it.  If it’s high in fat and sodium I put it right back onto the shelf.  Be a smart consumer and read those labels.  If you can’t pronounce and ingredient, it’s probably not good for you.  Don’t buy something because the package says low fat or no sugar added, that  doesn’t mean crap!  Sugar Alcohol is still sugar!!!   Not to mention if it’s low in fat, it’s high somewhere else, they need to add something to perserve and add flavor.
 
#6 – Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.  If you do this, you can’t go wrong! 
 
#7 – Drink lots of water.  I have at least 8 glasses of water a day and if I workout, I drink more because I need to replenish my body because I sweat it out and sweating is good for you!!
 
#8 – Exercise!  I try to Cardio at least 30 minutes a day, if not more!  I do 30 minutes of cardio 6-7 days a week, even if it is a short walk.  I feel better when I do, and it gets me off my butt!  But try for at least 5 days a week if you can’t make 6 or 7.  But start off slow if your just beginning.
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Strength Training is very important part of your workouts.  Try for 15 – 30 minutes of strength training.  Don’t be afraid of strength training.  You burn more calories all together.  You’ll tone your muscles and you get stronger.  I like that my arms are strong, that way I can carry more bags at the mall.  :)  I like to do circuit training which is full body workouts. I only do them 3 times a week, every other day.  Never do strength training on back to back days, unless you work one muscle group at a time. Such as Monday Upper Body, Tuesday Lower Body, Wednesday Core, Thursday Upper Body, Friday Lower Body, you get the picture.
 
#9 – Make your own meals from scratch and plan ahead.  If you make your own meals, you know what your eating, you know what goes into a meal and you can control the sugar, fat and sodium.  This is a big one for me. I enjoy cooking, it’s like an art to me!  Plus I like to share my creations with my friends, family and you!
 
#10 – Don’t deprive yourself.  You don’t have to give up the foods you love, just have them in moderation, like once a week or everyday if you fit it into your weight loss program.  If you deprive yourself, you will most likely fail.
 
#11 – Most importantly, set a goal and try to achieve it!  Don’t give up, even if you mess up for a day or two.  Just get back on that horse and keep going.  Along that note, you need to reward yourself!  If you reach a mini goal, then treat yourself to a pair of jeans, or something you desire.  I bought clothes at every 5lbs loss.  A little crazy, but it worked and I felt great!!
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The Sit-Stand Test: A Longevity Test That is Fun and Easy!

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I recently read this article about a doctor in South America who has come to find a link between sitting/standing ability and longevity. Specifically, the doctor says that if you can sit down on the ground without using hands, elbows, knees, etc and stand back up from the ground without those parts that you are not going to be dying any time soon. However, people who could not sit down or stand up from the ground unassisted or without using their hands, knees, etc were likely in very bad shape, healthwise and had a greater chance of dying sooner than those who could perform the test well.

There is a scale of one (or zero) to ten with 0 meaning you couldn’t sit down or stand up at all and 10 meaning that you needed no assistance and had no wobble. People with less than a 3 or 4 were in the roughest shape.

I have been practicing this and while I can go down to the ground very easily without touching anything or using any supports, I have a much harder time getting up. I almost always have to use one knee or one hand. And while that still keeps my score at a 9, I would like to make it a 10. I can’t seem to be able to do the crossed leg stand-up. However, I recently found I can do it from a squat like position with my feet to the sides of my thighs instead of under them. Whatever works! Plus it’s a great exercise move! I can really feel it in my thighs.

So it might be fun to try it and see how you do! And over time, think of this as just another feedback tool like the scale or blood pressure cuffs to keep tabs on your health. I am not sure how the doctor takes into account people with bad backs or knees, but  for everyone else this may be a useful tool.

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Road to My First NPC Women’s Physique Competition

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Several months ago when I turned 40, I made a committment to myself that I would compete in another NPC (National Physique Committee) event sometime during the year.  I’ve competed in the 20-30 year old division as a bodybuilder and in the 30-40 year old division as a figure and bikini athlete. So now that I am in the 40+ Master’s category, I decided to give the Women’s Pnysique division a try.

NPC Women’s Physique

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The NPC Women’s Physique Division combines grace, beauty and overall muscle definition.  This division is ideal for the woman that has too much muscle to be competitive in Figure or Bikini but does not want to gain the amount of muscle needed to move to Women’s BodyBuilding. 

Women’s Physique is judged on the following criteria:  Symmetry, shape, proportion, muscle tone, poise and beauty flow.  Physique assessment and comparison take place during prejudging. Physique should display all of the above criteria without compromising femininity, beauty/flow of physique, etc. While all types of physiques are considered when it comes to height, weight, structure, etc.  Excessive muscularity is scored down accordingly.

Me and Sarah

I am aiming to compete in the 2013 NUTRITION COMPANY  Denver BB/FIG/BIK/PHYS Championships, at River Point Event Center, Denver, CO on March 10th. I am 6 weeks out from this show and have been training for it for about 4 weeks.  Over the next several weeks, I will be posting my training regime, diet, progress pictures and mental health status :-) .

Please follow me on this short journey…I’m excited to see the end results over the next 6 weeks of hard work in and out of the gym.

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Falling off the wagon already? How to stick to your New Year’s Resolutions.

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I love to exercise, but I’m not always motivated to work out, especially in the middle of winter.

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It’s cold and dark and snowy, so leaving my nice warm house (or couch) is usually the last thing I want to do for a workout.

Of course, at the beginning of a new year, my motivation to exercise is at its peak, but as the weeks progress and the winter begins to wear on me, my desire to break a sweat really starts to weaken.

Instead of getting down on myself and giving up on my health goals, here’s what I do to veer back on course.

Use the past as a learning experience
Instead of dwelling on the mistakes I made in the past, I focus my attention on the future. Maybe I gained a few pounds or indulged a little too much. I don’t beat myself up about those things, and instead I use those mistakes as a learning experience. The next time I’m faced with a delicious dessert spread at a party or I decide to skip exercise before work, I think about how I felt the last time I slipped up and then move forward with my health and fitness goals.

kitty in food

Do one healthy thing IMMEDIATELY
Everyone falls off the wagon at some point or another with their goals, so instead of throwing in the towel, I do one healthy thing immediately. I’ll lace up my sneakers and go for a run, I’ll search for healthy recipes online, or I’ll read some of my favorite health and fitness blogs for some inspiration. Instead of falling further into bad habits and making excuses for getting off track, I get myself back on course immediately. And doing that one healthy thing almost always keeps the ball rolling with my motivation.

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Create a plan of attack
When I feel like my motivation is at an all-time low, I take charge by creating a plan of attack, which often includes scheduling appointments to workout into my calendar and creating a healthy meal plan for the next few days. When I take the time to sit down and plan some healthy habits, it motivates me to see these things in black and white because I know they’re possible, which also helps me stick with them!

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