Experience the next generation of personal training August 2014 Newsletter
September 2014 Newsletter We have seen summer come and go (although the heat outside would suggest otherwise!) and as many of us turn our attention to the busy season of caravanning kids to football, band practice and whatever other extracurricular activities, it’s easy to believe that time for ourselves is all but lost. The truth is, we will always be busy. There will always be something that needs our attention, but we need to remember that our health needs attention to. So our challenge to you is to MAKE the time, starting now, to spend more energy on yourself. Your body will thank you, especially when the holiday season creeps up on us! Look below for tips to help you in your fitness journey!
Client Recognition - Welcome New Clients! See image for full list Happy Anniversary! This month's news - Join us for Plano's Grand Opening! We are excited to invite you all to the grand opening festivities for our Plano location on September 18th at 4:30 pm. Please come out and support Jason in this awesome recognition of all the hard work put in to getting Plano up and running. There will be refreshments provided, as well as a chance for door prizes! Click the Plano location’s link at the bottom of this page for the address and directions. We hope to see all of you there!!
Why Less Doesn't Lead to More There are certainly instances in our lives where less is more. If you’ve ever spent 10 minutes with a chronic over-explainer you know what we are talking about, but in reality sometimes this concept can lead to disaster. This can be especially true of one’s efforts to lose weight. While for most curbing their caloric intake is the first step to reaching their weight loss goals, some take this step a little too far, cutting their calories so far below their body’s needs that they actually end up stunting their progress. This may seem a bit counterintuitive; meaning shouldn’t eating very little lead to larger weight loss, not less? In reality, there is only so far that one can cut their caloric intake before the body begins to shut down and show adverse side effects. How far is typically dependent on the resting metabolic rate of the individual in question. For example if someone burns 1500 calories a day at rest, dropping their intake to 1200 while increasing their activity level should produce optimal results, but if one burns 2000 calories at rest dropping to an intake of 1200 may be too much of an intake deficit for the body to handle. This is a phenomenon many refer to as “starvation mode” in which the body deems that the caloric intake is not sufficient for its needs and decides to hoard and store all consumed calories as fat in order to preserve itself. Instead the body will choose to attack muscle mass in order to produce the energy it needs. This is a survival instinct that we all have, and an unfortunate one at that, which often leads to a stall in weight loss and a slowing of our resting metabolic rate. Along with this there are a number of other negative side effects of eating too far below adequate levels. Drops in blood pressure, electrolyte deficiencies, dizziness, inflammation, and even depression are all known side effects that increase with the implementation of very low caloric intakes. So how can we avoid this while losing weight? First we must realize that calories, while they need to be kept in check, are not our enemy, but rather are just one facet that needs to be controlled in order to lose weight. On the other side of the equation, the number of calories burned should be our focus once an adequate intake level has been established. So rather than taking from the intake variable of the equation, if we focus on increasing the expenditure variable of the equation we can see the results we are looking for while avoiding the negative side effects we discussed. If you haven’t already, testing your metabolic rate will help determine what exactly an adequate level is for you. If that is not an option, you can use the following equations to determine where your metabolic rate may be depending on factors such as age, gender and weight: For Women: 655 + (4.35 × weight in pounds) + (4.7 × height in inches) – (4.7 × age in years) For Men: 66 + (6.23 × weight in pounds) + (12.7 × height in inches) – (6.76 × age in years) It should be noted that these calculations are not terribly accurate as two people identical in age, height and weight can have vastly different metabolic rates depending on their body composition and typical activity levels. As a rule of thumb we recommend that females never drop below 1200 calories and that males never drop below 1500 calories of intake per day. For most this is a safe bet to stay out of starvation mode and see results. In any instance if you are finding that the weight is not coming off, it may be time to review your intake, taking into account levels of proteins, carbs and fats daily, while focusing on overall calorie levels. So avoid the notion that it’s better to starve the weight off, because the truth is that it isn’t. Be smart, be safe, and work hard to get the results you want and you’re bound to keep them!
Supplement of the Month - BCAAs Have you ever just dragged through a workout or cardio session even though your energy seemed fine when you began? This isn’t uncommon, since your body’s energy reserves might be just high enough for regular daily activity, but not quite where you need it to exercise. BCAAs, or Branch Chain Amino Acids, may help with this. They have been used for a long time to prevent fatigue, increase mental focus, improve workouts, and even help preserve muscle during intense exercise. BCAA’s are made up of three amino acids known as leucine, isoleucine, and valine, all of which are considered essential amino acids, meaning that the body cannot produce them but they must be ingested. These three amino acids actually make up around 40% of our daily requirement of the nine essential amino acids combined and are responsible for the make-up of about 35% of all muscle tissue in the body. In other words they are very important to our health and fitness. BCAAs can be found in many food sources such as meat, dairy and things like dry-roasted peanuts. Meat (especially red) does hold the highest concentration, but soybeans, lentils and even brown rice have some BCAAs for those of you looking for an alternative. If you are looking for an extra boost, many athletes and exercisers alike find that taking a BCAA supplement (typically in powder form mixed with water) during the course of a workout allows them to push harder and have a more effective workout overall. Add in that some studies show that BCAA consumption may lead to a decrease in muscle soreness and giving this supplement a try is a no brainer! You can find BCAAs at most supplement stores and recommended doses are between 5 and 10 grams per serving. Check your local supplement shop for more information on how BCAAs might help you!
Recipe of the Month This month we would like introduce a new section to our newsletter to help you on your path to a fitter you. Each month we will feature a healthy recipe to try, in hopes that we can show you that you can have the foods you like without sacrificing your daily intake. Try out this recipe from myrecipes.com for some awesome chicken tacos for starters: See image for recipe
www.nexgenfitness.com Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook Facebook