Apparently I’m too busy, preoccupied with life, or too lazy to write a proper blog entry right now. My son had two short days of school this week due to parent-teacher conferences so I’ve had him home more. (He received straight A’s and has already passed all his 2nd grade targets. His teacher suggested he could skip a grade but seemed relieved when we preferred he stay with his class and peers). And I’ve maintained a full workout schedule this week.
Next week will be practically a repeat with Bruno off on Monday. And I plan a Power 90X boot camp. We expect to produce some new videos though. I’ll try to post a real entry soon.
Until then, here’s some cool links on metabolism, training, and nutrition to check out.
Happy Training! Carol
Dieting and Metabolism by Renee Cloe, ACE Certified Personal Trainer
“Low calorie dieting slows your metabolism, making it progressively more difficult to lose weight and keep it off. The failure rate of most diets is astronomical, yet people continue to try one after another, always hoping that each new scheme will provide the solution. If you’re a veteran of the diet wars, the one word answer to your dilemma may be muscle. Let’s take a look at why diets often fail and how strength training and a healthy appetite can rev up your metabolism.” Read more here.
SLOW METABOLISM PROBLEMS? How To Repair Metabolic Damage And Finally Get The Lean Body You've Always Wanted...
The Proven Science Of Increasing Your Metabolism From: Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Do you seem to gain body fat quickly the minute you slack off on your diet or training?
Were you getting results at first, but then it seemed like your metabolism bonked?
Have you been dieting strictly and training hard but you recently hit a plateau and it seems like nothing is working anymore?
If so, then you may have caused metabolic damage. Your metabolism - the sum total of all the physiological, energy-expending processes that take place in your body - can slow down as a result of following starvation diets or losing weight too rapidly in past diet attempts. Once you have damaged your metabolism, it can be extremely difficult to achieve any further fat loss at all.
The good news is, metabolic damage can be repaired. All it takes is the right combination of metabolism stimulating exercise and metabolism stimulating nutrition (NOT just a diet), all done consistently over time.
The big irony is that most of the diet programs that claim to help you get rid of excess weight, only end up making it harder for you in the long run because they use harsh metabolism-decreasing diets and not enough exercise (almost never any weight training).
It may take a little longer if you have really messed things up with severe starvation dieting in the past, especially if you've lost a lot of lean body mass, but it is never hopeless. Do NOT lose hope! Do NOT quit! Anyone can increase their metabolism with this approach.” Read more here.
Nutrition For Newbies Part Two by Christian Thibaudeau (I linked to part one previously).
“In part 1 of Nutrition for Newbies, Coach Thibs gave you the rundown on the big 3 macronutrients, along with some incredibly useful info on fatty acids, cortisol, and the basal metabolic rate (BMR). He also told you which foods to eat and which foods to avoid.
Now he's going to fill your belly and mind with 14 nutritional nuggets and give some concrete advice on how to accomplish almost any physique goal you might have.” Read more here.
Real Fast Fat Loss by Alwyn Cosgrove and Chad Waterbury
“This is a no bullshit fat loss article. There will be no motivational tips, no psychological analysis, no complicated nutritional plan, and no puny-ass exercises.
In fact, just one of the exercises in this plan is probably more demanding than your entire, out-dated fat loss training program. And that's a good thing.
Listen, your goal with each workout during any effective fat loss plan should be to rev up your metabolism and keep it revved up after you leave the gym. You need a tough workout to do that. Therefore, to lose fat and transform your body you must eradicate single-joint isolation exercises because they'll do nothing for fat loss. But there's more that you need to know. Let's break down fat loss into its five most important components.” Read more here.
Protein Wars. How Much is Enough and How Much is Too Much?
The Protein Prejudice
by John M Berardi
I was in the lab the other day, playing researcher, when an aggressive andself-assured undergraduate student burst in through an unlocked door.
"Excuse me. Is there anyone around that I can speak to about protein?"
Apparently, since the sign outside our door reads "University of Western Ontario, Exercise Nutrition Laboratory," it's clear to everyone that there's an exercise and nutrition help desk inside that's dedicated to dropping everything at a moment's notice to answer any and all questions.
"I guess that's me," I sheepishly replied, afraid of what was about to come. "What is it about protein that you want to know?"
"My question is this: Why do all the magazines say that athletes need more protein when it's clear that they don't."
Deepbreath…
Rather than debating my precocious friend, I just scratched out "T-mag.com" on a piece of scrap paper and sent him on his merry way. You see, I've long ago given up on the notion that I can somehow change the world's false dietary perceptions one person at a time. When placed in such a position, I try not to launch into a full-blown nutritional diatribe highlighting the fact that arrogance and ignorance should not be combined in the same meal. Or is that protein and carbs? I can never remember. Read more here.
PROTEIN: The Pros, Cons, and Confusion By NancyClark, MS, RD
Posted on NaturalStrength.com on September 8, 2007
THE ATHLETE'S KITCHEN - Copyright: Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD September 2007
”Athletes who want to build muscles and recover well from workouts often feel confused by ads for protein supplements. They wonder how much and what kinds of protein they should consume—and if egg whites or chicken can do the job. The following information can help you optimize your protein intake—and your peace of mind.
Question: "I want to bulk up. I've started drinking three protein shakes per day between meals. Is this enough or too much?
Answer: To determine how many protein shakes you need, you should first determine how much protein your body actually can use. You need adequate protein to enhance muscle growth; excess protein is unlikely better.
Most exercise scientists agree 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight is a very generous protein allowance for athletes building muscle mass. (More likely, 0.5 to 0.75 gms protein per pound will do the job if you are eating plenty of calories—but let's be generous.) This means a novice 180-pound body builder gets more than enough protein with 180 grams of protein per day. He can easily consume that much with one quart of skim milk, two cans of tuna (i.e., two sandwiches at lunch), and one hefty (8 ounces) piece of chicken, beef or fish at dinner. Consuming protein shakes on top of this simply adds (expensive) calories. You could more wisely get the calories from carbs to fuel your workouts.” Read more here.
Harvard School of Public Health on Protein
Surprisingly little is known about protein and health. We know that (non-resistance training) adults need a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight per day to keep from slowly breaking down their own tissues. That's just over 7 grams of protein for every 20 pounds of body weight. Beyond that, there's relatively little solid information on the ideal amount of protein in the diet, a healthy target for calories contributed by protein, or the best kinds of protein.
Around the world, millions of people don't get enough protein. Protein malnutrition leads to the condition known as kwashiorkor. Lack of protein can cause growth failure, loss of muscle mass, decreased immunity, weakening of the heart and respiratory system, and death.
In the United States and other developed countries, getting the minimum daily requirement of protein is easy. Cereal with milk for breakfast, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, and a piece of fish with a side of beans for dinner adds up to about 70 grams of protein, plenty for the average adult.
Can you get too much protein? Digesting it releases acids that the body usually neutralizes with calcium and other buffering agents in the blood. Eating lots of protein, such as the amounts recommended in the so-called low-carb or no-carb diets, takes lots of calcium. Some of this may be pulled from bone. Following a high-protein diet for a few weeks probably won't have much effect on bone strength. Doing it for a long time, though, could weaken bone. In the Nurses' Health Study, for example, women who ate more than 95 grams of protein a day were 20 percent more likely to have broken a wrist over a 12-year period when compared to those who ate an average amount of protein (less than 68 grams a day).(1) Although more research is clearly needed to define the optimal amount of daily protein, these results suggest that long-term high-protein diets should be used with caution, if at all." Read more here.
