Mission Fat Loss - Day One (Low Carb)

It's day one of my fat loss mission. Today will be low carb. I'm planning on starting with a six day cycle of low carb (below 100 grams - this is NOT a ketogenic diet as I want to stay anabolic and preserve muscle). And I intend to have some heavy weight lifting workouts during this phase and intensity is nearly impossible on a very low carb diet...

"We also have to mention that without ingesting carbs, it's harder to have intense strength training sessions. It's true that some amino acids can be "turned into" glucose via gluconeogenesis, and that ketone bodies can be used for fuel after proper adaptation has set in. But truth be told, a low/no carb diet makes you lose your capacity to train hard in the gym." - Christian Thibaudeau

Today's menu looks like this:

Meal One - 4 ounces Tequila Lime chicken, 1/2 cup blackberries

Meal Two - Protein shake, 1/2 banana (pre-workout), 1 Tablespoon flax oil

Meal Three - 4 ounces Tequila Lime chicken, 1/2 cup blackberries

Meal Four - 4 ounces tuna, 1 cup mixed green salad, 1 1/2 teaspoon walnut oil

Meal Five - Protein shake, 1/2 cup mixed berries

Meal Six - 5 ounces shrimp, 1 cup mixed green salad, 1 1/2 teaspoon walnut oil

Beverages - 2 cups black coffee, 1 gallon water with lime, 3 - 3 1/2 ounce glasses red wine.

Unlimited non-calorie spices and condiments (pepper, vinegar, mustard, lime juice, etc.)

Supplements - 1 Multi-vitamin, 10 grams fish oil in softgels, 2000 mg calcium in chews, 3000 mg cranberry extract.

Calories 1606, Fat 49 grams, Carb 54 grams, Protein 186 grams, Alcohol 29 grams.

Workout One - Morning Chest & Back of 5 Sets Each Pull Ups x 25 reps, 5 Sets Each Push Ups (Performed on the ProForm BioVibe) x 25, 5 Sets Each Back Rows 8-10 Reps x 20 Pounds Per Side, 5 Sets Each Chest Flyes x 8-10 Reps x 20 Pounds Per Side.

Workout Two - Afternoon Pool Jogging / Aerobics / Pool Tag with Bruno - 1 1/2 Hours

Starting Weight 122 pounds, Body Fat Percent 24 Percent (Numbers taken pre-menstrual so they might be off).

More Reasons To Exercise

The Benefits of Body Building

Body building is one of the most effective ways to streamline your bodies structure and also create lean muscle mass. However aside from being a way of bulking up, it is also a great way to lose weight and also trigger your body’s metabolism so that it continues to burn fat long after you have stopped exercising.

Body building is not just for men even though the traditional image that we have of the sport is of the traditional he man lifting barbells. Today’s body building equipment is designed for both sexes to use. Women can use Pilates to flex and build muscles in a way that is lithe, yet strong looking. Men can use heavier equipment to flex their muscles aerobically and no longer be that guy that allows bullies to kick sand in their face.

Aside from building muscular strength body building also creates stamina and increases endurance. It can also help your body metabolize its nutrient more effectively and assist with motor control and balance. Body building can also be an anti-aging activity. As a result many people also develop a renewed sense of confidence and self-esteem and have the confidence that they can handle anything that comes their way.

How can body building be such an effective anti-aging activity? For one thing it helps you build stronger bones, which can be your best defense against the bone degrading disease of osteoporosis. You will feel strong and fit because you have become more active and mobile. Many older muscle builders find their lower back pain also disappears as they build core strength. This means that the abdominal muscles strengthen so that the spine has to do less work to help support your body’s weight. Read more.

Aerobic Versus Anaerobic

How exercise is performed will determine it to be aerobic or anaerobic. Any type of movement your body makes requires the use of energy. You don’t have to do aerobics to lose weight or maintain a desired weight. It has been determined that anaerobic exercise will burn more calories than aerobic exercise, on a ratio of 5 to1 basis, and even as much as a 7 to 1 ratio. The aerobic exercise will burn 25% muscle and 75% fat, while anaerobic exercise will burn 100% fat. Read more.

Aerobic exercise: What 30 minutes a day can do

Need inspiration to start a fitness program? Explore the many benefits of aerobic exercise, from increased energy and improved stamina to disease prevention.

Investing 30 minutes a day in aerobic exercise — such as walking, bicycling or swimming — can help you live longer and healthier. In fact, aerobic exercise may be the magic bullet you've been looking for.

Take a look at the health benefits associated with aerobic exercise. See how aerobic exercise affects your heart, lungs and blood flow — and get motivated to reap the rewards! Read more.

Top 4 Bodybuilding Benefits You Never Considered by "The Muscle Nerd" Jeff Anderson

Both Aerobic And Resistance Exercise Improved Blood Sugar Control In People With Diabetes

ScienceDaily (Sep. 18, 2007) — In a new randomized controlled trial, both aerobic and resistance exercise improved glycemic/blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes. The greatest improvements came from combined aerobic and resistance training

The study included 251 adults, between ages 39 and 70, who were not exercising regularly and had type 2 diabetes. Participants were assigned to one of four groups: performing 45 minutes aerobic training three times per week, 45 minutes of resistance training three times per week, 45 minutes each of both three times per week, or no exercise. Read more.


Vigorous
Exercise Can Help Seniors Avoid Disability

ScienceDaily (Jun. 7, 2008) — Healthy seniors who are physically active and exercise for more than 60 minutes each week can lessen their chances of disability as they age, finds a new long-term study.

“This study contributes to the large body of scientific evidence supporting the importance of continuing to be physical active over one’s life,” said lead author Bonnie Bruce, of the division of immunology and rheumatology at Stanford University Department of Medicine. Read more.

Best Bet For Boosting Brawn In Women Is Traditional Strength Training

ScienceDaily (May 23, 2008) — Women who want to build muscle strength and endurance should choose traditional strength training methods instead of low velocity routines, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

The study, conducted by Sharon Rana, associate professor of exercise physiology, and colleagues at Ohio University, examined whether low velocity resistance training is a more effective workout than conventional routines, as some experts maintain. The team studied 34 healthy, college-aged females who performed three different training methods over a six-week period.

The methods included a traditional strength training routine, a traditional muscle endurance training routine and a low velocity regimen. The traditional strength group lifted a heavier weight load with fewer repetitions, while the traditional endurance group lifted a lighter weight load with more repetitions. The low velocity group also lifted a lighter weight load, but did their workouts much slower than the other groups and did fewer repetitions.

“What made the research a little different is that we put the various methods of resistance training all in one study and added a control group, which hadn’t been done before. The endurance group also hadn’t really been studied in conjunction with low velocity type training,” Rana said. Read more.

In The News - Let's Get Physical

Science News

Sedentary Lifestyles Associated With Accelerated Aging Process

ScienceDaily (Jan. 29, 2008) — Individuals who are physically active during their leisure time appear to be biologically younger than those with sedentary lifestyles, according to a report in the January 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Regular exercisers have lower rates of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, obesity and osteoporosis, according to background information in the article. "A sedentary lifestyle increases the propensity to aging-related disease and premature death," the authors write. "Inactivity may diminish life expectancy not only by predisposing to aging-related diseases but also because it may influence the aging process itself."

Lynn F. Cherkas, Ph.D., of King's College London, and colleagues studied 2,401 white twins, administering questionnaires on physical activity level, smoking habits and socioeconomic status. The participants also provided a blood sample from which DNA was extracted. The researchers examined the length of telomeres--repeated sequences at the end of chromosomes--in the twins' white blood cells (leukocytes). Leukocyte telomeres progressively shorten over time and may serve as a marker of biological age.

Telomere length decreased with age, with an average loss of 21 nucleotides (structural units) per year. Men and women who were less physically active in their leisure time had shorter leukocyte telomeres than those who were more active. "Such a relationship between leukocyte telomere length and physical activity level remained significant after adjustment for body mass index, smoking, socioeconomic status and physical activity at work," the authors write. "The mean difference in leukocyte telomere length between the most active [who performed an average of 199 minutes of physical activity per week] and least active [16 minutes of physical activity per week] subjects was 200 nucleotides, which means that the most active subjects had telomeres the same length as sedentary individuals up to 10 years younger, on average." A sub-analysis comparing pairs in which twins had different levels of physical activity showed similar results.

Oxidative stress--damage caused to cells by exposure to oxygen--and inflammation are likely mechanisms by which sedentary lifestyles shorten telomeres, the authors suggest. In addition, perceived stress levels have been linked to telomere length. Physical activity may reduce psychological stress, thus mitigating its effect on telomeres and the aging process.

"The U.S. guidelines recommend that 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity at least five days a week can have significant health benefits," the authors write. "Our results underscore the vital importance of these guidelines. They show that adults who partake in regular physical activity are biologically younger than sedentary individuals. This conclusion provides a powerful message that could be used by clinicians to promote the potential anti-aging effect of regular exercise."

Journal reference: Arch Intern Med. 2008;168[2]:154-158.

This study was supported in part by a grant from the Welcome Trust, grants from the National Institutes of Health and a grant from The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey.

Editorial: More Research Needed to Verify Exercise-Aging Link

Additional work needs to be done to show a direct relationship between aging and physical activity, writes Jack M. Guralnik, M.D., Ph.D., of the National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, Md., in an accompanying editorial.

"Persons who exercise are different from sedentary persons in many ways, and although certain variables were adjusted for in this analysis, many additional factors could be responsible for the biological differences between active and sedentary persons, a situation referred to by epidemiologists as residual confounding," Dr. Guralnik writes. "Nevertheless, this article serves as one of many pieces of evidence that telomere length might be targeted in studying aging outcomes."

Editorial reference: Arch Intern Med. 2008;168[2]:131-132.

This work was supported by the Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health.

Adapted from materials provided by JAMA and Archives Journals.