Exercise & Nutrition...... The Dynamic Duo

Right up there with Batman & Robin, Romeo & Juliet, Scarlett O’Hara & Rhett Butler, Lancelot and Guinevere ...and there is exercise & nutrition. Okay, they don’t sound quite as romantic. However, they are forever attached & inseparable. “Ya” just can’t have one without the other. It doesn’t work. Period. Trying to do one without the other is self sabotage. It all comes down to:

Move

Eat healthy

Train your mind & body

Adhere to a disciplined lifestyle

Breathe deeply

Overcome your fears & barriers

Live, Love & Laugh

Invest in your health

Stress release

Move some more

The key to long term physical fitness is making nice with your metabolism....We really have to understand how our metabolism truly rules every aspect of our fitness level. Unfortunately, most people wreck their metabolism and don’t even know it. In other words, they unknowingly undermine their fitness efforts.

Your metabolism, involves a complex network of hormones and enzymes that not only convert food into fuel but also affect how efficiently you burn that fuel.

The process of metabolism establishes the rate at which we burn our calories and, ultimately, how quickly we gain or lose weight.

Of course, not everyone burns calories at the same rate.

Metabolism is influenced by age (metabolism naturally slows about 5% per decade after age 40); sex (men generally burn more calories at rest than women...I always thought this was sexist!); and proportion of lean body mass. The more muscle, the higher metabolic rate tends to be......So do you think exercise has something to do with it??????

When we hit a sticking point or “plateau” during weight loss efforts it is not due to a “slow metabolism” as those wonderful armchair gurus say...or “they say”..... this is a sign our metabolism is doing its job. Remember, we are a product of evolution. Evolution was not designed around being a size 00. Survival of the fittest dictates we should not  starve to death.

And yes, heredity makes a difference.

Some people just burn calories at a slower rate than others. However, this does NOT mean give up its okay to be obese. It means we have to work a little bit harder & smarter.

There are numerous metabolic faux pas we do every day . Skipping breakfast, sleep, the foods we eat, our muscle mass..these are just a few of the influences on our metabolism that we can control. Learn to work with your metabolism & quit trying to fight it. Our metabolism is truly the great equalizer.

FYI.............

A fat loss study at Ball State University produced the following results:

1. 1)People who dieted but did not exercise can lose 69% of their fat;
   

2. 2) People who dieted & do aerobic exercise can lose 78% of their fat.
   

3. 3)People who diet, exercise aerobically  weight train can lose 90% of their fat!!!!!!