Make the most of your time :: DETRAINING #2

So, how do we take all of this information about DETRAINING (avoiding training) and sum it up?

If we set a goal, make a plan, or get some professional advice from a personal trainer, we have a better chance at sticking to our fitness ambitions.
If your goal is to increase endurance, strength and power, flexibility, or muscle size; OR, if your goal is to decrease your weight and body fat... You need to progress and periodize your workouts. This means you need to continually increase the intensity over time, while alternating between higher and lower intensity workouts to allow your body to recover. Stimulation is the key word here, your body needs to be stimulated!

The ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) recommends working out most (if not all) days of the week, and 7days/week for weight loss. But, if you are currently doing nothing all week and you start to do something, you will see some changes. If you only have limited time, expect limited results. Although, as stated in the first detraining article posted here last week ( http://balancefoodfitness.blogspot.com/2008/10/tough-times-detraining.html ), you can do three training sessions/week to maintain your endurance and one strength training workout every 10 days to maintain your strength.

Now, does this mean your body will change from working out so little? Probably not, but you will get the health benefits and maintain your fitness.

Ending words: if you have limited time, increase the intensity. This can be accomplished in a number of ways: Increase the resistance; decrease rest periods; increase reps/sets; increase the instability; or increase the pace and tempo of the exercise.


To your fitness goals!
--
Ryan Regensburg, BS, NASM-CPT
413.896.2078
www.individualizedfitness.com

Trainer revelation

We all sometimes feel out-of-shape, inactive, and unable to do moves in workout magazines or at group exercise classes. Heck! even the "yoga at your desk" offered at my workplace intimidates me!

So when I decided a couple of weeks ago to see a personal trainer to enhance my fitness routine and restore the tone and grace I think I used to have, it was with uncertainty.

Even so, I was looking forward to learning a new workout routine and hearing how out-of-shape I was; how I really needed to kick my promenade-ing workouts up a notch. I figured after all the discouragement a personal trainer could offer, I would be just that: discouraged and tired of trying new things. I also imagined I would go back to my same simple routine of walking and intermittently strength- and yoga-training while achieving plumping results.

But guess what! My personal trainer did the opposite of what I imagined:
Motivating me by encouraging and sharing advanced moves and it wasn't the possibility that I could do them: I actually could.

This turned into a complete reverie for me: I was elated. And so I thought I would escape my daydream tired and grumpy, not wanting to workout again. Nope! I still wake up at 6am in a relaxed state, but more ready than ever to face the chilled New England mornings. To run by the construction workers busy on the bridge, to pass over the traffic of the MassPike... And I even *enjoy* my new routine!

Now this, I truly cannot believe.

What if I stop feeling great from the new moves or lose interest in the long-lost leg warmer workouts that are now my ultimate pleasure?

Is there a way to continue this personal trainer high?

I've decided there must be a way. I will continue exploring the revelatory facts of personal trainers and share findings in future posts. Meanwhile, you should check out your local Personal Training options, just to see how the prices compare. My three (hour-long) sessions cost a total of $190 ...and my toning and graceful bod will never forget them.

To motivation and new muscles,
Kim Regensburg

tough times :: DETRAINING #1

Detraining... something we all encounter, especially during 'tough times'

Detraining is the cessation of exercise and it takes just two weeks for a significant reduction in fitness. After 10 weeks of not exercising you will be back to pre-training levels.

If you decrease the frequency and duration (because you are slacking, lack the time, have injuries, or are too stressed), but maintain the intensity (weight lifting), you can maintain your fitness (muscle and strength) for 5-15 weeks.

This means, during stressful times, a short and high intensity heavy weight/strength training workout every 10 days will prevent strength and muscle losses. This is great news!

Moreover, after only 12 days failing to do cardiovascular exercise, 50% of cardiovascular endurance is lost. Although: Runners and swimmers who reduced their training by about 60% for 15 to 21 days show no loss in Vo2 Max or endurance performance, and runners who decreased their running from 50 miles to 15 miles/week had no loss in Vo2 Max nor did they have any change in sub-maximal running heart rates. The runners did show an increase in leg power by 5% from the decrease in training.

Research indicates that at least three training sessions per week at an intensity of at least 70% Vo2Max are needed to maintain aerobic conditioning.


This shows that a smart weight lifting or cardiovascular program uses periodization. Periodization is when workouts are alternated between higher and lower intensities. The less intense days actually allow for your body to recover and get stronger while still training.

In summation, fitness goals can be achieved with a busy lifestyle. The biggest factor is how consistent and committed you can be! Consult your doctor or a personal trainer if you have questions or concerns. Plus, I'm always happy to help and look forward to hearing from you!

To your best health,
Ryan Regensburg

This excerpt adapted from Physiology of Sport and Exercise (2nd Edition), Wilmore and Costill, 1999

Calories :: How many do you need to SURVIVE?

How to SURVIVE: Of course we all know balancing Fruits, Veggies, Whole Grains, and Lean Proteins equals a great way to achieve optimal health. But what kind of benefits are we talking about? I have shared some benefits here, but the list is longer than this one:

• Increase your energy
• Increase your focus
• Increase your strength
• Decrease sickness
• Prevent diseases like cancer, heart disease and diabetes

Eating a variety of foods is great, but we can either eat too much or too little and this can cause problems. Here are the basics so you can control your calories properly:

3500 Calories equals one pound. The RDA recommends 2000 calories/person/day.

But if a person does not use more than 1500 calories/day on the 2000 calorie recommendation, they would gain 500cals/day (or 3500cals/7 days or 1 pound/week; ie 4 lbs/month which would equal 48lbs/year).

Towards the other extreme, if you only eat 1000cals/day and your resting metabolic rate (RMR, see + below) is 1500cals/day, your body will constantly s l o w your metabolism until you only need 1000cal/day to survive. This is why so many people yo-yo diet: starving and slowing the metabolism to no longer see results. And then falling off 'the wagon' just to begin another diet without the proper knowledge. That is why it's important to understand calories, your body, and how they work together!

I suggest getting an idea of how many calories you need to function (RMR, resting metabolic rate) and understanding how active you are throughout the day.

For example, a highly active person will burn more calories (ie, construction workers can burn an additional 800-1500 calories above their RMR). People with desk jobs burn less calories (ie, most desk jobs and sedentary lifestyles burn only an additional 400-600 calories during a work day).

+
Special Bonus: Resting Metabolic Rate is the amount of calories we burn at rest. A simple way to figure this out is to multiply your weight by 10 to 14. Multiply your weight by ten if you are a woman, 11 if you are a man and multiply your weight by up to 14 if you are an active teenage boy or an adult construction worker.

For example, a 29-year-old female weighs 150lbs and works in an office, she is active for an hour 4 times/week. She should multiply by 11 (if she does not exercise at all, by 10). Her resting metabolic rate is approximately 1650 calories/day. Please understand that these are just estimates and should not be used for exact measurements.

Ryan Regensburg is a fitness professional in Santa Monica, CA. He currently has a couple of time spots available for motivated people looking to change their body and lifestyle. Please contact him at ryanregensburg@gmail.com.

Calories :: THE answer to changing your body.

There is one sure-fire way to manipulate your body:
by consuming more or less food.

Think about it.

How can we get bigger or smaller?
The biggest factor is what we put in our body.
It is really hard to change, if your diet does not change.

Calories are the measurement we use to understand
how much ENERGY we are putting into our bodies.
Calories measure the only 3 MacroNutrients humans
can use to fuel our bodies. These MacroNutrients are
Carbohydrates, Protein, and Fat.

Each MacroNutrient has a different amount of calories per gram.
Carbohydrates and protein have approximately 4 calories per gram.
Fat has 9 calories per gram.
As you can see gram-for-gram, you can eat more than double the
carbohydrates to equal the same amount of fat.


Example: if you eat 100 grams of a carbohydrate (say grapes) and 100 grams of fat (say blue cheese), you would consume 400 calories of carbohydrate and 900 calories of fat. This is not to say the quality of food is not important, it sure is! ...And will be discussed in future blog posts here ;)

The best way to lose or gain weight is a combination of diet and exercise.

The human body needs a base amount of food to give the body enough energy.

Everyone needs a certain amount of energy to survive and function without dizziness, illness, lack of concentration, and irritability, meanwhile staying energized and focused.

We all need to find our own individual balance of the right foods and exercise to make us feel good.

Catch the next blog on how many calories are needed to survive, and get a tool to measure how many calories you need.

To Good Health.
For questions send Ryan an e-mail at http://www.individualizedfitness.com/contact/