Why you should focus on your Metabolism!!!

Metabolism is a combination of physical and chemical processes called anabolism and catabolism. Anabolism is the constructive phase of metabolism in which body cells synthesize protoplasm for growth and repair. Catabolism is the destructive phase of metabolism in which complex substances are broken down into simpler compounds producing energy which is essential for the proper functioning of body cells. Together, these processes distribute nutrients which are absorbed into the blood after digestion.

Three factors determine your metabolic rate.

1. Amount of calories your body uses every day (aka: basal metabolic rate [BMR]).
2. The rate you burn energy during physical activity
3. The rate you use energy during digestion of food are the two other factors involved in your total metabolic rate.

To improve your metabolic efficiency you need minor alterations to your daily eating and exercise program to experience a difference in how you look and feel.

The best way to jump-start your metabolism is to exercise. Exercise will reduce body fat and increase lean muscle mass. By increasing lean muscle mass your metabolism will increase and aid in the weight-loss process. Muscle burns significantly more calories than fat tissue because it has a higher metabolic rate. Aerobic exercise, like walking, swimming or cycling, has the added bonus of speeding up your metabolism for 4 to 8 hours after you stop exercising. Additional calories will be burned long after you stop exercising.

If you want to reap the benefits of a faster metabolism throughout the day, exercise in the morning, or exercise in short 10 or 15-minute bursts every couple of hours to keep your metabolism pumping.  By exercising just a little more than usual you can speed up your metabolism and use up stored fat in the process.

Eat breakfast!
Breakfast is essential. Your body has been deprived of food throughout the night; therefore your metabolism has slowed. Think of your body as a train and this train hasn�t had any coal for the last 8 hours. Time for some coal! If the cells do not receive sufficient nutrients they will begin to function less efficiently on smaller amounts, and they will actually store more fat to use during these times of nutritional deprivation. You are starving your body by only feeding it a couple times a day, so it goes into survival mode and starts to store as much as it can from the meals it does get. Eat 6-10 small meals a day to keep your body�s fuel supply consistent and keep your metabolism revved up. Consistency is important because your body metabolism adapts to your current weight. If you have been dieting or skipping meals your body�s metabolism slows down to compensate for the lack of nutrients. When lean people overeat their metabolism speeds up and when obese people diet their metabolism slows down. The key is a balance of exercise and diet.

Best Foods to Increase your metabolism:

• Fish
• Oatmeal
• Dark Green Leafy Vegetables
• Tomatoes
• Blueberries and many other fruits
• Whole Grains (increase your dietary Fiber w/ grains, fruit and veggies)
• At Least 8 glasses of water a day.

Stay away from:

• High-fat/calorie foods
• Sugary Food (Substitute Sugar for Agave or Stevia [Google it])
• Alcohol
• Caffeine
• Do not Smoke

You can jump-start a sluggish metabolism through exercise and proper diet! Proper nutrition is the very most important piece to your fitness puzzle. The truth is 85% of your results can be seen by developing a healthy, everyday diet!!! Only about 15% will be seen by exercise alone!!!� Get the Idea!!!

So… Do i just write 1/29/10 or do I have to put 2010 now eveytime??  haha, anyway so here was my day.

Been waking up a little earlier than usual, roughly 5:30 am every week day, roll out of bed, jump in the shower, and then off to my first meeting for the day, got a good workout in later this evening, and here are the details:

Meals: 5:30 am – 11:00 pm

-High Fiber Oatmeal (one packet) and cup of coffee for the car

-Bowl of canned ravioli

-Steamed tv dinner

-fiber one snack bar

-Roast beef sandwich with cheese and chips

Workout

-Protein shake (30 grams)

-bowl of cereal

Workout Details: Chest Day

-Regular Bench Press 3 Sets 10 reps 155 lbs

-Incline Bench Press 3 sets 8 reps 135 lbs

-Incline cable fly 3 sets 10 reps 40 lbs each side (80 total lbs)

-regular cable fly 3 sets 8 reps 50 lbs each side

-Body weight dips 3 sets 10 reps

-Kickbacks 3 sets 10 reps 10 lbs

-Hanging leg lifts 2 sets to failure

-Finished with 8 min cardio consisting of 4 min incline walk and short jog to finish out.

Notes:  Pretty successful workout, pushed it hard, went super slow and concentrated on form instead of strength.  Small amount of downtime in between every set.  Overall very happy with today’s eating and workout, will see results if continue path in this manor.

Let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.  Thanks!

Hey world!!

Well I have now been on my vacation to Ft. Lauderdale Florida, Manhattan New York, Asheville North Carolina, and back to Ft Lauderdale, for about two weeks and a couple of days.  Was able to free up some time to let everyone know that I will be back in Minnesota, aka the freezing cold, on the 8th of this Friday.  My birthday is the following day and I cannot wait to get back to my fitness regiment.  I have had roughly 3 weeks off of working out, which is good to do every once and a while, but I have never been so pumped to hit the gym hard.   Also this break of eating like crap and resting around has allowed me to have something to work on!  I will post pictures the day I get home before I get back into the gym and you will be able to watch day by day my progress, with pictures updated at the end of each week.  To let you know I may or may not try getting back onto Super Pump pre-workout for that period but I am also thinking about doing this all natural and just taking post workout protein to show you it is possible to get shredded without anything other than a multi-vitamin and protein.  Anyway sorry for the huge delay in my posts, but get excited and feel free to join me in progress posts starting this month on the 9th!  My birthday!  Start the new year off no matter what your current position is, and lets make 2010 the best year ever in terms of fitness and health!!

Also 2 things in the mean time before I get back:

-Feel free to post questions or comments for me to answer for when I get home.

-We will be refacing the site over the next two weeks, everything will be functional during the process, and don’t think your at the wrong site if when you log on it looks completely different!  This face was just a temp until we got the design we were looking for made, and it is almost complete so watch out for the new look and extra features, including a functional “Ask Blake” button, video feeds and tons of picture archives of my path!

Hey world!   Sorry about the delay in the posts for the last couple of entries.. so I am on vacation down in Ft lauderdale with my friend, it has been kinda crazy and have been eating like a king!  For sure not helping me with my fitness goals, but its vacation and you need to spoil your self every once in a while!  I will post some pics here soon, for an idea, last night we took the Bentley GTC out to dinner and then came back to take the Ferrarri F430 out for a rip down A1A to fly around town.. for the record neither of these cars are mine, I wish, but no.. hahaha.  My friend has a killer house down here on the ocean and has been kind enough to share the experience with me for a couple of weeks.  I will get some new entries up here asap, and try not to rub it in too much      oh and I just bought myself an early christmas present and birthday, so I can fit in with the class down here, got the SEIKO Chronograph 200M dive watch, with yellow face.. super nice, but got it on sale!

So was super tired last night and didn’t get a chance to work on my blog until now.   But here was my day for 12/09/09:

Woke up around 8am and went down town to Minneapolis with my brother to go do some long procrastinated paperwork.   After that I needed to head home so I could have enough time to get a workout in before going car shopping with one of my best friends.  Car shopping took forever, and if you know anything about what the weather has been like here in Minnesota for the last couple of days you will know why.  A normal 20 min drive took us and hour and fifteen minutes cause of traffic and accidents from all the snow we have received.  Anyway here is my meal and workout information for yesterday 12/09/09!

Meal Details:

-Bowl of Lucky Charms

-Roast beef peperjack cheese wrap

-Snack bar and Diet coke

Workout

-Protein Shake (30 grams)

-Turky Sandwhich and chips from gas station

-Beef Roast TV dinner

-Bowl of Lucky Charms

Notes:   Not a bad meal day, glad to have finally gotten back in the gym!   Also I started doing some research on natural supplements to take, and read about “Glinko Biloba” and decided to pick some of it up.  It supposedly provides your brain with the fuel it needs to supply a higher level of productivity throughout your day, pretty much like brain food.  Anyway I thought I would try it out and will let you know what I think.  Also at that time I picked up some Complex B vitamins that help convert food into energy.  I just have been feeling like I haven’t had the energy I usually do, and want to stay away from the energy drinks as much as possible, since for a while I was drinking like 2-3 Blue Monsters every day!    

Workout Details:  Have to Run but will update this.. quick note is it was a Leg day for me!

Many positive health claims have been made over the years for high-fiber diets. Most recently two articles in The Lancet medical journal give credence to the long-held idea that such a diet protects against colon cancer. The articles described two long-term studies, one done in England, the other in the US.

One reason for the difficulty of proving such claims for fiber is that the substance is complex — there are many types of fiber, not all of which act in the same manner. Some, in other words, may be more effective as a preventive agent than others — it is important to isolate which specific high-fiber types matter most.

Fiber, as you know, is plentiful in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. For some reasons not certain, Europeans eat more of it than we do in the U.S.; their residents ate 22 grams a day to our (American) 16 grams a day. According to the latest studies just mentioned, neither the Euros nor the Americans are eating enough — at least 30 grams daily seem essential for protection against colon cancer.

Any idea how many grams of fiber there are in popular foods? Here are a few with fiber content noted:

·        Slice of whole meal bread-2 grams.

·        Banana-3 grams.

·        Apple-3.5 grams.

·        Cup of brown rice-3.5 grams.

·        Half a cup of high fiber breakfast cereal-14 grams.

In the American study (consisting of 3,600 people) reported in The Lancet, people who ate the most fiber (36 grams daily) had a 27 percent lower risk of pre-cancerous growths than those who ate the least. In the English study, those who ate the most fiber (about 35 grams a day) had about a 40 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer.

All of which leads me to conclude that everyone would be wise to pay a lot more attention to fiber than is the norm! One way to do so, besides counting fiber intake daily, is to be as alert to what happens to your food after you eat it as to the foods you select to eat. Consider this fact: America leads the world in the incidence not only of colorectal cancer, but also of digestive tract disorders, such as diverticulosis and diverticulitis. You’ve surely heard about “irritable bowel syndrome,” haven’t you? Well, these conditions, largely influenced by poor food choices and lack of exercise, can be anticipated long before the disease state occurs IF YOU PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU ATE. Am I making myself clearer?

Compared with some third-world countries, where the populations enjoy high-fiber diets, Americans are not doing well in the OUTPUT side of nutrition, if you get my drift. This is seen in three ways contrasting their PRODUCTION with ours in terms of volume, transit time and consistency.

Let’s deal with volume first. People in some other countries produce, on average, a pound and a half to two pounds daily; Americans — just seven ounces. This isn’t to suggest that all citizens of these selected third-world societies are quite so productive or that all Americans are under-performers but that, on average, we’re being out-pooped! My fellow flag-waving patriots, if you want America to be #1, the REAL superpower of the universe, you will have to do your part — by exercising and eating more fiber. Consider it your patriotic duty.

The second measure of adequacy of production is transit time. From input (consumption) to output (waste disposal), the third-world folks require 24 hours or less. Americans retain their meals for two to three days! This means that many of us are giving new meaning to the euphemistic state of constipation. The truth is we have masses of humanoids functioning in society who are, basically, living, breathing and perambulating toxic waste dumps.

Finally, there is the matter of consistency or consideration of the behavior of the fecal matter. This is something you can check out at a glance, which is not illegal, sinful, disgusting or otherwise inappropriate. The rule is simple: Fluffy floaters are better than slinky sinkers.

In addition to enjoying vigorous daily exercise (and sufficient moments of a fulfilling nature, a bit of relaxation, maintaining a good attitude and an interest in the meaning of life), you, too, can produce whopper-sized winners by choosing meals high in bulk and fiber. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, for example, and be conscious of fat intake. Try for a gram of fiber for every 100 calories you consume. If you are packing in, say, 3000 calories daily, that means you need 30 grams of fiber. Why not go for the high standard of 35 from that English study for even more protection against colorectal cancer?

So, a main focus of your fitness routine should be to eat more fiber and, with it, drink plenty of water.  Excellent fiber sources are just about any fruit or vegetable and beans, prunes, figs, raisins, oatmeal, pears, nuts and popcorn, in particular.  Next time you buy food take a look at the grams of Fiber and see if you are getting around 30grams a day.  Chances are that you never even thought about how much fiber is in you diet because we tend to be more fat and sugar conscious these days. Getting enough daily fiber can lead to a much healthier you.  The proper consumption of fiber along with good intakes of protein and working out on a regular can get you well on your way to reaching your fitness goals! 

Hey, so today is Monday.. usually a day that I push it my hardest in the gym, but if you have ready my blog on the last two days you may understand why I didn’t even make it to the GYM today!  Woke up today feeling like crap again, and I seriously think I am still hung over from Saturday night, on top that probably the residual effects from the crap I ate yesterday.  I am Beginning to realize that with the better shape I get, It is actually more important than ever to give my body the healthy diet it requires and all the vitamins.  It is kinda like bringing your Ferrari to the gas station and getting the crappiest gas money can buy… it will not preform at all, unless you are supplying it with the premium fuel.   Anyway, laid around the house all day and watched movies and snacked.  In hopes that tomorrow will be a better day and I will actually make it into the gym.  At this point I am seeing the benefits more than ever in staying away from alcohol. 

Meal Details:

-Oat Meal

-TV Dinner

-Ravioli and green beans

-Another TV Steamed Dinner

-bowl of lucky charms

Notes:  Today i didn’t eat much, didn’t really have an appetite, probably due to the fact I didn’t  use any energy yesterday and today I was just super lazy.  Tomorrow I am going to force myself to hit the gym, probably going to work on chest and triceps.

Alright so last night I ended up going to hit some baseballs with my brother and then went out with a couple of my best friends.  I had a few to many beers and not feeling the best today.  I was craving some greasy food and had to end up hitting the BK Lounge to get a bacon double cheese burger.  Anyway the rest of the food day didn’t go much better.  Here is my Sundays grubbing!

Meal details:

-Bacon Double Cheese burger and fries from Burger King

-TGI Friday’s Jack Daniels BBQ chicken and shrimp with a beer for the VIKINGS game (we lost)

-bowl of lucky charms

-tv Dinner Steamed Beef Roast

-Another bowl of lucky charms

-Some Gold Fish

-Rest of the bag of Goldfish

Notes:  Well what do i really need to say about today.  Obviously not a proud day towards my fitness goals.  I had not drank for about 5 months before last night, which i was kinda starting to go insane from being sober and working so much, so maybe I can justify getting a little out of control on one occasion, but I for sure feel the effects of the empty calories in all the beer I drank and ate like crap today because I felt so bad.  I will need to push it really hard in the gym this week to make up for the eating and drinking of this weekend!

Hey so today is Saturday up in the good ole Minnesota!   Not sure what I am going to get myself into yet, took the day off from the gym but am thinking about heading over to my brothers house and going to hit some baseballs.  We will see what I end up doing!  Anyway here is my diet information for today, 12/05/09.

Diet Information:

-Oat Meal High fiber

-Bowl of Lucky Charms

-Snack bar

-Roast Beef Sandwich with cheese and spinach, with diet coke and chips

-Ravioli and some 12 grain toast

-TV steamed dinner, beef roast

-entire bag of goldfish

Notes: Alright so Today was not the greatest diet, I really need to start getting back on track with my meals, but to tell you the truth, i have been seeing better results than ever.  My midsection is almost right where I want it, now if i can just stay away from the beer tonight I should be looking great by the end of next week!

Alright,

So here is day 1 of my fitness path towards my personal goal.  I have been working out for about 2 years consistanly 3-5 days a week with your ocasional week or two off.  I have put on a lot of muscle and have really gained a lot of muscular strength from when I first started going to the gym.  I was about 175 pounds and was beging for the first time in my life to get a little bit of a belly and decided to turn it into lean fast muscle again like back in high school.  I was 22 at the time.  I am very happy with the results I have seen, and will continue to workout for the rest of my life.  Here is the story of my path: 

Goal:  To add about 10 pounds of muscle, majority on to my legs, and lean up to really show my mid section, and most importantly my bottom two abbs. 

Height: 5′ 11″

Current Weight: 160 lbs

Current Body Fat: 8.5-9%

Goal Weight: 175 lbs

Goal Body Fat Composition: 7-8%

Today:

Meals: 8am-11:30pm (seperations are made for times between meals)

-Poptarts (High fiber)

-Chipotle tacos

-Lean Cusine chicken alfredo (15g protein)

Workout

-Protein Shake (25g Protein)

-Diet Coke and Powerbar (8g protein)

-Roast beef Sandwich w/ cheese and some Goldfish

-Hardshell Taco from T-bell

-Rest of the band new Goldfish bag.. Yup I did it..

11:30 right now and may eat one more snack before bed, kinda have the munchies like a mo fo right now. 

Notes:   Not the best meals throughout the day but evenly spaced and smaller so they kept my metabolism going all day and into the night, so the crap really shouldn’t set me back at all, at least thats what I say.  One thing you will notice is that I am a sucker for Goldfish, if you see at any point Goldfish in my meals I can assure you that before the end of the days meals you will see “the rest of the bag of Goldfish” haha..  true

Workout Details:

Short but powerful chest workout.  Really pushed it for the only 50 min session.  Would have liked to do some Triceps at the end but was crunched for time and had to cut it short and finish with a 10 min cardio incline walk and short jog.  Not the best, but for sure effective time of my use in the gym.. worth it