Tuesday 071113

Workout

Power Snatch + OHS @ 70%* x1 x5
Power Clean + FS @ 70%* x1 x5
Rest 5 Mins
2x
40 - AB Mat Sit-ups
30 - Squats
20 - Push-ups
10 - Pull-ups
*70% or your 1RM

Yesterday I read an article on-line entitled - 5 Reasons You're Not Losing Weight. It was adapted from The TNT Diet, the revolutionary guide to transforming your body — and your life, written by Jeff Volek, PH.D., R.D., & Adam Campbell, M.S., C.S.C.S., Men's Health

It lists the five mistakes that many people make as:

1. Following Bad Advice
   Sometimes the government goofs. In late 1970s, the United States began advocating a high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet. In the early 1970s, the average daily energy intake was 2,450 calories. By the year 2000, that number had risen to 2,618. Almost all of those extra calories came from carbohydrates, according to the Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES).
   
2. You Eat Fat-Free Foods
   Warning: Low-fat foods may make you fat. Cornell University researchers reported that when overweight men and women were told they were eating low-fat M&Ms, they consumed 47 percent more calories than those who were given regular M&Ms (the M&Ms were actually all the same). On average, low-fat foods contain 59 percent less fat, but only 15 percent fewer calories than full-fat products.
   
3. You (Still) Don't Eat Breakfast
   Sure, you've heard this one before. But it's important: Researchers at the University of Massachusetts found that people who don't eat breakfast are nearly five times more likely to be obese than those who make it an everyday habit. That's because if you sleep for 6 to 8 hours, and then skip breakfast, your body is running on fumes by the time you get to work. And that sends you desperately seeking sugar, which happens to be easy to find.
   
4. You're Eating Too Much Sugar
   You've stopped drinking regular soda? Great, but your diet is probably still filled with the sweet stuff. Check the label of your breakfast cereal. Some products marketed as healthy are packed with sugar. Case in point: Kellogg's Smart Start Health Heart cereal contains more sugar per serving — 17 grams — than a serving of Froot Loops. The problem: Sugar raises your blood levels of insulin, a hormone that signals your body to stop burning — and start storing fat.

NUMBER 5!

You Don't Lift Weights
In a study at the University of Connecticut, we put overweight men on a 1,500-calorie-a-day diet, and divided them into three groups — one that didn't exercise, another that performed aerobic exercise 3 days a week, and a third that did both aerobic exercise and weight training. Each group lost almost the same amount of weight — about 21 pounds. But the lifters shed 5 more pounds of fat than those who didn't pump iron. Why? Their weight loss was almost pure fat, while the other two groups lost just 15 pounds of lard, along with several pounds of muscle.

The article advises: Make three total-body weight training sessions a week a non-negotiable part of your weight loss plan. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that lost muscle is replaced by fat over time. This not only makes you look flabby, but it also increases your pants size — even if you somehow manage to keep your scale-weight the same. The reason: Each pound of fat takes up 18 percent more space on your body than each pound of muscle.

We all know those that say, "I'm the same weight I was in high school, so I don't need to workout." I hate scales, they lie. If you are using a scale to judge your level of fitness, you are making a mistake. Being fit comes in all shapes and sizes. Based on the insurance charts I am obese. I have friends that are in the "normal" range that can not run, lift things off the ground or lift things over their heads.

Those "normal" range friends always call me when they want/need something moved or a jar opened. OK, kidding about the jar thing, but you know what I mean. Being fit is not a number on the scale. How do your clothes fit? Are you out of breath climbing stairs (or do you avoid stair whenever, wherever possible)?

Get Fit. Do CrossFit!