Catabolic Vs Anabolic!
After thinking about your fitness goals, then next step is to plan your training plan! Here you need to think about what you want to achieve, how you’re going to achieve it and when. You need to consider the functionality of your training and think about the biology behind it to get the results you want.
Although of course everyone and their personal goals are different and these two goals do overlap, generally you can spilt people into one of two groups when it comes to starting training; the ones that want to build muscle mass and the ones who want to loose fat mass. From this you are instantly talking in terms of catabolism and anabolism.
Anabolism is the construction of molecules from smaller units- i.e. in this case, the building up of tissue, using energy. Catabolism is the opposite- i.e the breakdown of tissue to release energy. Different types of training force our bodies into either anabolic or catabolic states.
To build muscle we want our bodies to be in an anabolic state, promoting the build up of muscle tissue and increase muscle fibre size. For this we need to be doing resistance training (to build muscle size weight should be heavier for 6-8reps and to build muscle endurance 12-15reps) Resistance training releases testosterone in the body which promotes the anabolic state.
To burn fat we want our bodies to be in a catabolic state, breaking down triglycerides and fatty acids the burn off as energy. To do this we need to do cardiovascular training (this can be low or higher intensity but need to be long lasting- over 20mins) When we do CV training our bodies release cortosol which release fatty acids to break down for energy, hence fat burning.
These two metabolic states don’t work together, you are either in a catabolic or anabolic state. The cortosol released in CV work inhibits the anabolic process of testosterone.
So, if you want to improve fitness but also increase muscle mass CV work should be done on a different day to resistance training or at least 6hours after for optimum results. This way you get the health benefits of CV training, including fat burning to increase the definition of you muscles, without it inhibiting the hard work your are doing resistance training to build muscle size.
If you want to burn fat and improve muscle tone without massively increasing muscle bulk, do your cv training before the resistance training within your training session. This way you will get the toning benefit of strength training, but the cortosol inhibiting the action of the testosterone in your body will prevent your muscles gaining bulk- often relative to women (not to generalise!) that want tone but not a masculine shape.
So, before you think about your training sessions, think: what do i want? and so: do I want to be catabolic or anabolic?
Hope this helps!
Thursday 31 March 2011
What's your BMI?
BMI is a calculation of your body fat based on your height and weight and can be a good indication of where you stand in terms of health brackets. Hydrostatic weighing is the most accurate way to test your body mass index, but I’m assuming most of you reading this don't have a big water tank available to weigh yourself in right now!
Below is a generalised formula for BMI.
Of course it is not totally accurate and does not take into account excessive amounts of muscle weight for example, so wont be good for someone very muscley with low fat, but for the most people will give you a good idea to what group you fall into.
BMI Classification
<18.5 Underweight
18.6 - 24.9 Healthy
25.0 -29.9 Overweight
>30 Obese
Below is a generalised formula for BMI.
Of course it is not totally accurate and does not take into account excessive amounts of muscle weight for example, so wont be good for someone very muscley with low fat, but for the most people will give you a good idea to what group you fall into.
BMI Classification
<18.5 Underweight
18.6 - 24.9 Healthy
25.0 -29.9 Overweight
>30 Obese
Obesity- the facts
Obesity is the accumulation of body fat causing BMI to rise above 30kg/m. Its hugely detrimental to health and is reaching pandemic proportions worldwide.
The UK currently has the 3rd highest obesity rates in the world. 1 in 4 adults are clinically obese and 1 in 10 children. The Department of Health predicts that if nothing is done, by 2050 60% of men and 50% of women in the UK will be obese. Obesity related treatments currently cost the NHS £4.2 billion per year, and we can expect this to double by 2050 in the rise in obesity continues like this.
The risk factors associated with obesity are enormous, but below is a short selection of them to give you a better idea of the range of dangerous conditions it can cause to all areas of health;
-heart disease of many kinds
-high blood pressure and cholesterol
-deep vein thrombosis
-excessive dermatological issues
-strokes
-dementia
-migraines
-MS
- cancer, including breast, ovarian, liver, pancreatic, prostate, kidney, cervical, gallbladder, and more.
-diabetes
-polycystic ovaries
-infertility
-miscarriages
-erectile dysfunction
-renal failure
-sleep disorders
-respiratory problems
-osteoarthritis
-depression and other mental health issues
and so much more.
It is becoming more and more socially acceptable and more of a ‘norm’ to become obese. This is not normal. This is not healthy. This needs to stop.
Although research is being done in to other causes of obesity and new treatments are being developed to treat it all the time, it is undeniable that the majority of the cases of obesity are caused by over-eating and under exercising and that the majority of cases can be treated by eating less and exercising more! This would save so many lives, so many miserable years and so much NHS money that could be used else where! Eating right and exercising more is something we can all do and we all should do to prevent obesity! Everybody knows the obvious benefits of exercise so i wont patronise by repeating them, but look at the list above! Did any of those spring to mind when you thought about the benefits of healthy living? You could help prevent all of the above conditions and so much more whilst looking great and feeling great too!
The UK currently has the 3rd highest obesity rates in the world. 1 in 4 adults are clinically obese and 1 in 10 children. The Department of Health predicts that if nothing is done, by 2050 60% of men and 50% of women in the UK will be obese. Obesity related treatments currently cost the NHS £4.2 billion per year, and we can expect this to double by 2050 in the rise in obesity continues like this.
The risk factors associated with obesity are enormous, but below is a short selection of them to give you a better idea of the range of dangerous conditions it can cause to all areas of health;
-heart disease of many kinds
-high blood pressure and cholesterol
-deep vein thrombosis
-excessive dermatological issues
-strokes
-dementia
-migraines
-MS
- cancer, including breast, ovarian, liver, pancreatic, prostate, kidney, cervical, gallbladder, and more.
-diabetes
-polycystic ovaries
-infertility
-miscarriages
-erectile dysfunction
-renal failure
-sleep disorders
-respiratory problems
-osteoarthritis
-depression and other mental health issues
and so much more.
It is becoming more and more socially acceptable and more of a ‘norm’ to become obese. This is not normal. This is not healthy. This needs to stop.
Although research is being done in to other causes of obesity and new treatments are being developed to treat it all the time, it is undeniable that the majority of the cases of obesity are caused by over-eating and under exercising and that the majority of cases can be treated by eating less and exercising more! This would save so many lives, so many miserable years and so much NHS money that could be used else where! Eating right and exercising more is something we can all do and we all should do to prevent obesity! Everybody knows the obvious benefits of exercise so i wont patronise by repeating them, but look at the list above! Did any of those spring to mind when you thought about the benefits of healthy living? You could help prevent all of the above conditions and so much more whilst looking great and feeling great too!
Wednesday 30 March 2011
SMART Goals!
So, on to the topic of training now. Before you start training you need to think about what your goals are. From here you can make an informed and realistic plan to get you the results you want. This means your goals need to be SMART!
S – Specific (what exactly do you want? e.g. loose 10lbs, to run 5k, be be a size 6 etc)
M – Measurable (able to monitor your progress. e.g. pre/post weighing, circumference measures, timing)
A – achievable (something you are able to do)
R - Realistic (are you like to be able to do it and in said time?)
T – Time Orientated (given a time limit/target)
an example of a smart goal- ‘ i want to loose 6lbs in 6weeks through diet and exercise to go from a size 10 to a size 8.’
Once you have outlined your smart goals your are ready to make your training specific to what you want to achieve- weight loss/weigh gain/fitness gain/muscle bulk etc. It also gives you a time frame to work with to structure your training around. Perhaps most importantly, its also very motivating have realistic and achievable plans set out in front of you that are within reach and specific enough for you to be able to train appropriately for in order to be able to reach them.
This is the first step in your training/diet. Stay tuned and we’ll go on to discuss specific training methods etc for you to get the results you want.
S – Specific (what exactly do you want? e.g. loose 10lbs, to run 5k, be be a size 6 etc)
M – Measurable (able to monitor your progress. e.g. pre/post weighing, circumference measures, timing)
A – achievable (something you are able to do)
R - Realistic (are you like to be able to do it and in said time?)
T – Time Orientated (given a time limit/target)
an example of a smart goal- ‘ i want to loose 6lbs in 6weeks through diet and exercise to go from a size 10 to a size 8.’
Once you have outlined your smart goals your are ready to make your training specific to what you want to achieve- weight loss/weigh gain/fitness gain/muscle bulk etc. It also gives you a time frame to work with to structure your training around. Perhaps most importantly, its also very motivating have realistic and achievable plans set out in front of you that are within reach and specific enough for you to be able to train appropriately for in order to be able to reach them.
This is the first step in your training/diet. Stay tuned and we’ll go on to discuss specific training methods etc for you to get the results you want.
Tuesday 29 March 2011
A Good Read…
A great breakdown of the concept of GI for you,
The New Glucose Revolution, by Jennie Brand Miller
Check it out!
The New Glucose Revolution, by Jennie Brand Miller
Check it out!
Low GI Recipe
Yummy cookies in your diet!!?
Banana and Nut Cookies
makes 12
Ingredients:
4 ripe bananas
170g soya flour
60g wholemeal flour
2eggs
3tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp baking powder
25g cashew nuts
30 rasins
Mash all 4 bananas in a small bowl using a fork, then transfer to a larger cooking bowl. If you want to have less washing up you can mash the bananas in the large bowl but you will find it a lot harder work.
Slowly mix the soy and wholemeal flour into the bananas causing the mixture to thicken.
Mix in the eggs and olive oil to form a smooth paste.
Add the cashew nuts and raisins and gently mix them in.
Line two baking trays with baking parchment and lightly grease the surface with a little butter. Using two spoons transfer six large scoops of the mixture onto each baking tray. Cook for 15 minutes in an oven preheated to 190°C/380°F/Gas Mark 5.
The low GI Recipes I have listed here are from http://www.the-gi-diet.org/ where there's plenty more too, but there are also lots of other sites and books full of great Low Gi meals and snacks which are so easy to make and even easier to eat! Enjoy!
Banana and Nut Cookies
makes 12
Ingredients:
4 ripe bananas
170g soya flour
60g wholemeal flour
2eggs
3tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp baking powder
25g cashew nuts
30 rasins
Mash all 4 bananas in a small bowl using a fork, then transfer to a larger cooking bowl. If you want to have less washing up you can mash the bananas in the large bowl but you will find it a lot harder work.
Slowly mix the soy and wholemeal flour into the bananas causing the mixture to thicken.
Mix in the eggs and olive oil to form a smooth paste.
Add the cashew nuts and raisins and gently mix them in.
Line two baking trays with baking parchment and lightly grease the surface with a little butter. Using two spoons transfer six large scoops of the mixture onto each baking tray. Cook for 15 minutes in an oven preheated to 190°C/380°F/Gas Mark 5.
The low GI Recipes I have listed here are from http://www.the-gi-diet.org/ where there's plenty more too, but there are also lots of other sites and books full of great Low Gi meals and snacks which are so easy to make and even easier to eat! Enjoy!
Low Fat, Low GI Recipe
Hey, heres a great tastey dinner idea to tingle the taste buds and keep you fuller for longer!
Chicken and Chicpea Caserole
Serves 4
Ingredients:
3 medium chicken breasts
1 medium red onion
1 large carrot
200g chickpeas
300g sieved tomatoes
1/2tbs bouillon/other stock
5 dashes of tabasco sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
pepper
Chop the onion into 8 sections and break the layers appart as you put them into an ovenproof casserol dish. Peal and cut the carrots into round slices about a quarter of an inch thick.
Cut the chicken breast into small cubes and put into the dish with the carrot and all the other ingredients.
Mix the ingredients together in the dish and then cover with a lid (or foil if you have no lid). Place the dish in an oven pre-heated to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 4. Cook for 55 minutes then serve with yogurt.
Chicken and Chicpea Caserole
Serves 4
Ingredients:
3 medium chicken breasts
1 medium red onion
1 large carrot
200g chickpeas
300g sieved tomatoes
1/2tbs bouillon/other stock
5 dashes of tabasco sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
pepper
Chop the onion into 8 sections and break the layers appart as you put them into an ovenproof casserol dish. Peal and cut the carrots into round slices about a quarter of an inch thick.
Cut the chicken breast into small cubes and put into the dish with the carrot and all the other ingredients.
Mix the ingredients together in the dish and then cover with a lid (or foil if you have no lid). Place the dish in an oven pre-heated to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 4. Cook for 55 minutes then serve with yogurt.
| 3 medium sized chicken breasts |
| 1 medium red onion |
| 1 large/2 small carrots |
| ½ of a 15oz/400g can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) |
| 1¼ cups/200g sweetcorn |
| 1¼ cups/300g passata (sieved tomatoes) or 14oz/400g can of tomatoes |
| ½ tablespoon bouillon or other stock |
| 5 dashes of tabasco sauce |
| 1 teaspoon lemon juice |
| pepper |
| 3 medium sized chicken breasts |
| 1 medium red onion |
| 1 large/2 small carrots |
| ½ of a 15oz/400g can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) |
| 1¼ cups/200g sweetcorn |
| 1¼ cups/300g passata (sieved tomatoes) or 14oz/400g can of tomatoes |
| ½ tablespoon bouillon or other stock |
| 5 dashes of tabasco sauce |
| 1 teaspoon lemon juice |
| pepper |
Benefits of the GI Diet
+ high in fibre - can reduce cholesterol levels
+ more sustaining
+ high in essential antioxidants, minerals and vitamins
+ naturally more filling
+ high fruit and veg content
+ involves all food groups
All of these can help to combat; excess weight, low concentration, tiredness, low energy mid afternoon, mood swings, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, food and alcohol cravings.
+ more sustaining
+ high in essential antioxidants, minerals and vitamins
+ naturally more filling
+ high fruit and veg content
+ involves all food groups
All of these can help to combat; excess weight, low concentration, tiredness, low energy mid afternoon, mood swings, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, food and alcohol cravings.
Interesting article from MSN...
The following article was on MSN this morning about 'snacks that fight fat' could be an interesting quick read...
Monday 28 March 2011
GI Diet
The GI Diet is something I expect I shall talk about quite a lot on Fwitter. As a health and fitness professional, the GI Diet is something I am happy to say to fully advocate! I especially support the GI Diet as it's ideas are easily sustainable to maintain for the rest of your life and it promotes balance including all the food groups. I could probably spend all night talking about it, but I'll hold back for now and give more of a general overview of it for the first Fwitter chat topic!
There are so many different fad diets out there which trend faster than the latest Charlie Sheen quote, but fade even faster! This is because they are unrealistic to maintain, thus give fast results (hence they become the latest craze over night) but as the methods for the fast results are totally unsustainable, they're dropped fast and the results reverse. Examples I am referring to would have to include, the 'cookie diet', shakes diets, the 'baby food diet' and the list could go on and on.
The human body is perfectly designed to maintain a healthy state and weight- if we feed it right! It's what its designed to do and, providing you do this, it comes easy! And yet there seems to be a very definite unrealistic notion between people these days that optimal health/weight is insanely hard to reach and its put on a pedestal as something that's going to take some crazy method to attain. It's not.
One thing that almost all diets that have trended at some point or another throughout time have included (or rather not included!) is the avoidance of one or more types of food group. The key to a healthy diet is balance and avoiding any of the food groups certainly does not adhere to this. Avoiding a food group adds to a diet being less sustainable, convenient, enjoyable and, most importantly, healthy! Each of the food groups serves a purpose within your diet and often in many ways the food groups intertwine with each other in how they work around your body and when, so missing one food group can change the affect that other food groups have on your health.
An example- no carb diets; no/low carb diets were particularly popular in the 90s and were heavily mentioned in the media at the time. A very popular example would be The Atkins Diet. The human body is designed and adapted to use carbohydrates as its primary source of energy. The carbs in diets such as Atkins were usually replaced with higher levels of protein and so the body's then forced to use this as it primary fuel source. When the body is forced to change to metabolise mainly proteins, the body goes into whats known as a state of ketosis. This is when Ketone bodies are released and blood PH levels rise making the body more acidic. As the body works in a fragile balance for optimal function, this increase PH decreases the body's equilibrium and the body reacts to try and return the PH to neutral. In doing this the body attacks alkaline sources to reduce the PH by leaching calcium from the bones. Therefore, long term use of low carb/high protein diets can lead to calcium deficiency related conditions such as osteoporosis which many people do not consider when they take on these diets wanting to lose fat fast.
So, we know now that we should include all the food groups for a balanced diet. But in what quantities? ...
Carbohydrates: 50-55%
Protein: 10-15%
Fat: 30-35%
These are approximate gov guidelines for the 'average' individual, carb content etc may vary for different activity levels in atheletes for example.
As mentioned, the GI Diet does not exclude any food types.
The main concept behind the GI Diet is instead controlling blood sugar levels and trying to keep them constant throughout the day. This involves eating filling foods in regular patterns throughout the day.
What is GI? GI stands for Glycaemic Index and refers the blood glucose response foods give, ranked from high to low. Low GI foods give a slow, steady release of energy and keep us fuller for longer. High GI foods give a very steep, fast energy response which falls very quickly, sending blood sugar and energy levels sky high then causing a 'crash' where they drop suddenly very low making us very hungry and crave more high energy food to get the buzz again fast.
The GI Diet works on the basis of eating low GI foods throughout the day to reduce hunger levels, to help control quantity intake and reduce very high sugar cravings (often leading us to choose unhealthy foods which give a fast energy kick) allowing us instead to have this time to think rationally and choose our meals much more wisely.
The very appealing aspect to this diet is that you don't have to cut anything from your diet! But you will eat less as you are fuller for longer and can concentrate on eating a healthy balanced diet, free of naughty cravings!
Examples of LOW GI foods (good!)
apples,
low fat yogurt,
peanuts,
cherries,
oats,
basmati rice,
eggs,
lentils,
more!
Examples of HIGH GI foods (bad!)
baguettes,
white bread,
chips,
rice cakes,
cornflakes,
The GI Diet can still be very appealing and tasty and not feel like diet food at all! Stay tuned in for more raving on the GI Diet and some seriously yummy low GI recipes!
There are so many different fad diets out there which trend faster than the latest Charlie Sheen quote, but fade even faster! This is because they are unrealistic to maintain, thus give fast results (hence they become the latest craze over night) but as the methods for the fast results are totally unsustainable, they're dropped fast and the results reverse. Examples I am referring to would have to include, the 'cookie diet', shakes diets, the 'baby food diet' and the list could go on and on.
The human body is perfectly designed to maintain a healthy state and weight- if we feed it right! It's what its designed to do and, providing you do this, it comes easy! And yet there seems to be a very definite unrealistic notion between people these days that optimal health/weight is insanely hard to reach and its put on a pedestal as something that's going to take some crazy method to attain. It's not.
One thing that almost all diets that have trended at some point or another throughout time have included (or rather not included!) is the avoidance of one or more types of food group. The key to a healthy diet is balance and avoiding any of the food groups certainly does not adhere to this. Avoiding a food group adds to a diet being less sustainable, convenient, enjoyable and, most importantly, healthy! Each of the food groups serves a purpose within your diet and often in many ways the food groups intertwine with each other in how they work around your body and when, so missing one food group can change the affect that other food groups have on your health.
An example- no carb diets; no/low carb diets were particularly popular in the 90s and were heavily mentioned in the media at the time. A very popular example would be The Atkins Diet. The human body is designed and adapted to use carbohydrates as its primary source of energy. The carbs in diets such as Atkins were usually replaced with higher levels of protein and so the body's then forced to use this as it primary fuel source. When the body is forced to change to metabolise mainly proteins, the body goes into whats known as a state of ketosis. This is when Ketone bodies are released and blood PH levels rise making the body more acidic. As the body works in a fragile balance for optimal function, this increase PH decreases the body's equilibrium and the body reacts to try and return the PH to neutral. In doing this the body attacks alkaline sources to reduce the PH by leaching calcium from the bones. Therefore, long term use of low carb/high protein diets can lead to calcium deficiency related conditions such as osteoporosis which many people do not consider when they take on these diets wanting to lose fat fast.
So, we know now that we should include all the food groups for a balanced diet. But in what quantities? ...
Carbohydrates: 50-55%
Protein: 10-15%
Fat: 30-35%
These are approximate gov guidelines for the 'average' individual, carb content etc may vary for different activity levels in atheletes for example.
As mentioned, the GI Diet does not exclude any food types.
The main concept behind the GI Diet is instead controlling blood sugar levels and trying to keep them constant throughout the day. This involves eating filling foods in regular patterns throughout the day.
What is GI? GI stands for Glycaemic Index and refers the blood glucose response foods give, ranked from high to low. Low GI foods give a slow, steady release of energy and keep us fuller for longer. High GI foods give a very steep, fast energy response which falls very quickly, sending blood sugar and energy levels sky high then causing a 'crash' where they drop suddenly very low making us very hungry and crave more high energy food to get the buzz again fast.
The GI Diet works on the basis of eating low GI foods throughout the day to reduce hunger levels, to help control quantity intake and reduce very high sugar cravings (often leading us to choose unhealthy foods which give a fast energy kick) allowing us instead to have this time to think rationally and choose our meals much more wisely.
The very appealing aspect to this diet is that you don't have to cut anything from your diet! But you will eat less as you are fuller for longer and can concentrate on eating a healthy balanced diet, free of naughty cravings!
Examples of LOW GI foods (good!)
apples,
low fat yogurt,
peanuts,
cherries,
oats,
basmati rice,
eggs,
lentils,
more!
Examples of HIGH GI foods (bad!)
baguettes,
white bread,
chips,
rice cakes,
cornflakes,
The GI Diet can still be very appealing and tasty and not feel like diet food at all! Stay tuned in for more raving on the GI Diet and some seriously yummy low GI recipes!
Intro...
Welcome to Fwitter! We're blogging about jogging to get #FIT trending!
In the modern world we live in, celebrity culture and social media dominate online 'trending'. The power of internet trends is staggering, first and foremost by the way that it can bond millions of people from all walks of life, from all over the world, in a matter of seconds, all discussing and learning about one topic. This is a tool that cannot be ingnored- especially when it comes to improving health and fitness. By bringing health and fitness topics Fwitter, we can discuss easy and fun ways to improve health and fitness, all through a computer screen by the power of the internet.
Stay tuned in to Fwitter and we'll discuss;
energy levels,
easy fun home exercises,
diet and nutrition tips,
sleep patterns,
everyday tips to improve fitness,
stress levels,
healthy activity ideas,
and so much more!
In the modern world we live in, celebrity culture and social media dominate online 'trending'. The power of internet trends is staggering, first and foremost by the way that it can bond millions of people from all walks of life, from all over the world, in a matter of seconds, all discussing and learning about one topic. This is a tool that cannot be ingnored- especially when it comes to improving health and fitness. By bringing health and fitness topics Fwitter, we can discuss easy and fun ways to improve health and fitness, all through a computer screen by the power of the internet.
Stay tuned in to Fwitter and we'll discuss;
energy levels,
easy fun home exercises,
diet and nutrition tips,
sleep patterns,
everyday tips to improve fitness,
stress levels,
healthy activity ideas,
and so much more!
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