A lot has changed in the last 20 years. You can buy a car, get your groceries, and buy a book or dinner without ever leaving your house or “moving a muscle.” With the decline of active jobs, the increase of desk jobs and internet access in our homes, our country has slowly come to a creeping halt.
Over half of the adults in the U.S. are overweight, which means 97.1 million people and one-quarter of us are obese and that equals 39.8 million people. What happened to us? There are a lot of different factors that have moved us towards becoming a larger nation. Computers and video games keep us inside and sedentary, fast foods, prepackaged foods and snacks keep us full of unnecessary fats and carbohydrates. Overweight percentages are at 60% nationwide. Which means the norm across our country is to be overweight. The real kicker? Only 22% of the U.S. gets the recommended amount of physical activity they need (5 times a week for at least 30 minutes). It goes without saying that we need to look at our diets and watch what we eat but we really need to look at how we are working out.
So many people go to the gym, count the calories they eat, count the calories they burn and still DO NOT lose weight. The Caloric Exchange workout just doesn’t cut it anymore. If the country were still farming the fields by hand or walking to work everyday it might, but that’s just not the case. You must look at your Metabolism. If you can change your metabolic rate you can stop the plateau rate and lose weight. Metabolic Training is the workout wave of the future. As a trainer I hear this all the time.
“It’s very hard for me to lose weight. I was born with a slow metabolism.” Most clients who say this don’t even know what their “metabolism” is. So what is it?
Metabolism: all living things must have an unceasing supply of energy and matter. The transformation of this energy and matter within the body is called metabolism. Metabolism is the rate in which your body burns calories at rest. That means the amount of calories burned while driving the car, watching TV or sitting at your desk. If you could change the amount of calories being burned all day verses just what you’re burning in the gym wouldn’t that be better? YOU CAN CHANGE your metabolic rate. Yes it’s true. The three main contributing factors to metabolic rate are:
Increase Muscle Mass: Increase your body’s total muscle mass through weight training and consuming more protein in your diet. Protein is the main builder of muscle in the body and does not get stored. It can be found in meats, fish, legumes, no fat cottage cheese and supplements like protein powders or protein bars. Hint: workout your legs and build two thirds of your bodies total muscle mass. Try to eat three meals and two to three snacks a day containing a protein source. This will keep your body burning and help boost your metabolic rate.
Decrease Fat Mass: Decrease your body’s total fat mass through proper cardio training in a fat burning zone and by eating a well balanced diet. The American College of Sports Medicine published guidelines of cardio training are 20-60 minutes of continuous or intermittent aerobic activity 3-5 days a week. Examples of continuous aerobic activity are: treadmill, walking, hiking, jogging, elliptical, stair master, bike, glider, dancing and some sports. Hint: To calculate your fat burning heart rate zone, subtract your age from 220 and then multiply by 70% and 75%. Example: I’m 35. 220 minus 35 = 185. I then multiply 185 by 70% and 75%. My fat burning zone is 129-138 beats per minute. Watch the amount of fat calories in your diet. Fat should not exceed more than 20% of your total daily calories.
Increase VO2 Max: Increase the amount or volume of oxygen (VO2) your blood can carry through proper cardio training. Any heart rate above 50% of your maximal heart rate will increase your VO2 Max. To calculate 50% of your maximal heart rate, subtract your age from 220 and then multiply by 50%. Example: I’m 35. 220 minus 35 = 185. I then multiply 185 by 50%, which equals 92 beats per minute. My VO2Max will increase as long as I stay above 92 beats per minute.
If you can change those three things within your exercise routine and diet you will help raise your metabolic rate and the end result is burning more calories at rest. Unless we change our approach to exercise, it is going to be an uphill battle. Of course we need to exercise and eat right, but now more than ever we need to change how we exercise to accommodate how our lifestyle has changed.
For more information about Metabolic Training please contact Nancy Sexton at email: herself@dialtonefitness.com.
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