Also, I'm accepting a few clients as a way to help a friend who is working towards funding an adoption. I'm offering 3 sessions at $99. The sessions will be held at my home, in my fitness setup. The sessions can be used any time and any way you like. We can discuss nutrition, take body fat measurements, put together a customized training routine for you to do on your own, or anything else you feel would benefit you and help you reach your goals. All $99 goes to my friend's adoption fund. Reserve your spot soon. I have 4 spots remaining. I'm not accepting long term/regular clients as I'm keeping super busy with my career as a mommy but wanted to offer my services for a good cause.
Here are my notes from the meeting. My goal is for you to take away one piece of valuable information. Let me know if you want to know something I didn't include. I'm happy to answer questions! Comment on this post or feel free to email me EliteFitTraining@gmail.com
Happy Fitness!
The Myths and The Facts:
MYTH #1: You must exercise to lose weight.
I. What you put in your body is 60-70% of your success (or failure!)
a. 50% of your body weight in oz of water consumption daily
b. Alcohol increases calories significantly!
c. Calories in, calories out is only a piece of the equation.
i. Your body’s fuel needs to be good quality AND portions need to be reasonable.
ii. My personal belief is real food is best, no matter the calories in a serving size. Eat real butter. Eat grass fed bacon. Eat whole grains.
MYTH #2: Muscle weighs less than fat.
II. Muscle does not weigh less than fat, it simply takes up less space. 1 lb of muscle weighs the same as 1 lb of fat BUT it takes up 1/3 of the space.
MYTH #3: Lifting heavy weights will make you look bulky.
III. Lifting heavy weights will not cause you (women) to “bulk up”.
a. Women are not made to bulk. We do not have the hormones necessary to do this.
b. If you feel you’re bulking up, you are more than likely holding excess fat on top of the muscle which makes you appear larger.
c. Another reason for “bulking” could be a hormonal imbalance. See your chosen care provider for help with this.
d. Muscle burns fat.
i. This means, the % of your body that is muscle is burning fat when you are at rest…yep, sitting on the couch watching TV!
ii. SO, more muscle = less fat AND that muscle takes up less space so you’re smaller and more firm. Win Win!
e. Muscle can prevent bone loss and rebuild damage already done.
f. Increasing muscle mass also increases your metabolism.
g. Healthy body fat for women is approximately 15-28%, 10-20% for men.
MYTH #4: You need to cut out a particular food to lose weight/fat.
IV. Cutting out a food group (aka Atkins, South Beach
a. Side note: this of course has nothing to do with personal beliefs on food like animal rights, faith/religion/Gods, etc.
b. Our country’s obesity problem increased in the 80’s with the boost of low fat diets despite our increase in exercise with introduction of group exercise/aerobics. Fat is good for you.
c. Foods that boast sugar-free, fat free, low sodium usually compensate by adding another unhealthy option.
d. Eat foods in their most natural state. If it has a label, it almost always has something unnatural/unhealthy in it. Stick to farm fresh foods as much as possible.
MYTH #5: You must count calories to lose weight/fat.
V. Calories are a piece of the equation. Eat Less, Move More isn’t exactly correct. EAT SMARTER, MOVE MORE.
a. It’s more about eating the RIGHT number of calories than less calories.
b. Nursing women especially need to be aware of calorie consumption. Nursing burns an obscene number of calories and you need to eat to keep up!
c. Find your Basal Metabolic Rate (Google it to find a calculator). This will tell you how many calories you’re burning in a day at rest. This does not take into account any movement at all.
d. Check out Total Daily Energy Expenditure for your maintenance caloric intake. This is an estimate based on your activity level.
e. If you’re eating too few calories, your body will hold everything you give it as a way to protect you from starvation. This is called starvation mode. It causes you to hold excess fat as a defense mechanism.
f. I use a heart rate monitor with chest transmitter belt to give me approximate calorie burns for my workouts as well as living daily life.
i. Mine was $39 and is made by Acumen.
The Basics:
*Resistance training should be the focus of your fitness routine to maximize fat loss.
*Cardio, in any form, should serve only to burn EXCESS calories. It will not help you lose fat when done alone.
Ever seen a hardcore fitness/group exercise instructor who was “chunky” and wondered why?
*Form is crucial!!! Exercising with questionable/incorrect form is a waste of time and energy. It is unsafe and often times will work a muscle other than the one you intended to target.
*You can do crunches until you’re blue in the face and never have the tummy you want! You must start deep in the core with the stabilizing, girdle muscles to really pull everything in. This is especially true for workouts following childbirth.
*Kegels will not help your pelvic floor muscles and may actually do more harm than good. Squats and core training are key!
*Mix up your workouts! Boredom and status quo only fuel plateaus! If you’ve memorized your routine, it’s time to change it. There’s so much to experience…try it all and shock the fat right off your body!
*Sorry to burst your bubble but, you CANNOT spot reduce. Your body will lose inches/weight/fat wherever and in the order it chooses. Doing extra of a particular exercise to change one area of your body will not work. You must take control of what you put in your body as fuel and keep your workout balanced with 3-5 days of weight training and 2-3 days of cardiovascular work with core exercises (not necessarily crunches, just anything that forces the core to stabilize and contract) included in all workouts.
*The most accessible/accurate way to measure body fat is a skin fold measurement using calipers. This can be done by a qualified personal trainer or you can purchase them inexpensively at www.power-systems.com and learn how to do it yourself. The only better way is hydrostatic weighing but it’s very expensive and difficult to find. I believe KU Med offers it locally.
Hi, I'm Liz's sister Melissa! This was really helpful, thank you! I didn't know the thing about the cardio/resistance training. And thanks for what you are doing for my sweet sis! You're a blessing!
ReplyDeleteHi Melissa! Thanks so much for reading! Elizabeth has become such a good friend and an important part of my life as a mommy, I'm happy to help out and felt it my duty as a good friend in return.
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