The Unconventional Inspiration that Changed My Mind About Women and Weightlifting & Boosted My Self-Confidence x100000

Several years ago when I decided that it was time to get myself "in shape," I, like many other women, assumed that more cardio would help me achieve my goals. I eschewed lifting weights because I didn't want to "get bulky." I thought, incorrectly, that lifting weights would made me gain weight and develop an unsightly jawline or some other equally-masculine and unfavorable attribute. 

How I used to think weight training would make me look...[Source]

Ha, I have to LOL just thinking about it. 

:-) [Source]

It also never occurred to me that what I ate could make or break my success to such a dramatic extent. I assumed that as long as I "burned off all the calories" I ate, I wouldn't have to give anything up. So I didn't. But I also didn't account for the way my excessive cardio habit would make me crave carbs constantly; experience intense and persistent cravings; and experience such extremely low-lows and high-highs in my energy. I never could have predicted all the nagging injuries that would plague me when I was running 15-20 miles per week (go figure), or how much the cycle would affect my self-esteem and body confidence. Plain and simply, I had very limited amounts of both and normal, everyday interactions with others would often send me into a tailspin of self-doubt. 

After I run, I wanted ALL THE FOODS! [Source]

It was so hard for me to see it then, but what I was doing wasn't working--for my health, my psyche, or my waistline! If you can relate to this at all, here's my advice to you: if what you're doing isn't working, it's time to reassess. For me, this mean reevaluating my workouts first: endurance running just wasn't getting me the results I was after, so I started strength training more earnestly. Of course, everyone is different, so if you're happy with your exercise regimen and it happens to involve a lot of running, more power to you and keep rockin' the  miles. If you like how you look as an endurance athlete and your physique leaves nothing to be desired, GO YOU! That's amazing! If you manage your cravings and your energy levels aren't all over the place, and nothing about how you feel physically seems off, you are doing something right and I commend you.

#truthbomb [Source]

However, if this does not describe you, take it from me: there is another--heck, there are many other!-- way to do fitness. If you're scared to try something new because of what you've heard, or what you've read, or what worked for your friend or your cousin or your neighbor, think about how much scarier it would be to be in the exact same place years from now than it would to just try some other way. Seriously, no one's holding a gun to your head--if you hate it, you can always go back to the old way; it will be there for you. I'm giving you the advice that I wish someone had given me or I'd encountered when I was really struggling because I was sososo reluctant to try anything different. I was scared because my self-esteem was so low that I actually didn't think that I deserved to feel better about myself, either physically or emotionally. I thought it was cross to bear, when in reality I deserve to be as happy, confident, and at peace with myself as anyone else does...

AND SO DO YOU. 

The 3 Most Important Elements of a Metabolic Resistance Workout

Hey there :-)

As those of you who read this blog regularly know, I am a big fan of strength training. Whether it's heavy lifts with the barbell, complexes or combos with kettlebells or dumbbells, or a do-it-anywhere bodyweight blast, I'm a fan. Typically, I like my workouts to be short and sweaty: 25-30 minutes of hard work does the trick most days. I'll sometimes do a longer lifting session 1-2x per week, but more often than not, my preference is for shorter and more intense (and sweatier!) sessions. Once, I was leaving my gym and a man who saw me come in exclaimed, "What?! You're finished already?!" I replied, "It was short, but it did the trick!" My comment likely made no impression on him whatsoever. But it did serve to remind me of the fact that while there's no one-size-fits-all strength training program, there is a very effective protocol that can help you burn fat and build muscle simultaneously. What's it called? Metabolic Resistance Training.

Metabolic Resistance Training, or MRT, is basically performing weight-bearing exercises quickly with the goal of getting really sweaty. MRT sessions can be completed on their own for a quick sweat session, or added onto a longer lifting session where the heavier, single-joint lifts are completed first (think squat, deadlift, bench press). MRT exercises tend to incorporate the whole body to get more bang for your metabolic buck, so to speak, and are grouped into circuits of 3-5 exercises. MRT is an effective fat loss, strength-building tool because it combines multi-joint movements under load (weight) with short rest periods: the perfect combination to produce greater metabolic disturbance. Another way of defining MRT would be "cardio weight-lifting" because you're getting the benefits of cardio (greater cardiovascular health, improved work capacity, etc.) and weight-lifting (more muscle mass, stronger bones, efficient metabolism), all in one workout!

MRT circuits can be completed for reps or time. I typically set a timer for 25-30 minutes and complete as many rounds of the selected exercises as possible. I keep rep ranges low to moderate--between 8-12--but if you're new to this type of training, I'd recommend starting with 8-10 reps. Here's an example of an MRT circuit I like to do in the comfort of my own home:

Courtesy of Neghar Fonooni

A little bit about: Carb Cycling

In this next installment of the "A little bit about: Diet" series, I tackle carb cycling. I never knew much about this way of eating before, but after a little research, I realize that it makes a lot of sense. In fact, I may kickstart the year by trying this method out for a few weeks and see what happens. I've learned that my body responds well to a low-carb diet, so carb cycling may be just the push I need to up the fat loss ante!

Source

Carb cycling is just a fancy name for a method of eating that alternates between days of lower and higher carb intake. It's a good method if your goal is fat loss because it forces your body to dip into its fat reserves for energy due to the fact that the quickest source of energy--carbs--are reduced. With carb cycling, you still have enough energy for training and building muscle because lower-carb days are buffered with higher-carb days.

According to this article by the fabulous Jill Coleman of Jillfit.com and Metaboliceffect.com, carb cycling is "more of a hormonal strategy than a caloric one" because it manipulates the hormones that influence body composition like insulin, leptin, serotonin and cortisol. Alternating low-and-high-carb days helps our bodies maintain a sensitivity to insulin, which is key in order to enhance muscle building and limit the amount of calories stored as fat. Carb cycling also helps our bodies remain "leptin-sensitive." Leptin in the hormone that signals both hunger and satiety. A high-carb day following a couple of low-carb days will reset the metabolic clock, revving up a metabolism slowed by receding leptin levels.

Source

A little bit about: The Paleo/Primal Diet

Hey guys!

How's it going? It's hard to believe that the holidays are just about here...I don't know about you, but they crept up on me! Wasn't it just August yesterday?!

In my last post, I talked about the sugar detox that I started on November 7th. I haven't had a chance to check in until now, exactly a week out. I've noticed that my cravings for sugar and carbs are not as strong as they used to be, but then again, I haven't given up all sugar. Something that really surprised me about the experience was how sweet fruit tastes to me now that I'm restricting carbs and avoiding added sugar. I bit into an apple the other day and I swear I got a sugar rush! I'm taking this as a good sign because hopefully it means that I can nip any nasty sugar/carb cravings in the bud with a piece of fruit. In addition to that positive result, I am much more aware of my hunger and how dips in my energy levels correspond to my desire to eat something sweet. Being prepared with a healthy snack on hand has helped develop patterns that I think will keep me on track beyond the 21 days. Here's hoping that next Thursday's indulgences don't derail all my progress :-)

All this talk about restricted carbs and limiting sugar intake got me thinking about another dietary trend that's been getting a lot of attention lately: Paleo/Primal. My first post about diets/nutritional fads du jour talked about the "If It Fits Your Macros" way of eating, so I thought I'd follow that up with a discussion of Paleo, an even more talked about and perhaps controversial way of eating.

The popularity of Paleo/Primal is skyrocketing as a result of the rising CrossFit and functional fitness tide. Many who participate in these fitness communities follow the Paleo/Primal diet, or a diet high in protein and dietary fat and low in carbs. More specifically, the premise of the Paleo/Primal way of eating is that humans should not be eating anything that our ancestors could not hunt, gather, pick or fish. People who are strict Paleo/Primal eat no dairy, grains, or processed foods. 

A little bit about: "If It Fits Your Macros"

Hi, everyone!

I hope your week has gotten off to a good start. I want to start off this post with a quick poll: How many of you out there can name more up to ten diets/nutritional strategies/eating plans that are trending right now in the fitness community? Now, of those plans: how many of them can you describe and distinguish from others?! I can name at least ten, but asking me to tell the difference between most of them and I realize my knowledge sadly falls short. So, I decided to write a series of posts about some of the most jargon-y eating plans out there to demystify them once and for all. Heck, maybe I'll even take one for a spin and see how it works! 

The first nutritional strategy I'm going to tackle here is "If It Fits Your Macros" or "IIFYM," for short. There is an entire website dedicated to this plan, and from what I've read, a pretty die-hard community of practitioners! In a nutshell, the "IIFYM" method makes eating for fat loss and improved body composition more pleasurable by permitting consumption of "dirty" or formerly forbidden foods as long as they fit within the individual's allotted calorie--and macronutrient--intake.

The website clearly states that this eating plan is "purely a means to improve body composition" and does not address health concerns of the heat, brain or other major organs. As such, if you have any health conditions that could be exacerbated by this type of approach to eating, you're likely better off trying something else. Alternatively, if you're a healthy, active person with some superficial goal of losing body fat and/or gaining muscle (hey, don't we all?!) and want to enjoy your food, this plan may be for you!

A little bit about: The Role Hormones Play in the Quest to be Lean

Hey, everyone!

I hope you're having a great week so far. I'm keeping my head down and staying focused until tomorrow afternoon when I get on a bus to Boston for a relaxing weekend in Maine with my family. The fall foliage has already peaked, but I'm sure there will still be some pretty fantastic "leaf-peeping!"

On a very different note, I've been listening to a lot of health-related podcasts lately, as well as keeping up with my regular blogs, and it seems like the "topic-du-jour" on the lips of all the "experts" is the role that hormones play in weight loss. Just about everyone is talking about it from Suzanne Somers to Dr. Oz and everyone in between. As a result, the word is getting out that diet and exercise are not the only factors at play in determining our health. This is very positive as there are numerous things that we can do to ensure that our hormones are working to help us achieve optimal wellness.

Our endocrine system is in charge of releasing all the different hormones into our blood stream in order to regulate the countless bodily functions that we perform everyday, voluntarily and involuntarily. These hormones' primary goal is to maintain homeostasis within the body, but certain environmental factors can disrupt the hormones' ability to do that. When hormone function is repeatedly interrupted, conditions such as insulin-resistance, a slower metabolism, and/or depression and anxiety can be the result. Improperly-balanced hormones are therefore responsible for a slew of health-related problems like diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and mental illness.

A little bit about: The Quantum Cleanse

Hey there :)

I hope you're all doing well. Any fun plans for the weekend?! I think I'm going to chill with my best buddy and maybe check out this free photography exhibition at a gallery downtown featuring photos of NYC circa 1985. I read about it here, and it looks super cool. For those of you in the NYC area, it's exhibiting until July 3. Might be a fun way to spend an afternoon, but if you need further motivation, the High Line is only blocks away!

Anyway, I digress. I wanted to introduce a new feature post that I hope will be recurring. With this series, I'll share "a little bit about" whatever has got my attention at the moment, be it a fitness trend, a new health-related study, a recipe, a blog, a book...pretty much anything! I'll share what I know about whatever the topic is, and maybe it'll spark your interest, too! And to keep this light and fun, I won't bore you with these posts, as I promise to only write about things I know "a little bit about"!! Sounds fun, right?!

My first topic is extremely topical (haha) as I am in the midst of it as I write this--The Quantum Cleanse. My co-worker and good friend first introduced me to the cleanse a year or more ago when she completed the full 21-day cleanse in which participants refrain from consuming the following: caffeine, alcohol, refined sugar, animal products, and gluten. I remember thinking, "Wow, I could never give up coffee. My morning coffee is SACRED!" I thought that *maybe* I could give up one or two of those things at a time, but all five?!? For 21 days?! That's the definition of insanity!

GE Salmon--what is our food supply coming to?!

Hey, hey, hey, everyone!

Today, I wanted to write about something that I'm sure many of you have seen blasted on Facebook or other social media, as well as other news and political sites you may frequent. A salmon with two heads? A picture of a salmon next to a picture of an ocean pout, an ugly, slimy eel? Ring a bell!? If not, what I'm talking about is the huge controversy surrounding FDA-approval of genetically-modified salmon. 

A huge agribusiness called Aquabounty has developed a way of manipulating the genes of a common salmon with those of an ocean pout to breed what's being labeled a "frankenfish" that will grow twice as fat, twice as fast as conventionally-farmed salmon. Now, not that there's nothing wrong with that way salmon are currently farmed, but if this new breed of salmon is approved for distribution in grocery stores, it will be the first "transgenic" animal allowed into our food supply. Check out the Youtube video posted by the public interest organization, Food and Water Watch, talking about the risks of this "science experiment": 

Obviously, this is frightening for many reasons. Number one: The FDA does not rely on tests and studies completed on such a GMO food by a third party; it takes the agribusiness's "word" for it. This means that all the studies that the FDA will be reviewing in its deliberations have been paid for by Aquabounty itself! How accurate could those POSSIBLY be?! So we don't really know whether or not  GMO salmon is safe for human consumption because the tests are so obviously skewed.