I’ve been receiving many emails of late, all about wanting to lose weight for the summer months. It’s that time of year when we begin to uncover ourselves from those big sweaters and finally take notice. Weight loss is all about your metabolism.. let’s take a look!
Metabolism and weight loss
It may be tempting to blame your metabolism for weight gain. But because metabolism is a natural process, your body generally balances it to meet your individual needs. That’s why if you try so-called starvation diets, your body compensates by slowing down these bodily processes and conserving calories for survival. Only in rare cases do you get excessive weight gain from a medical problem that slows metabolism, such as Cushing’s syndrome or having an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).
Unfortunately, weight gain is most commonly the result of eating more calories than you burn. To lose weight, then, you need to create an energy deficit by eating fewer calories, increasing the number of calories you burn through physical activity, or both.
Where is my metabolism? How do I rev up my energy? How does it all work? Let’s take a moment to discuss the process of metabolism..
Have you ever worked with a coach? Have you ever experienced those AHA moments? Have you taken notice of when these moments take place?
I’ll let you in on a secret…. Coaching is not about having things done FOR you, it’s about learning to do them yourself. Those AHA moments only happen when you’ve experienced the learning curve on your own!
I’ve coached many women into a healthy lifestyle, it’s not always easy. Some of us have mounted barriers with every excuse on why it just can’t be done… My job as a coach is to break down every one of those barriers, one step at a time… Coaching is about giving you the tools to break free, to jump out of that comfortable box and explore the possibilities.
Have you tried diet after diet with no success? Or maybe, you’ve been exercising non stop and not really seeing any changes or have reached a plateau? There is a very good reason for that… maybe, just maybe, you haven’t yet made the connection between strong nutrition and exercise!
I’ll let you on the best secret… we always hear about it, but somehow, we tend to discount it…
It’s about doing BOTH!!! But wait!! There are tactics to this…
Are you fed up with those gym fees? Sometimes you use the facility, sometimes you don’t… Have you experienced those waits between exercise equipment? Or someone else’s sweat on the equipment?
Did you know that really, in a weight loss environment, you don’t really need to use the gym? Did you know that a full workout can happen with strength using your own body weight?
The hardest workouts I do for myself, are those when no equipment is put out. It takes a certain mindset to move the body in form without a piece of equipment to guide the move. And it’s not about the crunches!!! Have you ever tried to do a series of pushups, or lunges, or squats, … you have? Great! Have you ever tried to put them in a non stop circuit? Now there’s a challenge! You can lift your metabolism, burn fat by building lean muscle mass.. and … NO GYM FEES! NO WAITING! (more…)
Have you been loads of cardio work and have somehow plateau’d with your weight loss? It’s a frequent result…
The truth is that cardio does burn body fat, but the body gets used to the work and then, well.. it just doesn’t need to burn so many calories to get the work done. So it will slow down. As your heart gets fitter and stronger, the calorie burn lessens.
Here’s the one thing can change things up! Push Weights!!! If you want to lose body fat, it is essential to build muscle mass… Why? Because muscles burn fat on a 24 hour basis. Body fat is the number one fuel muscles need to stay healthy and strong, to work for you, to keep the metabolism heating on high, melting down that unwanted body fat!
Are you bored with the usual gym regime? Stuck with your weight load? Not sure where to go from there? Let’s change things up!
I was at the gym yesterday and overheard two women speaking with each other. The topic? Boredom! We all get there and become complacent when the results are no longer taking shape. More often than not, the results slow down and boredom sets in because the baseline of work needs to change. Our body is designed to give out to the weight load or the demand and NO MORE! It’s an energy efficient thing! When the body is used to the load, the demand or the energy output, it settles in as it’s new baseline. In other words, it’s what you’re asking, it’s adapted and that’s that! For example, if you have a heavy box that needs to be brought upstairs, it may be a struggle the first time. If you move that box upstairs every day, it will be easier and easier each time. Why? because your body is adapting to the demand, and before you know it… it’s just another thing to do every day!
If you’re like me, this time of year can be overwhelming. We have everyone else in mind, thinking of that perfect gift, then there are the social gatherings, the planning, the office parties.. It seems to go on and on… During these times, we often forget the most the person who should be at the forefront … YOU!!!
That’s why this year, I am reminding you that you are important! That your well being depends on how you take care of yourself. I know that time is limited, so are funds at this time of year. In my household, my family has learned that a happy mom depends on her well-being. I have designed a program that you can undertake! It begins in the new year when all the hubbub is done, when you have more time to think and take on what you know is needed to your own wellness… HEALTH
Are you struggling with your workout schedule? Are you on, then off, then on again? Are you seeing the changes you want to see? It’s a proven fact that those who cannot get “on” their schedule see less or no results from their workouts. Consistency is key! Here are 5 sure ways to help you get on track and stay on track
It applies to us and will something different in every way. In the fitness world, it means building core strength, or building from the inside out. Your spine is your fragile protector. It’s job is to link the body together by protecting the central nervous system that runs from the brain to the sacrum. All our nerves diverge and energized from a specific points between in vertebrae joint.. It also links the body in movement. It’s engineering system is designed to let bend, rotate (to a certain extent). It’s a fine line between flexibility of movement and strength. But the spine in essence are still linked bones that need muscle to move it. Like any other bones in our body, the vertabraes are essentially inanimate unless we make it move and happens thru a command to the muscle,via the central nervous it protects, governed by the brain… it’s a link system… Very cool when you stop and think about it…
So let’s take a look at how we keep it strong: it’s all about the core!!!
so, lots of crunches right? NO! Core strength is not about crunches! It’s about overall strength! Overall strength does not imply sculpting the muscle, it’s about linking the body as a whole, pulling from the mid-line.. I tell my clients that we are working core, they are surprised to see that crunches don’t come into play. In order to build the muscles, to strengthen the spine, all body moves are what is going to get you there. I use moves that will demand balance and a mind-body connection. I use moves that will engage all of our muscles at the mid line (front back and sides) I use unilateral moves for off balance work that fires up the central nervous system, I use isometric moves that test the endurance of the core. And the calorie burn is HUGE!!!!
More and more fitness pros are turning to these tactics as the first phase of their client’s progression, and if they’re not, you might want to question it. In order for my client to progress to fun combination moves, to explore exciting modalities and rev up the workout to an exciting place, they have to learn how to withstand the load, withstand the task and be prepared for the unexpected. It can’t happen if she is not strong from the inside out.
Your posture also reflects your life attitude. If you take a moment and take a look at someone who is being challenged, the spine straightens and stiffens. Look at someone who is sad, the shoulders fall forward. Look at someone who is happy, the shoulders are relaxed and the spine is ready for movement… Keeping a strong posture also means working on life attitude…
I invite you to my youtube site, MyoTubeOttawa http://bit.ly/gZNeuT to view moves that you too can progress to with the proper preparation.. it’s what we are designed to do after all.
Leave me a comment, tell me what you do to build your backbone!!!
After you got over the stop and go factor and found your inner B.I.T.C.H (bitch in total control of herself) it’s easy to start and see awesome results with your workouts. I started working out for good in April and it was only once a week because my schedule wasn’t allowing me to work out more than that. With school and living far from Maryse it wasn’t always the easiest thing to do but I stuck to it because excuses could not cut it anymore. I was tired of looking the way I was and it was going to change! But I wasn’t seeing the changes I wanted to see… You workout, your almost dying from lactic acid the next day and nothing changes. So I started wondering why it wasn’t working. That’s when Maryse explained to me that without good nutrition there is no good workout. You can work out all you want but if you don’t watch what you eat you will not see the changes you want. Of course you will lose weight but not as much as you could if you were eating right. And then I see all of you thinking “here we go again another diet”. WRONG!!
I’ve been receiving many emails of late, all about wanting to lose weight for the summer months. It’s that time of year when we begin to uncover ourselves from those big sweaters and finally take notice. Weight loss is all about your metabolism.. let’s take a look!
