The misunderstood psychology of weight loss — how to lose 30 pounds PART 6

Food

First, if you’re focused on losing fat, aim for a deficit of around 500 calories per day or 3,500 per week. There are 3,500 calories in one pound of fat, meaning you’ll lose (at least) 1 pound of weight per week — probably more initially as you lose water weight and flush out other waste.

You need to know your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) as a starting point, which is how many calories you need to consume each day based on your current activity levels. You can calculate that here. Once you know your BMR, subtract 500 calories. That’s your daily calorie target.

The psychological impact of tracking goes a long way to keep you on track. If you screw up at one meal, you can make it up at the next meal by eating fewer calories, etc.

Protein is extremely important because it’s the building block for creating new muscle. Generally, you want to take in 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, per day. If you weigh 200 pounds, you consume 200 grams of protein per day — typically 2-3 protein shakes and 3 meals per day.

To keep sane and stop your metabolism from slowing down, you should also have one day per week where you eat whatever you want. This is called an “off day”. If you’ve been craving chocolate, fries, etc, you eat them on your off day. Keep in mind, however, that you shouldn’t eat 20,000 calories during your off day. Eat what you want, but don’t over do it.

If you feel like eating crap during the week and the craving is really, really bad, keep an “Off Day List” which contains all of the foods you’re craving. The simple act of writing down the food you crave and knowing you’re only 1/2/4 days from being able to eat it will help.

When you have a craving for a food you only eat on your off days, go back and read your “why” statement. Read it 20 times. Then go on Youtube and watch a few “before and after” weight loss (or muscle gain) transformation stories. That should be enough to curb your cravings 95% of the time.

You’ll also want to regularly check your pH levels using pee sticks. You can buy them from any drug store. New research is showing a strong relationship between the acidity in your body and the amount of fat you hold on to, regardless of how much exercise you do and what you eat.

If your pH level is low (5.5 or less on a scale of 0–10), your body is highly acidic and will hold on to fat to protect organs from damage. The lower your pH level, the higher your chance of cell damage and mutation which can lead to cancer if enough acid forms in your system over time.

If your pH level is neutral or slightly higher (6.5 to 8), your body is more alkaline, contains less acid and therefore your body won’t hold onto fat, as there’s no damage to protect your organs from.

What’s the easiest way to get your pH level up so you’re more alkaline than acidic? Drink at least one (ideally two) fresh green juices every day. Buy a Nutribullet and throw in a handful of spinach, a handful of kale, half a cucumber, an Apple, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a cup of water. Blend it up and drink it. Simple.

https://medium.com/personal-growth/the-misunderstood-psychology-of-weight-loss-how-to-lose-30-pounds-in-2016-c26fbd8e16f3

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How to Get a Six Pack - ULTIMATE STEP BY STEP GUIDE!!

20-Minute Cardio Dance Workout from a Celebrity Trainer

When trying to learn a new dance workout, sometimes the choreography can be downright intimidating. Thanks to this 20-minute PopSugar Fitness dance workout, learning the routine just got a little easier. Celebrity fitness artist Nicole Winhoffer guides you through the movements in an encouraging tone. Think you can’t dance? “Everyone can,” says Winhoffer. “It’s about changing the thoughts in your head. Try studying a dance video like one of my NW Method dance workouts. It will be sure to get you moving!”

http://www.healthline.com/health/fitness-exercise/best-videos-dance-workout#8

When Lifting Heavy...is BAD!! (Common Mistake)

Are You Strong Enough to Run? Part 2

As a runner you may think that strength training doesn’t necessarily apply to you as running is all you need to either stay or get in shape.  I had that thought once, and it didn’t work out too well for me.  Achy knees and a lot of hip pain from poor mechanics.  Don’t let my mistake be your downfall.  Let’s learn from it.

Mechanics or Phases of Running

Breaking down the mechanics of a stride, it’s a series of single leg exercises, with 2 different phases:

Stance- This is where the all your bodyweight is on a single leg and typically where breakdowns occur.  This phase can also be broken down into smaller phases:

Initial Contact- Your foot first hits the ground, and as you touch down, the knee and ankle flex a little to absorb the force of the ground, and the foot pronates or turns in slightly.  This can create the first break down if we don’t have a requisite amount of strength or motor control.

Midstance-  Once the foot and leg are underneath the hip, you enter what is the midstance phase.  This is where all your weight is on the one leg.  Again, there is potential for injury here.  An over pronation at the foot can cause a chain reaction up the leg into the knee and hip.  Hip stability is also vital here as you need to be able to load the base leg in order to set yourself up for the propulsion phase.  It’s a basic load and explode situation.  Your muscles, tendons, and fascia are all storing up elastic energy from the previous phase, waiting to use it.  Lacking necessary joint stability and strength will hinder your stride, and really, your ability to run efficiently.

Propulsion- The final stage where the foot starts to come off the ground, starting with the heel.  This is where you will use all that stored/absorbed energy and push off to get into the next phase.  The ankle, knee, and hip all go through extension in order to achieve this.  Additionally, your foot/ankle should supinate, however this doesn’t always occur due to poor mechanics or poor shoes.  Either way, this is another instance in which we need to corrections during running.

Swing- From the moment your foot loses contact with the ground, till the moment it touches down again is the swing.  In this phase, your body needs to prep the leg and foot for that initial contact phase again.

There is a third phase where both feet are simultaneously off the ground, and if you freeze frame a runner, they appear to be floating or hovering off the ground.

So as you can note above, each phase of running comes with the potential for injury if the right mechanics aren’t in place.  This means a combination of strength, stability and mobility.  Thankfully we can incorporate strength training that focuses on those three aspects, and we can likely avoid injury or any aches and pains.  Then we can get back to doing what we love, which is running.

The Training

Putting together a strength program for a runner is a little tricky as you want to build as much strength as you need to avoid injury and resist the forces of running, but without putting on weight that may potentially slow you down.

Single Leg Exercises–  Being that running is largely a single leg exercise repeated over and over again, it’s important to include these into your program.  That doesn’t mean eliminating bilateral exercises like squats and deadlifts, as those will set a large strength base.  It just means adding in more single leg variations to maintain or improve hip stability.

Examples:

Lunges

Single Leg Deadlift

Step-up

Split Squats

Core Strength & Stability– Everyone uses these terms, but no one really knows what they mean.  In terms of running, the core needs to be strong and stable in order for the body to transfer forces from the lower body to the upper body, otherwise we just look like one of those wacky inflatable tube guys outside car dealerships.  And no one wants to look like that when they run.  Nor do we want to have any injuries or pain when we’re running.  If we lack the necessary core stability, meaning the control of the movement of the hips, it could result in hanging out on passive structures instead.  Have you ever gone for a run and your back was killing you halfway in or when you finished?  Yea that’s one, poor mechanics, but also lack of muscular strength and the ability to stabilize the hips.

Examples:

Anti-Extension – Plank

Anti Lateral Flexion – Side Plank

Bird/Dog

Anti Rotation – Pallof Press

Chops

Hip Extension Activation & Strength– The main mover for hip extension should be the glutes, however many end up predominantly using their hamstrings.  Hamstring injuries occur in part because they aren’t strong enough to control the eccentric contraction of the muscle, meaning a contraction as the muscle lengthens.  But also because the hamstrings compensate for a lack of glute strength.  It’s vital to the health of your hamstrings to get your glutes strong.  Then you can focus on strengthening the hamstrings via eccentric exercises.

Glute Bridge

Hip Thrust

Lateral Band Walks

Clamshells

Supine Hip Extension

Nordic Curls

Hamstring Curls via TRX, Glide Discs, Stability Ball

Running is a simple way to exercise and probably one of the most accessible to those of all levels, from beginner to advanced.  Now that the weather is getting nice, more and more people will be out there running.  Just because you can run, doesn’t mean you have to run or should.  Take account of your strength and stability, but also look at your own mechanics to see if running is for you.  Then you can move on to what could be the most important, whether or not you actually enjoy running.

http://amp-training.com/are-you-strong-enough-run/

Are You Strong Enough to Run? Part 1

What does strong enough mean?  Or in the case of this title, strong enough to run?  Would deadlifting 200lbs make you strong enough to run?  Maybe, maybe not. When it comes to running and being strong, expressing strength is more a matter of resisting forces put on it, than creating them. although you will create force into the ground to push you forward.

Everybody runs or can run, but not everyone that runs does so efficiently with good form.  Sometimes it looks a little wonky, like Elaine Benes trying to dance or like a calf trying to walk for the first time.  While running is a natural movement (for some), it does require a number of things to work synergistically so as not to get injured.  How often are you thinking of stride length, frequency, how your foot is landing, hip shifts, arm movement, etc when you go for a simple run or jog.  Or maybe its yogging, it might be a soft ‘J.”  Probably never.

Strength has more to do with running than you think, and it doesn’t just stop at the legs.  Think of running as a full body exercise, where all your muscles are coordinated to fire to ensure you absorb the forces appropriately.  And if there is a weak link in the chain, you can bet that your body will find it, and expose it.

Everyone can run, but not everyone SHOULD…..right away.

Perfect Posture

Forget Perfect Posture: It Doesn’t Exist

In this five minute video, Dr. Greg Lehman challenge common beliefs and correct myths about biomechanics and posture using current research.

Most of us know what the ideal posture looks like: a nice, neutral spine and neck and no tilt in either direction in the pelvis.

But the real question is: Does this posture really exist in the real world?

Is it possible that we focus too much on its role in healthy movement and pain? Check out this video and find out.

https://www.theptdc.com/2017/04/no-perfect-posture/

15 Super-Effective Stretching Exercises for a Fit and Fabulous Body

Stretching is an important element of any exercise regime that we need to keep ourselves healthy. Whether you’re an athlete or an office worker, everyone can benefit from a stretching routine. It improves your posture, increases your range of motion, and can even prevent injuries and reduce muscle soreness.

We here at Bright Side have put together the following list of 15 super-effective and easy-to-follow stretching exercises that will help you keep fit and healthy. Enjoy your training!

Exercise #1

• How to perform: Straighten your neck as much as you can. Slowly tilt your head to the right, trying to touch your right ear to your right shoulder. Repeat for the other side.
• Benefits: this exercise helps to stretch and strengthen the sternoclavicular, mastoid and upper trapezius muscles.

Exercise #2

• How to perform: keep your back straight, lace your fingers together behind your head and very gently push it downwards with your interlocked hands. Try to touch your chin to your breast bone.
• Benefits: this exercise helps to stretch and strengthen the sternoclavicular, mastoid and upper trapezius muscles.

Exercise #3

• How to perform: stand on one knee and slowly push your right hip forward. Grasp your left foot with your hand behind you and tighten your gluteal muscle.
• Benefits: this pose is great for stretching your knees and strengthening the hamstring muscles.

Exercise #4

• How to perform: stretch your right arm across your body. Use your other arm to pull the arm that’s being stretched toward your body.
• Benefits: this exercise helps to stretch the shoulders and strengthen the neck muscles.

Exercise #5

• How to perform: Bend your right knee and place your right foot flat on the floor on the outer side of the left thigh, as close to the pelvis as possible. Put you right hand behind your back and grasp your right knee with your left hand. Then, alternate the legs.
• Benefits: this pose helps open up the thoracic cage and elongates the muscles of the neck, shoulders, back and hips as well.

Exercise #6

  

• How to perform: start in the plank position, then move your left foot towards your hands. Feel the tension in your hips. Return to plank position and repeat with your right leg.
• Benefits: this exercise is great for strengthening and elongating the muscles of your hips and ankles.

Exercise #7

• How to perform: lie on your back, bend your knees up and move them over to your right side, slowly rotate your torso in the opposite direction.
• Benefits: This exercise improves mobility in your back, elongates your spine and stretches your thighs, chest, shoulders and upper back.

Exercise #8

• How to perform: sit back onto your heels, put your hands behind your back and push your hips up and forward. Be careful not to overtax your lower back. If you have problems with your neck, don’t drop your head back.
• Benefits: the pose will allow you to strengthen your internal and external obliques.

Exercise #9

• How to perform: Lie on your back, with your knees bent and your feet hip-width apart. Slowly and gently lift your back off the floor. Keep your feet and the tops of your shoulders pressed down toward the floor.
• Benefits: the move stretches your chest and neck muscles and elongates your spine. It calms the nervous system and relieves stress as well.

Exercise #10

• How to perform: lie on your side, prop your head up with your hand, bend your right knee and bring it towards your buttocks.
• Benefits: this exercise helps to eliminate pain in your knees.

Exercise #11

• How to perform: begin in a sitting position and slowly pull your leg towards your chest while rotating your hip and keeping your back straight.
• Benefits: the exercise helps you to work your glutes.

Exercise #12

• How to perform: sit on the floor with your legs straight in front of you and the muscles in your feet flexed. Lean your torso forward and grasp your feet with your hands. Keep your lower back straight and try to make your belly button reach your thighs.
• Benefits: this pose calms the nervous system, relieves stress, elongates your spine, and works the muscles in your shoulders and the back of the thighs.

Exercise #13

• How to perform: grasp your left ankle with your right hand and try to pull your foot towards your buttocks as close as possible. Keep your back straight.
• Benefits: do this exercise to stretch the muscles in the back of your thighs.

Exercise #14

• How to perform: clasp your hands behind your back and slide them as far up the back as possible, without causing yourself any pain; then lift your hips up and away from your upturned heels. Let your forehead rest on the floor.
• Benefits: perform this exercise to stretch your neck and shoulder muscles. It will help you to reduce headache and drowsiness as well.

Exercise #15

• How to perform: press the heel of one foot into the floor and your toes into the wall. Feel the tension in your feet as your press your toes down. Then, alternate the legs.
• Benefits: this exercise is a great way to stretch the calf muscles.

Remember: overstretching can harm your body. Stop and correct your technique if you feel any sharp pain. Try to do these exercises naturally and carefully without overtaxing your muscles. It is also important to watch your breathing.

https://brightside.me/inspiration-health/15-super-effective-stretching-exercises-for-a-fit-and-fabulous-body-122955/

3 Great Exercises to Help You Get the Perfect Behind

It’s impossible to imagine a having a beautiful figure overall without the presence of a beautiful behind. The good news is that you don’t need to go to the gym all the time to achieve this — you can manage it just as easily by doing a workout at home, provided it’s the right one.

All you need for this however is a pair of dumb-bells (or heavy books), a yoga mat, and a strong enough desire for self-improvement.

This particular exercise scheme to get the perfect behind was developed by fitness trainer Angela Lee, who suggests that you should maintain it for thirty days.

Timetable:

The numbers in each box indicate the number of reps you should do for each day that the scheme lasts. You should do the workout in bursts lasting for 2-3 minutes, with a break of 1 minute imbetween. The workout should never take longer than about 11 minutes ever day. And don’t ignore the days when you should be resting — your muscles need time to regain strength.

1. The basic exercise

This involves doing just ordinary squats. Place your feet shoulder-width apart, keep your back straight and bend your legs at the knee to form a sitting position low to the ground, with your arms outstretched. The most important thing here is to find a good balance and place your body weight on both feet as a whole rather than any one part of them.

2. The exercise with dumb-bells

For this exercise you need to stand straight, with your legs placed slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and facing outward. Holding a dumb-bell in both hands and keeping your back and your arms straight, do the same squat into the sitting position as in the basic exercise. First use lighter ones, then gradually replace them with three- or four-kilogram ones. If you feel excessive tiredness after a few reps, slowly place the dumb-bells on the floor and use lighter ones.

3. The complex exercise

Stand up straight, with your legs placed slightly further apart than the width of your shoulders. Keeping your back straight and with your hands placed on the back of your head (and your fingers laced together), perform the squatting exercise. Make sure you that your feet are pointing out slightly and not directly lined up with your knees. Don’t push against your neck with your hands, and don’t lean your head forward. You should be able to feel that you are exercising the muscles in your back. You shouldn’t be able to see your elbows in your peripheral vision.

https://brightside.me/article/three-great-exercises-to-help-you-get-the-perfect-behind-10905/?utm_source=fb_brightside&utm_medium=fb_organic&utm_campaign=fb_gr_brightside

How to Tell If You’re Overtraining or Just Sore

You’ve likely heard the saying, “no pain, no gain.” If you’ve gotten the impression that some soreness while working out is normal, you would be correct. But it can be a fine line between when that soreness becomes classified as pain. Walking this line correctly is the difference between pushing just the right amount and overusing your muscles. Even though everyone’s threshold for pain is different, there is an answer that’s universal.

WHY OUR MUSCLES GET SORE

As our muscles repair themselves, one of the side effects many people experience is a dull, aching pain. Known as delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), no one is immune from experiencing this pain, but the severity will vary based on type of activity and how much the muscles have adapted to that activity over time.

“It is theorized that the eccentric motion (or lengthening) of the muscles repeatedly is the actual cause of DOMS,” explains Kyle Golden, owner and personal trainer at Work It Personal Training in Austin, Texas. “During this movement, the muscle tissue incurs small tears, which breaks down the muscle so that it can rebuild to get bigger and stronger. It is this breakdown and rebuilding process that is thought to cause the delayed soreness we experience.”

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends progressing slowly when starting a new exercise routine to reduce the severity of DOMS — and advises that the soreness experienced rarely requires medical attention.

FATIGUE VS. OVERUSE

How DOMS relates to muscle fatigue and how you can gauge pain to prevent injury lies in the difference between fatigue and overuse.

Muscle fatigue is common in exercise and is the feeling you get when you can no longer perform a specific movement. DOMS and “feeling the burn” during a workout can both fall into this category.

“Both of these sensations are positive changes taking place within the muscle fibers,” says Jennifer McCamish, a Pilates instructor and personal trainer who owns Dancer’s Shape in Austin, Texas. “You unfortunately need to experience some discomfort to build muscle mass.”

With muscle fatigue, the burning sensation usually subsides shortly after you stop the movement — such as lifting weights — and your body uses this to signal that the muscles are too tired to continue.

Overuse, however, involves pushing your muscles past the point of fatigue — and this is what can lead to injury. It doesn’t just involve straining the muscle during a workout, but it can happen when you don’t give yourself adequate time to rest and recover.

“Overuse of a muscle may result in many types of damage including muscle strain, tears, tendonitis and stress fractures,” says Golden. “Most of the time, these injuries are accompanied by fairly acute and sometimes severe, long-lasting pain.”

GOOD VS. BAD PAIN

With pain being a common denominator in the discussion of fatigue versus overuse, it is important to distinguish good pain from bad pain. Of course, pain is relative and will vary from person to person, but there are some general guidelines that athletes should know.

“In general, good sore muscle pain is a dull mild pain sensation that usually begins about 24–48 hours after exercise,” notes Golden. “With a little use and stretching, the muscle soreness should subside a little and may last a couple of days before going away completely.”

It is when the pain gets more severe, that may be a sign that an injury has occurred or that something has been strained. This bad pain can indicate that the muscles were overused.

McCamish adds that if you are experiencing consistent sharp or nagging pain that does not go away, you are most likely overtraining and have developed some type of minor injury that needs to be addressed.

HOW THIS KNOWLEDGE AFFECTS YOUR WORKOUTS

Varying your workouts is key to prevent overusing your muscles. McCamish explains that cross-training helps you to avoid the likelihood of the same muscles experiencing the same repetitious movements, which causes injuries.

There is no one-size-fits-all workout or rule of thumb for everyone, though the signs of overtraining can be felt no matter the workout regimen. Golden explains that how you exercise your muscles and to what point depends on your goals — and working to at least a light fatigued state is often part of reaching them.

“Once you start to feel the burn, due to lactic-acid buildup, you will know you have worked your muscles to their fatigued point and should consider easing up or stopping,” he concludes. “If you experience any acute pain, you are physically unable to perform a motion or exercise you could before, or are having difficulty with usual muscle function, you should stop exercising and get seek medical attention and advice.”

McCamish echoes that because everyone’s goals are different, in this case, pain should be your guide. If you experience chronic pain, it is an indication that you may have overused your muscles, and a break is warranted (if not also a medical evaluation).

“If you mix it up and do different things every day with one or two days off in a week, you should feel good and energized after working out,” she says.

http://blog.mapmyrun.com/how-to-tell-if-youre-overtraining-or-just-sore/

Slow Reps Vs Fast Reps - Which is Better for Building Muscle?