Want to get in shape for the summer huh? Understanding your body will get you the results you need. No matter what your goal is, by understanding your body you can change the way you look forever. Bulk up good weight or simply loose the plump.
Thousands of people keep asking questions and finding different answers about health and fitness. Why is that?
People are different. Every one of us has a unique type of body; therefore what may work just fine for me might not work for you and vice-versa.
Our inherited characteristics (genetics) make us exceptional. Many people are concerned about their physical appearance especially in summer because of the sudden increase in the exposure of their body. Some people start looking for fat loss or weight gain diets and end up spending a lot of money on exercise and diet books, but some people decide that they want a radical change and start starving or eating a lot of food.
This psychological phase may cause huge health problems like anorexia nervosa (An abnormal loss of the appetite for food) or bulimia nervosa (An eating disorder in which the sufferer eats huge amounts of food and then vomit).
The secret behind a healthy & fit body lays in the basic facts. Knowing the basic facts will help you find your own way of dieting according to how your digestive system works. Only this will ensure long term health and fitness. For example, reducing your daily food intake is not necessarily the best way to loose fat. Understanding the quality of food, how the body uses energy, how the digestive system works, and other related information will give you the base ‘know how’ to make the change you want.
How does the digestive system work?
Simply explained, our body works like an intelligent power plant as suggested in the heading of this article. The food we eat is the fuel. Our muscles are the motors that enable us to do our daily functions such as breathing, moving objects and walking from one place to another.
When our stomach is empty and our body needs energy, our brain sends signals requesting food (hunger). The food we (ingest) is temporarily stored in our stomach. Our brain will then command our stomach to send the required acids to break down the food (digestion). After the food is broken down it will become the source of energy for our muscles.
Where does body fat come from?
The food we eat is made up of different substances namely carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, water and salts. Carbohydrates and Fats are the main sources of energy and protein is normally used by the body for muscle repair and growth. Any excess food that we eat is either excreted or stored in the body as fat.
Why do some people look like a Michelin commercial?
The body keeps fat stored underneath the skin to prevent the body from death as a result of severe starvation. When the body is starving the brain sends a message to the body to reduce the amount of energy being burnt; in this case the brain will command the body to feel tired and to break down muscle and fat tissue for energy.
Why? The muscle burns energy just by being there. The bigger the muscles are the more energy they burn. Therefore by breaking down muscle tissue for energy the brain will be both reducing the amount of energy needed per second and also getting some extra energy in return.
Eat like a pig look like a stick!
In the above paragraph I explained how, when starving the body breaks down fat and muscle tissue right? And I also explained that the more muscle mass we have the more calories (unit for calculating energy) we burn no? Ok now I want you to combine those together. The best solution would be to maintain the good mass (muscle mass) and get rid of the fat. Sounds impossible?
NO! In fact it’s easier than you think. Well here’s the formula.
The average man burns around 2500 calories per day and the average woman burns like 2000. It doesn’t matter what you eat unless you don’t exceed your amount of calories per day.
If you eat more often and in a more regular way your brain will think that there is enough food to eat and that there is no need to store food like crazy. The result is… You are feeling better (food is a great antidepressant) and satisfied more often and you won’t pile up the plump.
A very good timetable would be:
(Wake up + 20min walk + cereals)
[3 hours]
(meal 2)
[3 hours]
(meal 3)
[3 hours]
(meal 4)
[4 hours]
(meal 5)
Now if you want to loose fat you will have to work out a calorific deficit of not more than 600 calories per week. Take a walk every morning on an empty stomach for 20 minutes and drink a glass of water every 3 hours. Try to reduce carbohydrates and fats. Eat more protein and drink more fruit juices.
Do some weight training to tone up any flab that you might get as a result of less fat under your skin and get ready for a new wardrobe!
Bulk up Mr. Thin!
If you have been pulled around or joked about at school or at work just because every one ‘thinks’ you cant bulk up muscle, I have good news for you.
What is happening to you?
Your digestive system works at a higher than normal rate and burns everything that you ingest as fast as it can. Your system is so fast that it burns both the fats and the proteins you ingest nearly as fast as it burns carbohydrates.
Ok let’s get to the point…
What you need is to reverse engineer what is happening to your opposite genetic type. Eating small meals often will only trigger your body to burn food faster. Your main aim should be to slow down your metabolic rate (the rate by which you burn food). Eat more fiber rich foods especially in the morning. Do not eat fats like there’s no tomorrow because that is very unhealthy and no matter how much fat you pack on it will look ugly. You must pack on muscle. Eat larger meals less often and eat more carbohydrates.
Your typical timetable should be something like this:
(Wake up + cereals)
[4 hours]
(big meal 2)
[4 hours]
(big meal 3)
[4 hours]
(big meal 4)
And yes you must add weight training to your daily timetable. Do some resistance training to increase strength. Day on day off weight training is the best for you. If you change your eating style and do your weight training regularly you will start seeing results after a couple of weeks.
Happy shaping up!
Joe Camilleri writes about everything that can enhance the personal well being of a person. He also likes to write about personal image improvement and life etiquette. Get more information about health and fitness, wealth and realtionship. http://www.brains4success.com
