28 Days Later

It has been 28 days since I stepped back into the gym.  My focus has been increasing overall muscular strength with special attention on core strength.  I have also been keeping my heart rate within my target zone to build muscular endurance, stamina, and to maximize fat-burning. 

I do not enjoy performing sit-ups or crunches and I choose not to do either in my workouts.  I have no use for doing 100 sit-ups or 200 crunches.  The majority of my core-targeting exercises are isometric.  I mix it up with dynamic excerises such as axe chops that still require a stable core.  The main functions of our core muscles are to stabilize our midsection and protect our spinal column.  It is logical to perform exercises that reflect these muscle functions.

The images of my relaxed (top) and isometrically contracted torso muscles were taken 28 days after I started my training.  These photos officially mark the beginning of my "I.C. Abs project" (Isometric, Crunch-free Abs).  It's pronounced "I see abs".  Get it?  Pretty clever, right?

Eat Yourself Thin

I enjoy food and as such, I do not deny myself of the joys of eating.  I do not count calories or carbs but I am mindful of what I eat and when I eat it.  I will still eat the occasional donut.  Our bodies are most sensitive to insulin in the morning which is why breakfast should be our biggest meal of the day.  Because our cortisol levels are highest around this time, skipping breakfast actually promotes weight gain.

Starchy carbs like breads, rice, and potatoes should be consumed earlier in the day.  After 6:00pm switch to more "watery" carbs such as squash, broccolli, and dark leafy greens.  I also make sure my meals have enough protein to balance out the carbs.  Generally my meals are comprised of about 50% protein, 40% carbs, and 10% fats.  Proteins take longer to digest which is why protein-dense foods keep us satiated longer than carbs do.  Proteins are more difficult to digest, stimulating our metabolisms to work harder which results in more calories burned. 

Another tip is to listen to our bodies.  Whenever I am hungry, I eat.  Eating five to six smaller meals a day prevents me from wanting to indulge in two or three giant meals.  I have trained my metabolism to use what I eat as immediate fuel.  My body knows that in about two hours, it's going to have more food.  If we force our bodies to go hungry, when we finally do eat, we tend to over eat.  This behavior conditions us to store more fat since our bodies don't know when the next meal is coming.  This is why conventional diets don't work.  Food should not be viewed as a source of punishment.  It is meant to be tasted and enjoyed - responsibly.

Choose to be Healthy

The basic rule to losing weight is expending more calories than is consumed. Creating a caloric deficit forces the body to start burning fat for fuel. Are you with me so far? Through virtue of this concept, the "secret" to losing weight appears simply to eat less and exercise more. Sounds easy, right? Many of us already know this.  Yet currently the number one health concern among children in America is obesity; second place goes to cancer with drug abuse rounding out the top three.

A 2005 survey by market research firm NPD Group shows that 62% of adults and 34% of children in America are either overweight or obese. Why are so many of us overweight? Who do we blame? Society? The media? Our parents? The answer is all of the above. We blame society for the deficiencies in our social health policies. We blame the media for conditioning us to reward ourselves and our children with food. We blame the parents for not teaching us to make healthier choices. We blame others instead of holding ourselves accountable for our own decisions.

Before we can make changes to improve our lives, we need to transform our perception of choice. Embracing a healthier lifestyle begins by embracing the fact that we all choose how we treat our bodies. We may not always want to accept the consequences of our options, but there is always a choice. Think of all the excuses we have used for not exercising. How often has the culprit been work, school, or the kids? The excuse is usually I don't have time instead of the truth which is I won't make time. Again, it boils down to choice. We convince ourselves that we do not have time to exercise. If we want to exercise, it is our responsibility to make time for it in our schedules. Acknowledging that we are the directors of our own lives empowers us and effectively inspires us to generate positive changes.