My New Year’s Resolution to Eat Right and Train Smart…

It’s the New Year and aside from making more money the biggest concern for most people is to Look Better, Feel Better, and Sleep Better..  It’s unfortunate, but two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese; and struggling with various health complaints such as fatigue, indigestion, arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, hormonal imbalance, Low T, insomnia, depression and the list goes on.  What’s more surprising is that according to a university study the most overweight group in America are Christians.

Scripture teaches us that our body is our temple.  However, according to recent statistics, obesity and the health-related problems associated with the extra weight has now exceeded the health care costs associated with smoking.

 

The Diet and Exercise Paradigm

For years, we’ve heard that losing weight is about decreasing the calories in your diet.  Others have taught that fats or carbohydrates were the problem.  Exercise has always been part of the solution, but what type of exercise?  Is one exercise better than another?  The only thing for sure is that two-thirds of our adult population are overweight or obese!  Maybe we need to rethink the cause of our problems.

The fact that people have been dieting and exercising for years and are still struggling with their weight tells us there may be another piece to the puzzle.  What I think is often overlooked is STRESS and how it triggers your adrenal glands to produce more cortisol – which directs your body to burn sugars (carbs and proteins) for energy – Not FATS!

Stress is an underlying problem to both our health and our ability to lose weight.  Our lives have become so fast paced, so go-go-go, so little time to relax and enjoy life because we’re constantly on the go.  Stress is a huge part of this whole weight loss problem because it can shift your metabolism to burn more calories from carbohydrates and protein – instead of fats.

 

Asking the Right Questions…

You don’t need the right answer – if you don’t ask the right question.  Burning calories isn’t the problem – burning calories from stored bodyfat is!  You can burn calories till the proverbial cows come home, but if you’re not burning stored body fat, you’re going to struggle with your results and efforts.

When you get off your treadmill, rower or bike your fancy watch might say you burned 300 calories…does that mean you burned 300 calories from stored body fat?  You could have easily burned 300 calories from the breakdown of SUGARS (carbohydrates and or proteins).

Keep in mind that the worst thing you can do is burn protein (lean muscle) for energy – but it happens all the TIME.

Some workouts are for burning fats and others are for building lean muscle by spiking your testosterone and growth hormones. Successful weight loss comes by burning the Fat and Flab – unfortunately too many people lose weight by burning protein (lean muscle) for energy, which is why they never Firm-Up

 

For the best results, It comes down to Eating Right and Training Smart, so ask yourself…

• Do you struggle with cravings, low blood sugar, mood swings?
• What about midmorning or afternoon slumps?
• Do you skip breakfast, meals or delay eating?
• Do you regularly eat refined, processed foods?
• Do you wait more than an hour to eat after a workout?
• Do you need caffeinated or energy drinks during the day?
• Are you irritable or lightheaded if meals are missed or delayed?
• Do you need to eat every 2-3 hours to maintain your blood sugar?
• Do you wake-up and can’t fall back asleep?
• Is your aerobic workout, truly aerobic?

 

If you answered ‘yes’ to a few of these questions that’s a clue that your metabolism, your ability to burn fats for energy throughout the day may not be functioning the way it was designed.

 

Is STRESS Part of the Problem

When it comes to Stress and your adrenal glands, you could be working in the Fight or Flight mode a lot longer than you think, which could be part of the problem?  Are your dietary choices stressing your body?  Or maybe it’s your Dietary Habits?  Are you skipping meals, eating on the go, on the run, in a hurry, in the car… if so, that could be why you are in this vicious cycle – you could be over-working your adrenal glands.

With regards to feeding your mind and spirit… it’s a lot like your physical body – you need to invest Your Time, Energy and Effort… (Your TEE time) if you want a good return on your investment!

We’ll discuss more of that in the weeks to come.  Just remember, as an adult You are the Chef…and you get to decide how good or bad you want to feed your body, mind, and spirit.  You may have one or two areas well covered, while neglecting another.  Balance is the key.  Since it is a new year… let’s make it a better year for our body, mind, and spirit.