Best Fitness Blog

...By Karli Taylor

You have heard it before -- if you want to know the state of your health, turn your attention to your waistline. Waist circumference is getting a lot of attention as the new risk factor for future health problems, even becoming more popular than the old standard of BMI. Why? It’s because belly fat is thought to be more dangerous than fat that pads other parts of your body. Even people who look to be “skinny” should be concerned if they hold any extra baggage around the middle.

Your body needs some fat, but where the fat is on your body makes a big difference. Fat can behave differently in different places, and the stuff that lies along your midsection has been proven to be the most unhealthy. There are two types of fat that can live around your waistline, the first is subcutaneous fat, or the fat just under your skin. This is the fat that you can pinch with your fingers. Though it is what most of us concern ourselves with, it’s actually the lesser of the two evils. It’s the visceral fat, the belly fat that hides deep inside, around your inner organs, that may pose a silent health threat if there's too much of it.

There are four keys to losing visceral fat: exercise, diet, sleep, and stress management.

Though there are no specific moves or activities that lessen visceral fat, by including both cardiovascular and resistance exercise into your daily routing you will be able to burn off fat while you are exercising and add lean mass that will continue to burn fat while you are at rest.

It has been proven that 30 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, done four times per week, reduced subcutaneous and visceral abdominal fat. Resistance training alone reduced only subcutaneous fat. However a stronger, leaner body burns more calories at rest so it is always best to do cardio as well as strength training to accomplish your weight loss goals.

Contact Best Fitness in your area for assistance in creating a weight loss plan that incorporates the loss of belly fat.

Visit one of our Best Fitness Clubs to learn even more about this topic. We have locations in Albany,NY, Tonawanda, NY, Schenectady, NY, Erie, PA, Nashua, NH, Chelmsford, MA, and Drum Hill, MA.

By Karli Taylor

Even though the low-carb craze has finally started to die down, I still hear people ordering burgers without buns and salads instead of sandwiches in an attempt to lose weight. There is not one particular type of food that makes us fat- Bread is not the enemy! Let’s take a look at some ways to keep the bakeries in business while still managing our waistlines.

Despite what disciples of the low-carb craze profess, bread can actually be an ally in the battle of the bulge. Though simple white breads can leave us feeling less than satisfied, hearty whole grain breads that are heavy and dense can help fight cravings for hours after we have eaten them. The complex carbohydrates found in whole wheat and whole grain breads provide fiber that makes us feel fuller for longer and keeps us from reaching for a snack 20 minutes after we finish our lunch.

So what should you look for when choosing something on which to spread your pb&j? I’m sure that you have heard to look for whole wheat or whole grain on the label, but make sure that the first ingredient is whole wheat or whole oats- without the “whole” you may be getting the nutrients of a white bread with some brown food coloring!

The key word is FIBER. Look for a bread that has at least 4 grams of fiber per slice, and you will feel fuller for longer while helping to maintain your gastrointestinal health at the same time.

Once you find something with 4 or more grams of fiber, make sure that the sugar does not outweigh the fiber. Some breads may have a decent amount of fiber, but the calories are through the roof . Your best bet is a light whole wheat bread or one of the newer sandwich thins or flat breads on the market. With about 100 calories and five or more grams of fiber and protein each, they really are the best things since sliced bread!

... By Karli Taylor

I hope you are sitting down for this one: After the age of 20, if you do not add activity to your day or cut calories, you will gain approximately one pound each year.

Now that I’ve gotten your attention, what if I told you that you don’t have to do anything drastic to keep that weight from creeping up on you? Feel better? Keep reading.

If you walked an average of 150 extra steps every single day, you will avoid that weight gain. That is the equivalent of walking for 3 minutes that you would normally be sitting. You can accomplish this simply by pacing your office or home while on the phone or parking a little bit further away from the front door or your office or grocery store.

Can’t find extra time during your average day to sneak in a few steps? You can accomplish the same thing by going to the gym for 30 minutes 10 times a year- yes- a year!

Now, let’s say you don’t just want to maintain your weight, but you’d like to lose a pound every year as you age. All you have to do is double those numbers and enjoy the benefits of virtually reversing the aging process!

The bottom line is simple: weight gain happens slowly over time. SO slowly, that sometimes we don’t see it until it’s too late and we have gained 20-30 pounds. Start being conscious of the amount of activity you do each day, and this sneaky weight gain will never impact your lifestyle!

BMR ... by Karli Taylor

The number one mistake that people make when they try to slim down is eating too little! Yes, I did mean to say that. Often times when someone is trying to lose weight, they cut their calories back too far and end up GAINING weight! So how much is enough?

Everyone is different - the calories that you require on a daily basis depend on a number of factors including your height, weight, density, age, gender and activity level. You can get a close to exact figure from most certified personal trainers, but if you want to do it yourself there are 2 decent options.
   
You can get a fairly accurate estimate by using an online BMR calculator or by using the following formula:

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )

Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )

The resulting number will tell you roughly how many calories you burn while sitting still for one full day. If you are using an online calculator, there is often an option to add daily activity for a total caloric expenditure estimate.

If you are doing this all by hand (impressive) then follow these instructions:
If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : BMR x 1.375
If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : BMR x 1.9

Now you know how many calories you need to maintain your weight. If you want to lose weight safely, your goal is to create a deficit of 500 calories each day. You can do this by cutting out 500 calories of food, by adding 500 calories of exercise OR by doing my favorite option- a little bit of both. Creating a deficit of 500 calories a day for 7 days will result on 3500 calories in one week- that is the equivalent of 1 pound of fat.

Now - you may be saying that you want to lose more than one pound so you are thinking about creating a larger deficit.... Here's where most people go wrong- IT WILL NOT WORK. Depending on your body type, losing one pound of real fat may result in up to a 10 pound weight loss in one week. Fat holds a lot of water! If you create a deficit of more than 500 a day, you will start to access your muscle stores. Though this may result in greater weight loss up front, it will catch up with you a few weeks down the road as your metabolism actually slows down!

Weight loss is truly a patience game. The tortoise and the hare analogy strikes again...

Remember- slow and steady for weight loss, fast and furious for the speedwork!

Fans of the Biggest Loser ... by Karli Taylor

Any fans of the Biggest Loser out there? I have a serious love/hate relationship with that show and I'll tell you why.

Yes, these men and women work very hard and they lose a ton of weight in a short period of time. Is it realistic to think that normal people living normal lives could do the same? Think about it. If you were to quit your job, leave your family and have all of your workouts and meals designed for you , would you lose weight? OF COURSE YOU WOULD!! With very little stress (besides missing home and family), no time constraints, constant medical care, no food prep required and 24 hour access to a gym, any single one of us could reach our goals easily. I find that the show gives people an unrealistic expectation of how much weight they can lose in a week or a month. In the real world, it is not realistic to work out for 6 hours a day- not even for me, and I work in a gym! 

Besides being unrealistic, have you noticed that many of these people put a great deal of weight back on? Why is that? Aside from the fact that they have to function with real life stresses and time constraints, many of them have lost valuable muscle in their 12-16 weeks on the show. When you burn 6000 calories a day and take in 1200 (the average values for contestants on BL), you will burn muscle. Though this loss of muscle results in immediate weight loss, it also results in long-term metabolic consequences. You will burn fewer calories at rest with fewer pounds of lean muscle mass. That may not catch up to these people while they are on the show, but about a year later they will have to eat even less to maintain their weight!

I watch the show- I love the heart that these people have. I love the sweat and tears, but I wish that people watching would understand that this "reality" show is quite unrealistic. A realistic weight loss goal is 1-3 pounds a week.  Yes, that seems slow, but if you do it right the first time, your weight loss will stand the test of time.  Would you rather lose weight slowly and go through the process once or do it quickly over and over again??