Best Fitness Blog

... by Karli Taylor

First and foremost, there is a distinct difference between our abs and our core. Our "abs", or what we refer to as our abs is actually one muscle- our rectus abdominus muscle. It is one small part of the whole area between our rib cage and our pelvis that we know as our "core". I will delve into that at a later date, but for now let’s talk about that six-pack, washboard or whatever other name you may have for it.

This may be the area of the body where we as fitness enthusiast make the most mistakes in training. Let’s go through a few basic ground rules for training our abs -

• More is not better! Your rectus abdominus is made up of fast twitch muscle fibers. So what you say? Well that means that it responds best to low reps- yup LOW REPS- like 8-10 at a time. So much for those devices that allow you to do 100 crunches without straining your neck...POINTLESS. Your best bet is to do 3 or 4 sets of 8-12 crunches for your 6 pack. That's it. You can train your deeper core muscles after these surface ones are tired- but that’s a whole discussion in itself!
• Abdominal training should always come LAST. Some people think that you should train your abs first while they are "fresh" in order to get the best results. It’s ok if that’s the only thing you are training that day, but if you are doing another body part- do that first. Your abs provide structural support for other exercises. If you tire them out, you will not be able to perform your best and may hurt yourself in the process.
• You CANNOT spot reduce. If you have excess fat in your abdomen, you can't just train your abs! This excess fat will burn off more efficiently if you train your whole body and add some intense cardio- BUT
• Diet is the key. No matter what you are doing in the gym, the only way to really get definition in your middle is by watching what you put in your mouth. Eating smaller meals often throughout the day will help turn your keg into a 6 pack!

I know that I have thrown a lot of info at you, and you may have some questions. Feel free to ask away!

... 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!