Flatten your Stomach Part III

So today we're going to look at the exercise part of fat loss and I'm going to jump straight in at the deep end and start by saying that most of you have this so very wrong!

When clients first come into the studio to begin our fat loss programmes, a large number of them inherently know what a reasonable lifestyle and diet consists of (they may not do it but at least they understand it!)
When it comes to exercise though it's another ball game. We pretty much have to help them unlearn all they think they know about fat loss and related exercise and training. Take a look at this....



The above video gives a good demonstration of THE most important fat loss training consideration.... METABOLISM.

Think of your metabolism as a central heating thermostat. When you have the thermostat on a low setting, you are using a small amount of fuel (energy) and the output of heat is low. Crank it up and the energy requirements increase as does the heat.It's the same with your metabolism. A low metabolism equals a small amount of fat loss (if any), while a high metabolism equals a large amount of fat loss. So, I hear you ask, what's the best way to a permanently high metabolism?

RESISTANCE!

When constructing a fat burning programme you must place the body under a progressive stress. The inherent danger is that people do the same workout over and over, whilst restricting calories, without realising that the results they are getting are minimal at best. Another consideration here is that a huge number of people jog/cycle/swim for fat loss without realising that these low intensity, steady state types of aerobic exercises do little in the way of increasing metabolism.
In fact a landmark study by Tremblay et al, in the July 1994 edition of Metabolism, published the results of a study pitting 20 weeks of endurance training Vs 15 weeks of interval training. The energy costs of the endurance training was 28,661 calories, while the interval training cost 13,614 calories, "less than half I hear you shout!!!!!" But hold on.
The interval training group showed a greater loss in subcutaneous body fat by NINE TIMES more than the endurance group!

So the interval group did less work, burned less calories, but lost 9 times more body fat?

How did this happen?

The key thing to realise here is that short, sharp, intense training, while it doesn't burn as many calories at the time, burns many more afterward. Studies have shown that this heightened metabolism can last for up to 3 days. This simply doesn't happen with low intensity, steady state, endurance type training. This is why sprinters are leaner and more powerful looking than endurance athletes.
That's not to say we don't use steady state cardio, it just isn't a mainstay of our programmes.

So how do we put it all together?

A basic fat loss programme will start with a warm up, stretch and roll on the foam roller, move on to a strength exercise, then a metabolic circuit, core exercises, and finish with interval training!

All in all about 25-35 mins of HARD work. Have a look what i mean.....






Paul

How to flatten your Stomach...... Part II

Nutrition....

So here is the million dollar question, how do I eat to flatten my stomach?? Is it just a case of following the government approved food pyramid shown above?

Well actually NO!

What I find interesting about the pyramid is how it recommends the same servings for everyone. So for example we all have to drink 8 servings of water and eat 6 servings of rice and pasta, while only eating 2 servings of meat, nuts, poultry and beans. There is no mention made of how to adapt this for individuals who differ wildly in body composition, ethnic background, activity levels etc etc.

Here's another interesting fact. We have been reccommended this diet for a good few years now yet are we slimmer and healthier? Are we lowering the rates of degenerative disease? I guess we have to say NO again.

So just what do we do? How do we cut through the misinformation presented today?
You know, we all inherently know how to eat for good health and vitality it's the application that lets us down.
Let us then look at what we consider to be the optimal foods to consume for health and vitality.

In no particular order....
Fresh vegetables
Fresh fruit
Fresh meat
Fresh poultry
Fresh fish
Nuts & seeds
Legumes, beans & pulses
Fresh clean, pure water

In a nutshell, that's it!!

"What about my bread/pasta/tea/coffee/coke (fill in the blank yourself)?" I hear you scream. Well, you, along with everyone else have been misguidedly eating and drinking these foods all along, yet aren't seeing the results you want. Let me be completely up front with you here, cereals and grains are NOT the health food you are led to believe they are. Food manufacturers have been knowingly misleading you for years. Most of these foods are highly processed and as such have no nutritional value whatsoever. If you look at the package it, in most cases, says 'Fortified' which really means synthetic chemicals added. It's no wonder we struggle to maintain a level bodyfat percentage!
If you must eat grains and cereals at least make sure they are in their natural form, are organic, and you restrict the amount you do eat.

Stick to zero calorie drinks, mostly water, herbal teas, green tea, NOT zero calorie coca cola, and please, please try to stay away from milk (highly processed and homoginized) and soy milk (a true bad boy, and the subject of another post I promise). Rice milk or almond milk works well here.

A quick word regarding oatmeal. In moderation oatmeal (organic and whole obviously) is fine and personally I have it with a little rice milk, a bit of water and some seeds and berries.... lovely!!!!

So there we have it. Eat good organic whole foods in their natural state. Stay well away from anything processed or added to, drink mostly clean pure water, and pay particular attention to the next blog post which will delve into the mysteries of fat loss training.

Paul

The 21st Century Holy Grail....... How to Flatten Your Stomach!

One of the most common questions I get asked on a daily basis is "How do I flatten my stomach?" or variations on this theme, and like the search for the Holy Grail it's a subject that is full of twists and turns, dead ends, and misinformation.

Firstly, for all you postnatal question askers let's start by asking you all a question. "Did you have a flat, tight, toned stomach before you got pregnant?" You see, the majority of people who crave the above look have never had a stomach approaching anything like washboard!! You are all looking at models and celebrities in magazines and wondering why you don't look like they do in swimwear!!!

Let's be completely honest here, for the fitness models especially it's their job to look the way they do, and for the celebrities you see looking buff they are usually not very honest about how they achieved the 'six-pack' look.

Now, back in the real world it's not impossible to achieve the look you desire, in actual fact it's quite simple, however simple doesn't mean it's easy. Far from it. There are so many factors involved in flattening your stomach that it usually takes a huge mindset shift to achieve.

People underestimate the role the mind plays in fat loss (or indeed anything we choose to change be it weight, finances, success, relationships etc) and as a result don't really undertake to change lifelong habits.
You see, habits are behaviours that are held subconsciously, just like computer software that causes us to repeat certain behaviours over and over again with no real reason why. This is the law of cause and effect in action. You eat a cream slice (cause) and you store bodyfat (effect). The question you have to address is 'why did I eat a cream slice?'

You can begin to see that in order to burn belly fat permenantly it takes a huge mindshift to make it successful and this is why so few people are able to achieve their desired outcome.

When we are talking to clients about fat loss this is where we always start. By finding out the real reason you want to get in shape, and getting emotionally involved with both the process and the outcome, we stand a much greater chance of hitting our goals.

In our next post we will talk about the second part of belly fat blasting.... nutrition.