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DEL.ICIO.USSynergy of Fitness
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Before I begin my first official blog for the AJC, I just want to say how happy and proud I am to be working with such a wonderful publication. I look forward to giving as much good information as possible. I thought for my first blog, I would write about synergy of fitness. You see, without it, you can never completely obtain all of your health and fitness goals.
The word synergy comes from the Greek word synergos, which means “to work together.” When you explore anything occurring in life, you will see that some form of synergy takes place. An atom cannot be complete without all of the subatomic parts (i.e. protons, neutrons, and electrons). A tree cannot grow without water, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. A cake cannot be made without the right amount of eggs, milk, and flour (I know it’s a bad example for a health and fitness article, but I’m trying to make a point here).
When creating a body that is not only going to look fit, but be fit, you have to incorporate certain components. In particular there are three that you must incorporate on a weekly basis. Together, you will achieve optimal health and fitness. One without the other is like driving a car without radiator fluid, it just won’t do as well for you as you want it to.
These three components are Supportive Nutrition, Weight Training (anaerobic resistance training), and Cardiovascular Exercise (aerobic activity)
Supportive Nutrition - Nutrition and proper eating habits can require enough input worthy of writing a book. In fact, many people have written about nutrition, however, they usually profess a diet that is unbalanced. So, what is balance you might ask? To begin, balance is not something you do in one day, one week, or just a few weeks. Balance is what happens over the course of many months and even years.
When it comes to supportive nutrition, you need to eat a Fibrous Carbohydrate (e.g. broccoli), a Starchy Carbohydrate (e.g. baked potato), and a Lean Protein (e.g. grilled chicken) with every meal. You should also be eating every 3-4 hours, which will lead to 4-6 small meals a day. By eating continuously throughout the day, you keep your thermogenic engine stoked. When you deprive yourself of calories (like most diets), you are actually training your body to hold on to body fat.
Weight Training - When you think of weight training, you most often think it is for strength. Strength is important, but as far as the benefit of weight training and health, strength has little to do with it. If you’re confused, let me inform you that the benefit of weight training for most Americans is that it boosts metabolism.
You see, obesity leads to other diseases such as Type II diabetes. By weight training, you burn more calories at rest. When you lift weights, you have more muscle. I’m not talking about turning into the Hulk or Miss Buff Chic. I’m talking about just a little added muscle. Because without weight training, you can nearly lose half of your muscle from age 20 to age 40. This explains why body fat all of sudden starts to pile on so easy.
Muscle is the only physical location that utilizes fat as energy. Nothing else in your body uses fat. So, when you begin to lose muscle, you begin to gain fat. It’s really that simple. Weight training should be performed at least 3 times per week, hitting every major muscle group in your body.
Cardiovascular Exercise - Cardiovascular exercise is usually the most sought out form of exercise to burn off excess body weight. The only problem is, most people will either use that means alone (no weight training) and/or do not increase the intensity with the activity. For example, when you tell me you walk - my question to you is- What is your heart rate? Most people can’t answer that question. Then I may ask, do you break a sweat? Other than when you are walking outside in the summer, the most common response I get is “no.”
If you do not know what your heart rate should be, you can go online and do a search on ‘calculate heart rate.’ You most likely will find an online heart rate calculator. If you are taking medication for high blood pressure, you should seek a fitness professional to give you the right answer.
Eventually, you should perform cardiovascular exercise anywhere from 3-5 times per week. You should incorporate high intensity at times, long duration and moderate intensity. The most important thing to remember about cardiovascular exercise is that it is for cardiovascular health first. The added benefit is that it helps you burn more calories. Get this though, when you build more muscle you need more energy (via fat energy) to supply the muscle the energy you need to exercise. So you see, you don’t need to avoid the weights.
If you have any questions or comments, related to this issue or any other, I am open. I look forward to hearing from you and I’m here to help. I’ll be coming out with some more wonderful stuff. So, don’t forget to permalink me!
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By James
April 25, 2006 08:49 AM | Link to this
Hey Kelly. Great info. Great to see you here on AJC spreading the truth! Look forward to reading more.
By Ada
April 25, 2006 01:01 PM | Link to this
Hi Kelly, I’ve been working out for a few years now. My workouts consist of running/walking about 3 miles per day (everyday) with my dog. I’ve begun to realize a plateau, and am going to step up my workout.
I’m planning on using a resistance band for my arms and back (8 reps of 3 sets for each major muscle group) and abwork (120 crunches)in addition to my cardio on a daily basis. I eat a pretty healthy balanced diet with lots of fiber and veggies…
I’m not necessarily just in this for weight loss, but am more moving toward a healthy life style and would like to tone up and lose 10-15 pounds in the process.
My question is, would my new workout be enough to accomplish this?
Thanks!
By Kimberly Rice
April 26, 2006 08:31 AM | Link to this
Hi Kelly! Welcome to the AJC. It’s nice to have you. Thank you for the article on Synergy of Fitness. I am 5’2” tall and I currently weigh 164 pounds. I have lost 41 pounds thus far. I have been doing everything you recommend in your article. I sweat perfusely during every workout. My comment is I usually get to a certain point and sabotage my fitness regime by indulging in things I know I shouldn’t because I’m feeling confident. My goal is 140 pounds and I am going to work diligently to get there. I have two questions. 1) How does drinking wine affect weight loss? 2)Once I reach my goal, how many times a week shall I workout to maintain that weight and would I still need to combine weight training and cardio once I reach my goal? Thanks, Kelly!!
By Michelle
April 26, 2006 10:51 AM | Link to this
Please tell me - I workout at lunchtime at least 3-5 times a week and I usually eat lunch after my workout. I try to wait at least 30 minutes before eating my meal. Is it okay to eat right after lunch or should I wait awhile after my workout?
By Kelly Huggins
April 26, 2006 05:30 PM | Link to this
Hey Ada, Kimberly, and Michelle
Here are some answers:
Ada- For your situation I will tell you that if stick with only one particular routine, you will hit a plateau. You have to change things up regular. By regular, I mean every 4-6 weeks at least. Then increase the intensity. Don’t think maintenance, but think progression. Make yourself sweat and make your muscles burn.
Kimberly- First, good job on the 41 lbs weight loss. That’s wonderful. And you did it the RIGHT way. To answer your question about the wine… I have a question for you. Is it the wine that you are self-sabotaging with? The sabotage is what needs to be addressed, as you know as well as I do that wine in moderation is okay. Obviously, when you cut out alcohol altogether, you will achieve your results faster. However, that may not be realistic for you. So, you then have to set yourself limits. Drink no more than one glass a day, preferably with your meal. Even better. Limit yourself to 2-3 glasses per week. As far as how many times you should workout to maintain- It doesn’t change. Eating right, Cardio and weight training, plus consistency is a lifestyle that you must always maintain. That doesn’t mean you can’t rewared yourself though. When you hit your milestone, get a cake, drink some wine, and have party. Get it out of your system and get back to business.
Michelle- Eat girl! As soon as you are done with your routine, you need to eat. At that time, your muscles will “soak up” the carbs that you just ate decreasing the liklihood that they will turn to fat. More important, the conversion of carbs to muscle glycogen (stored carbs in the muscle) happens without the need for insulin. Bare bones point is- you need to eat to replace energy you expended and to ensure you don’t use muscle protein as energy later in the day. You lose muscle, your metabolism goes down and you can’t burn fat as well at rest.
Hope I was a help to ya!
Kelly
By Patti
April 27, 2006 01:20 PM | Link to this
I work out before work: cardio, strength training and stretching. I usually break a sweat, and I know if I don’t I’m not working hard enough. At night, if I can I walk my dogs 3 miles. This is much slower, and I don’t sweat unless it’s from the heat. When I get home, I sometimes reward myself with some chips or mini chocolate bars. Walking still burns calories, right? Even if the pace is really slow?
By Kelly Huggins
April 28, 2006 12:19 PM | Link to this
Hey Patti,
There is no question that you are burning calories when you walk the dogs. However, you said it earlier, you have to break a sweat to really get a benefit. Focus more on the cardio you do in the morning. Maybe, add one additional day of cardio only. Oh yeah, limit the rewards if it happens often. Don’t reward because of stress, but because you actually achieved something.
Hope that helps!
Kelly
By Patti
May 1, 2006 05:05 PM | Link to this
Thanks for the response, Kelly.
Another question: When do you know it’s time to move up to heavier weights? I use 5- and 8-pound weights now and, with my Firm and Gilad routines, I am quite fatigued with them. But if I pushed I could probably use 10-lb weights for some exercises, like bicep curls, back and shoulder exercises, though I’d do fewer reps. Should I?
By Kelly Huggins
May 2, 2006 10:55 AM | Link to this
Patti,
Doing fewer reps to perform higher weight is fine and even reccomended. This is what is known as progressive overload. If you don’t overload, you’ll plateau at your current weight. Just make sure you maitain good form.
Kelly