Drinking And Exercise

Many of my clients like to have a drink every now and again. Some more than others ;)

When considering alcohol from a dieting standpoint most look straight to the nutritional information. How many calories are there, how many carbs etc?

So what is so detrimental about alcohol to your weight loss even if it’s a low calorie/carb drink?

It has to do with how your body processes alcohol, and the effects that process has on your body and your metabolism.

Slower Recovery

Hard workouts drain the glycogen stores (carbs stored in the liver and muscles) and leave your muscle tissue in need of repair. High levels of alcohol displace the carbs, leaving your stores still 50 percent lower than normal even eight hours later, according to one study.

Added Weight

When you drink, your body, besides having to deal with the surplus of calories, prioritizes metabolizing the alcohol over burning fat and carbs. Alcohol also breaks down amino acids and stores them as fat. It also increases levels of cortisol (a stress hormone), which further encourages fat storage, particularly in your midsection.

Disrupted Sleep

Drinking also disrupts your muscle recovery and performance by sapping your sleep. In a study of 93 men and women, researchers found that alcohol decreased sleep duration and increased wakefulness (particularly in the second half of the night), especially in women, whose sleep time was decreased by more than 30 minutes over the night. Disrupting the sleep cycle can reduce your human growth hormone output (which builds muscle) by as much as 70 percent.

Depleted Water and Nutrients

Alcohol irritates the stomach lining, which can reduce your capacity to absorb nutrients  For every gram of ethanol you take in, you drain out 10 milliliters of urine (that's about 9.5 ounces for two beers). As little as 2 percent dehydration hurts endurance performance. 

Caffeine

Caffeine is the most widely used stimulant drug in the world, usually ingested in the form of coffee, tea, soft-drinks, and of course energy drinks.

Caffeine is absorbed by the stomach and intestine, and peak blood levels occur about 45 - 60 minutes after ingestion. Once in the blood stream, caffeine causes a number of responses in the body. Caffeine is well known for it’s stimulant effects on the brain, but there are a number of other effects that occur.

Blood pressure, pulse rate, and stomach acid production are increased, fat stores are broken down, and fatty acids are released into the blood stream. These effects can last from a few hours to as long as 12, but within 4 days or so of regular use, the body develops tolerance to many of the effects of caffeine. For example, although caffeine increases blood pressure and pulse in a first time user, a regular user will not experience any significant change.

Because caffeine increases the production of stomach acid it may worsen ulcer symptoms, cause heartburn, or give you that sick feeling in your gut. Insomnia, poor sleep, and anxiety are also side effects of caffeine. Regular evening use of caffeine may, over time, deprive the body of proper sleep, resulting in lack of energy and fatigue.

Abrupt discontinuation of caffeine in a regular user may trigger caffeine withdrawal symptoms. The most common symptoms are headache and fatigue. The headache may begin as soon as 18 hours following the last dose of caffeine. Differences in metabolism, diet, and frequency of caffeine use are some of the factors that can determine how an individual will react to caffeine.

Although caffeine does not appear to significantly alter water balance or body temperature, dehydration is a potential concern because caffeine is a mild diuretic.

Caffeine like anything else should only be used in moderation. If you rely on it on a daily basis to “get through the day” odds are you’re barely reaping any real benefit from it, or have to consistently increase your intake. Your best bet is to use it sparingly. Take a few days off now and again from it. You never want your body to become reliant on any substance to function. Proper diet and exercise will always trump any sort of stimulant whether you are using it for energy, weight loss, or both.  

T3 Fitness: Client Appreciation Night 2011

Well, this past Saturday night was the 2nd Annual T3 Fitness: "Client Appreciation Night"!

We all had a great time. We played games, raffled off some FREE sessions, and had our annual awards ceremony. I was so grateful to have everyone come out, celebrate one another's accomplishments, and get to share stories with one another about their own training, and what a mean guy I am to everyone ;)

The point of the evening though was to show my appreciation for not only everyone's hard work, but their faith and loyalty they've shown in me. T3 Fitness does not exist without the T3 Army!

So, once again thank you to all who came out, and rest assured we will do it again next year with even BIGGER accomplishments to recognize.

Thank you to all...

Tommy Else

T3 Fitness

For more pictures from the event visit:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=50961&id=112224048829429&l=dd94f59326

My Fitness Pal: Calories Aren't Everything

Many of my clients have been using the MyFitnessPal.com website to track their nutrition intake, and have all fallen in love with it.

The program is a fantastic and convenient way to track your food, especially if you are able to utilize the App that syncs with the site. It has lead to clients of mine tracking their food more religiously than ever.

The program however puts a lot of emphasis on your daily calorie intake. While this is important to track and be aware of, it is not the sole gauge for how you should lose weight. Weight loss is much more involved than simple calories in, and calories out. The program is a great tracking tool, but it’s still important that I set your limits/goals regarding calories, protein, carbs etc.

As your trainer I know you better than the program does. I know your routine, your sleep patterns, and your energy output in a week. It’s not to say you can’t lose weight by simply creating a calorie deficit in your diet, but more often than not that leads to you shedding as much muscle as you do fat. You may get smaller/lighter, but your shape and tone will stay the same. You also won’t be retraining your metabolism to work on a higher level, in fact it may even slow it down leaving you fighting a constant uphill battle to keep your weight down.

There are ways in the settings of the program to change your calorie limits, as well as your other nutritional goals to be more specific to your personal needs. I will sit down with you and help set that up. These numbers will also change as you progress as well, and will need more adjusting as we go along.

Another great feature of this program is that you can “Friend Request” me, giving me viewing access to your log at any time. To do so just follow these steps…

1.      Go to “Settings" and choose "Diary Settings". Choose - Friends only.

2.      On your home page click on the COMMUNITY tab.

3.      Click on “Find Members”

4.      In the USERNAME box type: T3_Fitness

5.      Send the request

Once I accept the request I’ll have viewing access to your log, and will be able to see what you’re eating each day, if you’re being consistent with your entries it will allow me the ability to offer nutritional guidance between sessions if necessary garnering you better results more efficiently.