If you have a busy schedule, do a 30 minute intense workout to get better results than longer sessions. All about the hormones Hormones are powerful messengers that regulate your body. In my nearly 10 years of experience training all types of folks, I’ve found that people in their 20s and 30s can simply workout, eat less, and lose weight. Those over 40 may need to take in consideration hormonal effects and whether or not they are balanced. Whatever your age, you will get better results if you exercise to achieve a hormonal response conducive to fat loss. ![]() So how do you exercise to get the best hormonal response? Shorter workouts with intense intervals have a much better hormonal response than long steady-state workouts. For cardio type workouts, the ideal time is 20-30 minutes. For weight training workouts 30-45 minutes is ideal with 60 minutes being the maximum duration. More growth hormone, less exposure to cortisol. These shorter, more intense workouts will increase growth hormone which is beneficial for body fat loss. They will also produce less cortisol which is often referred to as the stress hormone. Most of us could use less stress and exposure to cortisol. Overexposure to cortisol leads to increased abdominal fat as well as making it more difficult to lose body fat in general. Growth hormone will do the opposite, allowing you to burn fat and gain muscle easier. Now before I write myself out of clients, I must add that our 1 hour Bootcamp class is divided up into segments that make a 1 hour class effective. We start with a 5 minute warm-up, then 10 minutes of flexibility work, 35 minutes of cardio and strength exercises, ending with 10 minutes of static stretching. The 35 minutes of roughly half cardio and half weight training makes for an ideal workout time. References: 1) Marcus C.C.W. Elliott, Phillip P. Wagner, and Loren Chiu, Power Athletes and Distance Training, Physiological and Biomechanical Rationale for Change. USC Sports Med 2007, vol 37, issue 1. Retrieved from: http://www.spartascience.com/publishedresearch_assets/Power%20athletes%20and%20distance%20training%20physiological%20and%20biomechanical%20rationale%20for%20change.pdf 2) Tremblay A, Simoneau JA, Bouchard C. Impact of exercise intensity on body fatness and skeletal muscle metabolism. Metabolism 1994; 43 (7): 814-8 Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0026049594902593 3)Shawn Talbot, PH.D., FACSM (2007) The Cortisol Connection - Why Stress Makes You Fat and Ruins Your Health - And What You Can Do About It. 4) Skoluda N, Dettenborn L, Stalder T, Kirschbaum C., Elevated hair cortisol concentrations in endurance athletes. Department of Psychology, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany. 2012 May;37(5):611-7. Epub 2011 Sep 25. PMID: 21944954 Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21944954 Downtown San Jose Fitness Bootcamp. Women's fitness bootcamp class serving the Naglee Park neighborhood and downtown San Jose Area. Women's fitness, bootcamp class, interval training, intense workouts, mom's fitness, cardio class, weight training.
0 Comments
People always ask me, “What’s the best thing to eat for breakfast?” They ask about breakfast more often than dinner, lunch, or snacks. Most of us have been raised with “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” mantra. Well, it’s true! We are all looking for a breakfast that gives us both immediate and long lasting energy. On top of this, it should ideally be tasty, satiating, nutritious, and convenient. Does this ideal breakfast even exist? Yes, and there are many of them. First, I want to tell you what types of foods we are looking for in order to optimize your breakfast. ![]() Low-glycemic fruit or NO carbohydrates High glycemic carbs or a carb-centric meal will start with a shot of energy, but will result in a crash soon after. Eating low-glycemic fruit will give you a solid boost of energy without the sugar crash. ![]() Moderate amounts of fat A solid dose of fat will allow a nice steady and consistent rise in blood sugar. This will give you long lasting energy as opposed to the spike and crash of eating a carb-centric meal, i.e. Bowl of Cheerios. ![]() High Protein Protein is needed for tissue repair. If this alone is not enough for you to add lean meat to your breakfast, then consider that protein can be used for energy as well. It will give you a slow steady supply of energy and is more satiating than carbs. Solid food Solid food is digested much slower than in the typical smoothie. The ingredients in a typical health smoothie (milk, protein powder, and fruit) are all quickly digested and will leave you hungry 1-2 hours after consuming it.
Most of these meals have three foods in common: lean meat, nuts, and berries. The lean meat will provide protein for cell repair as keeping you satiated. Nuts will provide a gradual and consistent rise in blood sugar/energy. Berries are a great low-glycemic fruit, meaning it will raise your blood sugar moderately slowly (much faster than nuts) with less crash. Other low glycemic fruits are okay to substitute for berries. Eat these foods for breakfast and it will help you lose body fat. 1) Group Health Cooperative, 2011. Retrieved from: https://provider.ghc.org/open/caringForOurMembers/patientHealthEducation/conditionsDiseases/diabetes/foodBloodSugar.pdf Downtown San Jose Fitness Bootcamp. Women's fitness bootcamp serving the Naglee Park Neighborhood and Downtown San Jose area. Women's fitness, mom's fitness, injury prevention, weight loss, nutrition, healthy breakfast.
|
AuthorJerry Yuhara CPT,PES, has 13 years of personal training and fitness experience. Throughout which, he has learned practical solutions to common fitness concerns. Read about fitness information related to Downtown San Jose Group Fitness Archives
July 2013
Categories |