Body of Life.4 - Fats Fetish

by Norris Tomlinson

Only on LifeLube

Jumping on the “fat-free” band wagon can actually do you more harm than good. Achieving your personal best body requires a balance of healthy food intake, exercise, and rest. The food definitely should include some fats---“good” fats, that is.

What makes certain fats good for you? Check out the labels on the food you buy. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats and oils are beneficial, even necessary for your health. The fatty acids---omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9---that make up poly- and monounsaturated fats may reduce the risk of stroke, high blood pressure and other health issues. Great food sources are salmon, tuna, walnuts, and almonds; among the various oils - corn, sunflower, olive, and canola top the list.

Like any good thing, taking in too many “good” fats can actually put you in a “bad” situation for your weight management. Fats contain over two times the amount of calories per gram than both protein and carbohydrates. Eating more calories than your body can use will cause you to gain unnecessary and unhealthy weight that could lead to a host of problems, including high cholesterol, diabetes, stroke, cancer, and gout.

“Good” fats are like good sex. Having just the right amount can be so good for you. In general, making sure that you include the items above---as well as seeds and avocado--- in your diet, and, severely limiting the amount of fried foods and animal products---red meat and whole milk---will start you off on the right track to a more healthy diet and to less excess baggage and all of the problems associated with carrying it.

Don’t forget the importance of keeping things moving along, as we have discussed before. Keep eating the fresh fruits, green leafy vegetables and whole grains to perfect your diet design.

For more information on “good” fats check out:

http://www.healthcastle.com/

http://www.realage.com/

http://www.pamf.com/

Stay tuned to Body of Life. Next time well discuss getting longer and leaner.

Read past Body of Life posts here.

Bio Norris
Norris Tomlinson has been a professional in the fitness industry for 18 years. He is currently the Program Director and a master Pilates instructor for Cheetah Gym Chicago. He is the former Director of Fitness Services for Bally Total Fitness Corporation, responsible for fitness programming at approximately 400 clubs across North America.

Have a question for Norris? E-mail him here.

Getting It Up - Body of Life.3

by Norris Tomlinson
...only on LifeLube

Do you ever feel like you just don’t have the energy to get up and go, or, in some instances, to even get it up at all? When the morning coffee boost wears off, do you come crashing way down? Are you less energetic than you have been in the past? It might be time to take a look at the amount of protein that you are taking in through your diet.

Protein helps to provide sustained energy and is a catalyst for performing many vital functions for well being. Your body can capably uses protein as a fuel to produce energy or glucose. Protein plays a major role in building and repairing muscle tissue---including that which is relative to the heart---and helps in maintaining a strong immune system. Your body uses protein to make hemoglobin---the part of red blood cells than transports oxygen to every part of your being.

Now, don’t get carried away and decide to go on an extreme diet, i.e. protein only. Taking balanced meals that include protein, carbohydrates, fiber-rich foods, and even (good) fats is the rule here. Be sure to include protein in all of your meals, especially at breakfast time. Having protein first thing in the morning provides a more sustained level of energy versus the typical heavy carbohydrate breakfast of bagels, pancakes, or doughnuts.

The best food sources of protein include fish, chicken, turkey, beef, eggs, nuts, and beans. Don’t have time to scramble eggs in the morning? Try making a protein drink using any number of reputable protein mixes on the market. Combined with milk, fruit or fruit juice, it is the perfect breakfast for on-the-go. Speaking of combining, let’s just reiterate the importance of balance. Go ahead, have the bagel for breakfast; but be sure to top it with a smear of peanut butter or a slice of salmon.

Be careful not to overindulge on a good thing. Too much protein only taxes your kidney and liver as they work hard to eliminate the excess. How much is enough? A very general guide is to consume about one gram of protein for every two pounds that you weigh. Mr. Tall Fit & Handsome that weighs 160 pounds could stand to take in about 80 grams, less or more, of protein daily.

Take some time to look at the foods you eat on a daily basis alongside what are the physical requirements of your body---work, exercise, sex. If you are not always up to the tasks, maybe a tweak in the balance of your diet might need to be added to your “to do” list.

Stay tuned – we will cover the good fats the next time, as promised before; protein took up too much space this time.

For additional information on protein, take a look at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protein http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/protein.html http://www.vegsoc.org/info/protein.html


Bio Norris
Norris Tomlinson has been a professional in the fitness industry for 18 years. He is currently the Program Director and a master Pilates instructor for Cheetah Gym Chicago. He is the former Director of Fitness Services for Bally Total Fitness Corporation, responsible for fitness programming at approximately 400 clubs across North America.

Have a question for Norris? E-mail him here.

Body of Life.2 - "Number 2"

by Norris Tomlinson

only on LifeLube

In Body of Life.1, we discussed the importance of the balance, or better yet, the imbalance of “calories in and calories out” in order to achieve your personal best body. Let’s focus on the “out”. Exercise and daily activities help us to burn off the calories we take in; but, what about the portion of food---our major source of calories---that our bodies do not use?

When was the last time you “went” (aka “number two”, “dump”, “eliminate”)? Keeping a tab on how often you defecate is just as important in achieving and maintaining a body full of life. It is an indicator of how quickly your body processes all of the food and liquid you consume in terms of absorption of important nutrients and elimination of waste material. It is also an indicator of how your body is storing fat.

Fasting for a week before having to don your swimsuit; going on an extremely low calorie diet in preparation for strutting your stuff at the class reunion; or, just drinking water all day so that you will look smaller on your long-awaited date with Mr. Right--- all of these can totally backfire on your cause.

Such actions actually starve your body of much needed vitamins, protein, carbohydrates, good fat, and a plethora of other nutrients that it needs consistently. In starvation mode---not knowing when it will be provided the essentials (food) that it needs, your body reacts by actually holding on to whatever calories you do take in and stores them as fat for long term survival. When you decide to end the fast or discontinue the extreme diet, your body, still in starvation mode, holds on to everything you take in and the result is weight gain like never before.

Eat! Mom was right – breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It jump starts your metabolism for the day! Make sure it includes protein. (no, cum from your morning session does not count). Then, try eating several, e.g. four or five, small balanced meals during the day versus the traditional 3 big meals around which the traditional work day is structured. The result will be your body’s confidence to release. There will be an automatic, systematic cycle of you taking in the beneficial calories and elimination of the waste on a daily basis.

In general, if you do no “go” at least once a day, your rate of metabolism might need some adjustment. It could be as simple as changing your eating and exercise schedule, or, it might be something for which you need to seek medical advice. Slow metabolism can also be an indication of something more serious or a side effect of certain medications.

Stay tuned to the next installment of “Body of Life” for a discussion on proteins and good fats. Yes, some fats really are good for you.

In the meantime, check out these resources to learn more about metabolism:

www.metabolism.com

www.wedmd.com

www.chem4kids.com
(select biochemistry, then metabolism)

Your body of life for life is achieved by
striving to achieve your personal best.

Bio Norris
Norris Tomlinson has been a professional in the fitness industry for 18 years. He is currently the Program Director and a master Pilates instructor for Cheetah Gym Chicago. He is the former Director of Fitness Services for Bally Total Fitness Corporation, responsible for fitness programming at approximately 400 clubs across North America.

Have a question for Norris? E-mail him here.

[the debut!] Body of Life.1 - That Extra Layer

by Norris Tomlinson, only on LifeLube

It’s warm outside. Time to shed the winter coats and extra layers of clothing. Do you feel like you still have on an extra layer, even if you are only wearing a tank top and shorts? Do you dare not dress so scantily because you are carrying a spare tire around your waist that won’t detach itself? Or, maybe just a little too much junk in the trunk that you cannot throw out? Have all the tools for safer sex but still lacking the confidence to take off your clothes in front of your partner with the lights on?

Feeling sexy means feeling like you are your personal best. By no means are we all meant to have washboard abs or look like the latest pin up on the “hunk of the day” link. But physically achieving and maintaining your personal best is as simple as adhering to this golden rule on a daily basis: burn off as many or more calories that you consume. If you are trying to decrease the size of the spare tire or eliminate some of the trunk junk, then you want the amount of calories you burn to significantly exceed the amount of calories you take in. If you are on a maintenance program, the calories going out should at least equal the calories coming in.

To get an idea of how many calories you take in, try writing down everything you take in for a period of ten days. Remember, everything counts!---including each glass of wine (and any other beverage other than pure water) and each mint or stick of gum. Likewise, keep a log of all of your activities to see how many calories you burn for the same period and know that everything counts here as well!---including every set of stairs you climb and each time that you beat off.

The results will guide you as to how to move forward. Naturally, if the number of calories you take in exceeds the number you burn, it’s time add in a few more physical activities to your day and possibly decrease the size of your dinner plate. But, whatever you do, don’t stop eating!---doing that could actually prevent you from losing weight because of how it affects your metabolism. Stay tuned to the next installment of “Body of Life” for a discussion about metabolism.

In the meantime, check out these resources to help you assign a numerical value to the foods that you eat and all of your daily activities:

www.my-calorie-counter.com
www.blurtit.com
www.ballynutrition.com

Your body of life for life is achieved
by striving to achieve your personal best.

Bio Norris Norris Tomlinson has been a professional in the fitness industry for 18 years. He is currently the Program Director and a master Pilates instructor for Cheetah Gym Chicago. He is the former Director of Fitness Services for Bally Total Fitness Corporation, responsible for fitness programming at approximately 400 clubs across North America.

Have a question for Norris? E-mail him here.