The Skinny on Your "Skinny Genes"

Another week, another blog! If you're looking to loose weight this spring, I Applaud You! It can truly turn out to be a Life Changing Decision! It's not just to loose weight for now, but to maintain a healthier lifestyle. But if you have a lot to loose, don't fret. It may seem impossible, but there's hope. More than half of the effort, actually lies in your brain; not the physical activities.

Today I'll be sticking with the general ideas behind your metabolism. I don't think you need to be told that you need to be eating the right foods in order to loose weight. We all know that. Though we don't always like to hear it, sometimes we need to be reminded. But do you know how often or how much? How does 5-6 times a day sound? 3 Regular meals and at least 2 snacks. These smaller meals should be spaced about 2.5-3 hours apart. And especially if you're looking to loose weight, general rule of thumb is not to eat 3 hours prior to when you believe you will be going to bed. For example, if you're used to going to bed at 10, then you shouldn't eat after 7pm.

If you're asking "Wow, that sounds like a lot. Are you sure?" YES. Your body needs food to fuel itself; to keep going. After about 3 hours, if you don't fuel yourself, you brain goes into "survival mode". It thinks you're starving. As a protection mechanism, your body will begin to store fat. Your body needs some fat in order to stay alive. But if your eating within those 2.5-3 hours, you body will know it's fuel and burn those calories, instead of storing them as additional fat. This is how we keep our metabolism going throughout the day. But keep in mind, that although you need to be eating often, it doesn't mean overeating. (I'll touch on this in a later blog)

So, now that you have a better idea of how metabolism works, how do you increase it? How can you make your body burn more calories? Building Muscle. Muscle takes a lot of energy to maintain, so the more you have, the more you burn. This might sound a bit intimidating (particularly for women), but if you read my last blog you should have a good understanding. And for those of you who haven't read it yet, now's a good time to keep scrolling :)

The Myths Behind Building Muscle & "Bulking Up"

Welcome, again to A Fit Life Blog! It's been a great first week, and I've been learning so much about this business. Meeting some fabulous people & getting great advice. This past year, I've found myself being something of a sponge. Sopping up any information I can get! Lately I've been hearing a lot of women saying "I don't wanna lift heavy weights! I don't wanna Bulk Up. I don't wanna look like one of those crazy looking bodybuilders" I'm looking to change that "Don't Wanna" to "I GOTTA". So, let's start with the basics... Men and Women are (get this...)DIFFERENT.

Genetically, women are almost incapable of creating these "big bulky" muscles that so many are worried about creating while lifting heavy weights. Now, I say "Almost" because it isn't impossible for women to be able to build large muscle mass. But the simple truth is, your average woman will NOT.

For illustrative purposes, let's take the P90X infomercials as an example. They love to show other peoples results, as one of their clinchers. And these are REAL results. No tricky camera angles, no special lighting. These are people doing their own interviews, in their own homes. The biggest difference? All of the men built bigger biceps, shoulders, legs, the whole bit. All of the women became leaner, smaller, more toned; and didn't create "bulk".

If anything, it's Fat that makes you look "bulky". It takes up a lot of space. Muscle is what helps burn that fat. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. The more calories you burn, the more body fat you loose, which means a higher Metabolism. The body fat you loose creates that nice, lean, cut look. Why would you NOT want to burn more calories?

Women lack a little something called Testosterone. This is a vital piece of the bodybuilding puzzle. Female bodybuilders are something of a "different breed". They need to live, breath, and bleed their regiment. And some of those that do it for competition, have to go to the extent of taking certain supplements and/or horomones (like Steroids and Testosterone) in order to create and maintain their physique.

But if your still worried about creating muscle mass that's "too big", do yourself a favor, and at least give it a try. You don't have to do an insane amount of reps either. 10-12 reps at the most & when you feel like you can't do any more. The nice part about lifting weights is that when you get to a point where "Ok. I love my shoulders. I don't want them to get any bigger." Then that's the weight you stay at. If you stay at the weight that you've worked up to, you create your own natural plateau. You can still make gains in other areas if you like, and go heavier. But if you simply want to maintain, then stay at that weight. And don't expect me to tell you what weight that is, because "heavy" is different for everyone.

Opening Week for A Fit Life!

Welcome, Everyone to my blog for A Fit Life! I decided to create this blog to help advise, motivate, support and provide. In the coming weeks, it will also work something as a personal exersise journal. I'm going to be using P90X as my next workout program, and thought it would be a great idea to record my good and my not-so-good experiences with it. :) But before getting to the nitty gritty, let me tell you a little bit about myself.

OK, I'll be the first to tell you, I have not always been a fit person. When I was a kid in middle school I had my fun taking Tang Soo Do (Korean-Style Martial Arts) and played on my Junior Varsity Softball team in High School till the end of my Sophmore year. But I never put any real thought to the activities I did and the food I put in my belly. After high school, my eating habits never changed, but my activity level varied.But then, once I became settled in a solid relationship, I just got "Fat, Dumb, and Happy" for lack of a better term. I went from being 125 to 163 lbs in 6 years. I just dealt with it at first, but eventually, I got sick of myself. I remember looking at my bare back in the mirror, completely upalled at myself as I stared at the two rolls of gook on each side of my back. One set I could handle, but TWO? No way. I had to make a change. So for 2008, I made a resolution. My goal was to be 130 lbs by my birthday (7/28).

I started with watching what I ate and playing Dance Dance Revolution on my Playstation 2. It wasn't until February that I found my true saving grace: TURBO JAM! Every morning: Ab Jam & Turbo Sculpt. Every so often I'd mix in the "20 Min Workout" and more Dance Dance Revoltion. Soon enough, my birthday came around, and guess what? I wasn't 130, but I was 123 lbs. by then. I became hooked on Beachbody Products after that. FINALLY, programs that WORK.

I've made leaps and bounds not just physically, but mentally as well. I have a much higher sense of Self Worth & Confidence. These are truly programs that you can believe in and I can't just keep it to myself. Fitness is something that's attainable to ANYONE! That's why I decided to become an Independent Beachbody Coach. As long as you can commit to a few lifestyle changes at a time, You've Got What It Takes! Even if you have a set back or two, Get Right Back on the Horse! A couple of lapses on your road to A Fit Life is not the END of the road. It's all a part of the jouney. And if you feel you've tumbled too far, you can always look here for motivation and support. Together we can build A FIT LIFE...TODAY

And don't forget to visit my website for programs and supplements at A Fit Life


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Heather Scribner

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