Hello Ladies, yes I know some men are reading too, so hello
Gentleman. My name is Heather Anderson and I am one of the instructors
for our Indoor and Outdoor Boot camps, as well as our Kickfit Kickboxing
and Body Tone classes. Have I forgotten to mention that I am also the
head instructor for our Lil’ Dragons course? Ok and yes I am also a
Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Fitness Trainer and a Licensed
Massage Therapist. Why mention all of this? Simply because I want to
brag Ok that is not the real reason. I mention this only so you know
who I am and how I can assist you on your journey to towards complete
health and fitness.
Just like you, I seek out others with knowledge to further my
understanding of the human body and the female body specifically. This
is why soon I will invite you to read the article below written by
fitness expert Kelli Calabrese.
Guys don’t get me wrong. I don’t have anything against you, but
today I am writing to the ladies. Ladies lets be honest, who better
knows a woman’s body, then another woman? Sure men can design our
workout plans for us, they can lead us in group exercises, and some even
do a great job doing it, but men have said it themselves for many
years, they just don’t understand us. They don’t understand our mood
swings, our complex of putting on weight in particular area’s, bloating,
and dare I say our menstrual cycle. How could they possibly understand
how these things affect our workouts? Again, don’t get me wrong I have
learned a lot from the many male trainers I have trained with. Isaac
Costley himself has put me through grueling boot camps (not to mention
his kick fit kickboxing and Body Tone classes) and I have learned a lot
in those classes. But I have also wondered why aren’t more women taking
classes from, well dare I say it…Women?
Until recently, most of what you have seen on TV has been men
showing us ladies how to work out, lose fat and tone up. Sure there
were some exceptions like Kiana’s Flex Appeal, Denise Austin and a few
others, but now more ladies are coming to the forefront. Just take a
look at “The Biggest Losers” Jullian Michaels talk about a hard core
lady showing men and women how to obtain results.
The truth of the matter is that the body of a man and the body of a
lady are different and let’s embrace that. There is nothing wrong with
that. That doesn’t mean that a man can’t help us to get fit, they can,
but can they truly understand exactly what our bodies are experiencing
and what our bodies go through? Is it important for them to understand
what we go through in regards to our bodies mentally and physically? I
fall in the yes category myself.
My intent in writing this article to you is to simply explain some
of the physical challenges that we have as women. During the course of
my research I came across Kelli Calabrese’s article and I thought “Why
reinvent the wheel?” she says it all so well.
So we are at the point where you now are able to read Kelli’s
article, then give me a call at 661-1288 or 237-0043 and lets set up a
time for you to experience our boot camps, kick fit kickboxing, body
tone classes, martial arts classes, and massages. Keep in mind when you
take our classes we have designed them with YOU in mind. Yes, guys we
have kept you in mind too, but that article I will save for another day.
Heather
Fat Burning Secrets for Women
By Kelli Calabrese MS, CSCS
It’s not in your mind, ladies – men and women do not live in an equal world when it comes to body fat.
Men, with their taller bodies and larger muscles and bones, lay claim
to a faster metabolism. At puberty, girls put on fat and boys put on
muscle. From fertilization to breastfeeding, women have and need more
fat than men. As you read on, keep in mind that although the odds may
appear to be stacked against us, we can overcome stubborn fat and make
improvements to our shapes and health. First a brief explanation of the
fat burning challenges women face, and then the secrets to overcoming
them.
Body Fat Distribution
Women bear almost double the amount of body fat as men, primarily
to help them carry and nourish babies. Fat is the major energy source
needed for fetal development and protection. We have no control over
where the fat cells decide to swell and shrink.
The fat cells in the lower body, where women tend to put on inches,
are more prone to fat storage. The fat cells in the upper body, where
men tend to carry extra weight, are more prone to releasing fat. Women
who have dieted will notice that as they lose weight, body fat starts
melting away from the upper body first, followed by the persevering
lower body fat.
Yet the reverse is true when gaining weight. The fat cells in the
hips, thighs, butt and abs will enlarge first. Woman who have yoyo
dieted for years have an upper body that is disproportionately smaller
than her lower body.
Hormones
During pregnancy and the menstrual cycle, hormones encourage water
retention in the fat cells. The excess fluid slows down circulation and
makes it even more difficult to mobilize fat.
The progesterone in women’s bodies affects appetite and mood. It
causes hunger during the second half of your menstrual cycle and is
responsible for the ravenous appetite experienced during pregnancy.
Progesterone also causes sluggishness and sleepiness making one less
inclined to exercise. Women who take birth control pills gain on average
3 – 5 pounds as a side effect.
Pregnancy
Throughout pregnancy, fat cells in a woman’s body not only expand,
but often multiply in number. When the pregnancy is over, those fat
cells remain and are always ready to enlarge when the body takes in more
calories than it uses. In addition, the thyroid gland, which drives the
metabolism, becomes notoriously sluggish during pregnancy to help the
body hold onto fat. Not surprisingly, after two or three children, the
weight loss dilemma may be compounded.
Menopause
During pre-menopause (the 10 years prior to menopause), women begin
producing less estrogen, which is a protective hormone. We also begin
to sleep less and our appetite becomes stimulated. As pre-menopause
begins, fat tends to accumulate around the waist and chest, increasing
our risk of heart disease.
Aging
Beginning in the mid-20s, women lose an average of about 7 pounds
of muscle mass each decade (compared to 5 pounds for men). To make
matters worse, non-exercising women typically gain 1 -2 pounds of fat a
year – for life. And the fat gain number can be much higher depending on
lifestyle choices.
So, by your mid-40s, you have probably lost close to 15 pounds of
metabolically active muscle and replaced it with over 20 pounds of
lethargic fat – and that’s conservative! Your metabolism has
dramatically slowed and your body composition has changed in unfavorable
proportions.
To make matter worse, if you have dieted (I imagine you’ve
attempted one or two), you have accelerated the muscle loss process.
Dieting without exercise can lead to 25% to 28% muscle loss.
Aging also makes excess fat harder to hide. As skin begins to lose
its elasticity and sag, it has a harder time containing fat cells,
giving the skin a rippled appearance often referred to as cellulite.
Why Men Have It Easier
Testosterone stimulates bone and muscle growth. Men don’t lose
testosterone as fast as we lose estrogen. Men have more muscle, more
bone minerals, and tend to eat about 35% more calories than women. Men
also respond faster to exercise training.
Although men don’t generally live as long as women, they start and
end with more bone, more muscle and more testosterone compared to women.
By the time a woman is 60 years old, she probably has 20 to 30 pounds
of muscle on her frame –IF she’s not exercising.
Women also face many social and emotional challenges, which can
lead them to become a slave to the scale, avoid exercise for fear of
bulking up and fall for spot reduction and quick fix solutions, all of
which only compound the problem, These fears, misconceptions and
bugaboos, which hold so many women hostage, could easily fill a book,
but let’s skip over all that and talk about solutions that DO work.
Now that you understand the special physiological challenges women
face, let’s talk about how to overcome them to attain the strong, trim,
fit body you really want.
Exercise is the key to fat burning. If you do one thing incorporate
2 – 3 strength and cardio workouts into your weekly routine using the
following 10 tips. The results are guaranteed!
Here are my top 10 fat-burning secrets for women.
- Warm up before a strength training session – Warming up increases
blood flow to muscles by about 55%, giving you better muscle
contraction. You’ll sweat earlier, which helps to regulate your body
temperature. It also jump starts the neuromuscular connection which
initiates the release of carbohydrate and fat enzymes and hormones while
reducing your perceived exertion during strength training. Just 5
minutes of walking or cycling will meet this requirement. - Vary your cardio exercises – Alternate between two or more
cardiovascular activities like walking and running, cycling or
kickboxing, and boot camps. This will help to optimally develop your
cardiovascular fitness, maintain the element of fun in exercise, help
you avoid over-training, as well as injury. Bottom line, you will expend
more calories. - Incorporate several cardio techniques – Use a combination of
continuous, interval, circuit and Fartlek (speed play) training.
Changing techniques forces your body to adapt and become more efficient
(muscle confusion). Vary the intensity and modify impact styles. For
example, if you have been walking the same path at the same pace every
day, begin to incorporate bursts of acceleration intermittently. The
underlying principle is that change is what keeps the body progressing,
making improvements and burning fat. - Plan your workouts in Phases – Organize your workouts into a
cyclic structure. For example, for two to three weeks, exercise at a
lower intensity for 45 to 60 minutes, and then, for the next two to
three weeks, do 20 to 30 minutes at your highest intensity. The
following 2 to 3 weeks go at a moderate intensity for 30 to 45 minutes.
This system allows you to maintain a high level of fitness and not
over-train. This cycling of workout structures will help your body
become more efficient at fat burning - Circuit Train – Perform several strengthening exercises
interspersed with a short cardio segments. For example perform a leg
press, lateral pull down and abdominal crunch followed by 3 minutes of
cycling. Then repeat another 3 strength exercises followed by 3 minutes
of walking. Circuit training has a lower dropout rate, is an efficient
calorie burner, increases muscular strength and decreases body fat. - Strength Train with Multi Joint exercises – Choose exercises that
work compound muscle groups – meaning more than one muscle group at a
time. This will give you the most mileage per exercise. Examples include
squats, lunges, and push ups. For every pound of muscle on your body
you need 35 to 50 calories per day to sustain it, while every pound of
fat on your body requires only a modest 2 calories per day. (note from
Heather: Isolating particular muscles is also good in developing,
shaping and toning the muscle) - Exercise first thing in the morning – Morning exercisers have a
higher likelihood of showing up. Later in the day, the odds that you’ll
skip your workout increase as interruptions arise and fatigue sets in.
Morning exercise also helps regulate your hormone response, telling your
body to release fat and kick start your metabolism. (note from Heather:
did I mention we have a 6:30 am class and if need we can add more!) - Eat a “primer” meal prior to working out – Having a small
balanced meal prior to exercise will help you burn fat. After you eat,
your blood sugar rises and exercise acts like insulin to help regulate
blood glucose. Eating will also give you the energy for a more intense
workout – you will therefore burn more calories. - Eat 5 or more small meals a day – Food has a thermic effect,
meaning it takes energy (calories) for your body to digest the food you
eat. Eating several times throughout the day increases the thermic
effect, so you burn more calories. Eating more often also keeps you from
feeling like you are being deprived of food and prevents hunger from
setting in, which can cause you to binge eat. - Train with intensity – To get the full benefits of exercise, you
must graduate from the “pink weights” and moderate walking. Do not be
afraid to increase your resistance and challenge your muscles and
cardiovascular system. In order to change, you have to push your
physical limits beyond what you are accustomed to.
I am going to leave you with a bonus secret regarding hydration. In
order for fat to be metabolized, it must first be released from the fat
cell and then be transported by the bloodstream where it is shunted to
the liver and other active tissues to be used as fuel. If you are in a
dehydrated state, the liver has to come to the aid of the kidneys and
can’t focus on it’s role of releasing fat. (See chapter x on hydration)
To sum things up, you really can attain a feminine, firm, fit and
younger appearance regardless of your age or inherited traits. You can
overcome any weaknesses and trouble spots to a certain degree with
balanced and symmetrical strength, cardiovascular and flexibility
training, combined with making nutritious food choices.
Focus on being the best you can be. A lean and healthy body is both realistic and achievable.
Thanks Kelli. I couldn’t have said it better. It’s Heather again.
Now that you have read what Kelli Calabrese had to say now it’s time
to make the call and begin training with us. It all begins now, you
take the first step and call us, and we’ll take each remaining step with
you toward your complete health and fitness.