Jesi Mandagaran | Blog 21
“I’d like to lose some weight,” says a hopeful new client upon walking into the gym. And us trainers, nod knowing very well they actually intend for fat-loss. Although and understandably so, since society has taught us to only pay attention to that measly number on the scale. You ask, “But isn’t that the same thing?” And we Trainers do the classic Jim Halbert face answering, “Well… No.” So, what is the big diff?
Weight-loss means reducing the overall weight (muscle and fat) of your body being determined by a scale. If done wrong, it can be super taxing on the body’s organs and immune system, not to mention other self-inflicted side effects like skin break outs, rashes, and food sensitives etc. Also, an important note for the ladies, us women have a lot more going on within our bodies, hormonally speaking, and tend to fluctuate weight, 2-4lbs, due to our menstrual cycle, menopause and overall water weight. That’s just the way it is my gorgeous goddesses, might as well live.
Even though losing both fat and muscle sounds like a good idea, it can actually be counter-productive. How so? You’ll like this…
Fat-loss is exactly as it sounds, burning off fat while either preserving and/or building muscle. Having or building muscle is your golden ticket here for efficient fat-loss. The more muscle you have, the more fat you burn. You’ll burn fat around the clock, like after workouts, through your Sunday Game of Thrones binge, and even while you are getting those crucial Zzz’s. Yeah, that’s right, you can even burn fat while you sleep! Mega cool right? Too good to be true? Allow me to explain, see your muscle tissues are lit, literally lit with fat metabolizing, total fat munching cells, called mitochondria. The more mitochondria you have, the more fat you’ll burn. How can you get more of these little but mighty mito-pacmans?
Cheesy easy. High Intensity, varied, and functional movements. For example, CrossFit, HIIT, strength circuit training etc. This style of training is not only the best bang for your buck but it’s also—do I dare say it—a short cut to your fitness goals. I mean, unless you have 2 hours to spare in your day to cover all the components needed for efficient weight-loss. In just a 45min workout (warm-up, skill prep, actual workout), you can burn some serious calories as well as fat calories, even long after the workout is over.
Here are a few but crucial components to cover in your fitness activity:
- Cardiovascular/Endurance
- Strength
- Flexibility/Mobility
Overall, this article is meant to tear down old paradigms about “losing weight” and hopefully lift your spirits the next time you make your daily sour patch faces at those dreadful scale numbers. The scale DOES NOT tell the whole story, not even close. In fact, do yourself a favor and toss that junk metal in the trash.
It’s best to measure by:
- body fat
- the way the clothes fit
- how you feel, energy levels
- tape measuring
And remember, stressing about your “weight-loss”, only makes matters worse. Body fat, particularly belly fat, thrives off stress. Chill and trust, my homies. Eat abundant nutrient dense foods, eat for output productivity, and workout intensely 4-6x a week. Your body is an impressive machine, it knows how to heal itself, as long as you do it correctly. So, the question is, are you doing it correctly?
Not sure? Ask us, book an appt. here.
See You In the Box– Coach J!
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