Mar/090
Nutrition
…from soup to nuts…
Let’s talk about food! after I go over the rules of engagement: DISCLAIMER - the ideas presented here are merely guidelines to help you on your path to enlightenment. I strongly urge (and insist) you to seek the help of a professional nutritionalist and doctor before attempting to make changes in your diet. If you follow any of my hair-brained schemes and ideas, you do so at your own risk!
Oxygen
Oxygen is a chemical element. By mass, it is the most plentiful element on earth. It is also the third most abundant chemical element in the universe. Often overlooked by healthy people, Oxygen is the most important thing that our body takes in.
Among other bodily functions that are affected by oxygen, ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is one of the biggies. 40% of ATP, or the high energy molecule, is made up of oxygen. Cutting through the obfuscation, ATP is a key part of our metabolism and muscular restoration.
What does all of this mumbo-jumbo mean? You ask. I bring it up, because for the most part we spend our day worrying about how much water we drink and the quality and quantity of food that we eat. But, we often overlook the most important element that our body needs… Oxygen.
Breathing Exercises are a great way to increase oxygen levels in our body. There are manifold ways to increase your oxygen levels two of my favorites are:
I also regularly use a tool, called the PowerLung. It is a very powerful exercise tool that works the lungs like nobody’s business!
Water
There are so many different opinions on how much water that we should ingest on a daily basis, that I don’t even wanna touch that. Let me just tell you that water is a vital component that our bodies need. The human body is made up of approximately 65% water. We need it on a regular basis, or we will dehydrate and eventually die.
I am a firm believer in superhydration. I drink approximately 204 ounces of water each and every day. This may seem a bit excessive to many, but I can tell you that I feel better and stronger when I do. Also, I feel that my metabolism is working more efficiently.
Many people ask me about trips to the men’s room… Well, I think that my bladder adjusted. Shortly after I started drinking this much, I adapted. One thing that I should mention is, I try to limit my water intake after 5 p.m. to avoid nighttime runs to the porcelain convenience.
Food (protein, carbs and fats)
I’m not a big fan of the fad diets. Especially ones like the low carb Dr. Atkins ones. Carbohydrates are an extremely important part of your diet and they provide energy stores. On top of that, many of these diets have proven to mess with your body’s natural acid levels.
I feel that a balanced and healthy diet of 60% carbs, 20% protein and 20% fat is the single best way to go. I also think that it is far better to eat smaller, more frequent and healthy meals. I am a firm believer in 5 to 7 small meals per day. It feels better to keep food coming in every two or three hours, instead of going 6+ hours between meals. I also find that it’s easier to control my intake when I eat throughout the day.
I’m sure you’ve heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day… I’ll take that one step further and (dare I say it), two breakfasts are better than one! I know many folks who only eat lunch and dinner. They complain of low energy levels and usually have excess body fat. Spread your meals out and eat healthier and I guarantee you will find more energy and even start knocking some pounds off!
Trans and saturated fats
Over the last couple of years we have heard more and more about TRANS FATS. They are horrible!! Remember that foods only have to list them if there is more than .5 grams in there… Instead of reading the label for TRANS FAT percentages, try looking at the ingredient list and seek out things like POLY UNSATURATED YADA (minus the yada).
Here is a neat site that lists many fast food restaurants who server the TRANS FATS.
TRANS FATS are not the only bad fat out there. They have an ugly step-sister called SATURATED FATS as well. After TRANS FATS, SATURATED FATS are the next worst thingy. Avoid them wherever possible.
Remember that a certain level of fat intake is vital to your wellbeing. However, you can pick and choose which fats to ingest and which ones to skip right over. And, for goodness sakes, skip that crazy diet that says eliminate most of your carbs and replace them with fat. That is malarkey (IMHO)!
Diets
I already stabbed the Atkins diet in the back… Need I say more? I am against diets (per se). When I hear “diet,” I hear, “DIE… et.” This just doesn’t ring true to my uber-sensitive ears. Instead of a diet (which comes and goes like the wind), why not create a nutritional plan that you can live the rest of your life with?
Vitamins
Do you need them? How much is too much? When should you take them? Is Santa Claus real? I can answer some of these questions…
Vitamins are an obvious necessity in your life. However, there is a craze and hype out there stating that you must take loads of them. Most people eat a nutritious enough diet to receive most of the daily vitamin needs that their body craves.
I take a multi-vitamin (half of the bottle’s recommended dosage) each night. I determined (by the deep yellow urine I was excreting) that I only needed half of the manufacturer’s recommended dosage.
Supplements
I really dig some of the benefits of Creatine. I usually take Creatine Monohydrate (5 grams per day). I haven’t found any other supplements that do anything for me. I should mention that since starting the H.I.T. style of working out, Creatine does less for me than before.
I will drink a weight gain shake and things along those lines, but I stay away from the majority of supplements that are available. There is a HUGE market out there. And, people spend gazillions on supplements that don't really do anything for you. The best advice I can give you is to baseline yourself before and after taking anything and see if/where it gave you improvements.
Alcohol, Caffeine and Nicotine
This is a tough subject for me. I indulge in all of these. However, I should mention that moderation has been my key to success. I may smoke one or two cigarettes per year (at least one on Thanksgiving after turkey and stuffing), several cigars throughout the year and an occasional pipe (tobacco only, folks). I also have been known to dabble in a little drinking from time-to-time. Probably my biggest crutch is the caffeine... I go through stages of not drinking any to five cups of coffee per day.
"Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess!"
-Oscar Wilde
While this quote stirs feelings and sounds really COo.oOL, I must admit that I am a fan of moderation. This is true of more than alcohol and nicotine... I find that it works for everything in life. Try it on for size and let me know what you think.
Until next time, gambatte kudasai!
Mar/092
Fitness
There is a fad that is sweeping across America (and the world for that matter). It is categorized as healthier living. With more than 30% of Americans being classified as obese, it is time for this fad to kick into action!
Gratuitous Disclaimer: I’m afraid that before I talk about this fantastic subject, I must first warn you of the inherent danger associated with it… Working out and exercise can be dangerous. You can be seriously injured, crippled or killed. The opinions, stories and ideas presented here are my own and do not constitute a recommendation of or endorsement for any particular or general use. You should seek a professional medical evaluation before starting an exercise program. If you choose to workout, you do so at your own risk.
With that painful dissertation out of the way...
Exercise is an essential part of life. Without it, our immune system falters, our muscles atrophy and fat reigns in our bodies. On top of all that hype, I am in really good shape. As I type this Blog entry, my weight is 191 pounds and I have ~10% body fat. I am stronger than I’ve ever been in my life and I am 42 years old. Don’t let my young age scare you away… There are people in their 70’s who are still weight lifting and having excellent results and gains! Join the mayhem!
There are literally hundreds of reasons to exercise... My top picks are these:
Those are just some of my reasons for staying in shape, but you get the point… Now, I want to address some of the more popular ways to achieve this so called strength and physical fitness level.
Anaerobic
In it’s simplest description, anaerobic training is bursts of high activity that trigger anaerobic metabolism and result in lactic acid creation. One of the most famous forms of anaerobic exercise is weight lifting. Athletes and fitness buffs use anaerobic exercise to strengthen and/or increase muscle. Basically, you work yourself until ample lactic acid builds up in your targeted muscle group and they fail.
For strength training, most people will try to do between four and eight repetitions of exercise in each set. By doing eight or fewer repetitions, you are primarily targeting the fast twitch (power) muscles. It is essential that you bring the muscle group to complete failure (sometime beyond failure with advanced techniques like negatives, stripping, etc.)
For mass training (think bodybuilding), most weight lifters will shoot for muscular failure between eight and twelve reps. This allows the fast and slow twitch muscles to be a part of the exercise and gives the most overall growth potential.
Endurance training (and/or trimming) usually entails doing more than 12 repetitions, as this will primarily use slow twitch (or endurance) muscles. And, fat is burned as you keep your heart rate high for an extended period of time.
Aerobic
The jury is still out on what type of aerobic activity is better than another. I use aerobic exercise like running to burn fat. I shoot for three days per week (with rest days between each session). During each daily activity, I try to workout for 45 minutes and get my heart rate into a target area of 75-90% of my maximum predicted heart rate (MPHR = 220-your age). I should mention that I do not believe in this formula, because I am 42 years old and have had my heart rate up to 192! Your true MHR can be determined by a physician using a standard Stress Test.
Walking
Except to get from point A to point B, I don’t walk much. I find it boring and it takes forever to get what I want from it. Instead, I will run or use the elliptical. I should mention that I do walk before and after my runs as a warm-up and cool down.
I know that many people swear by walking, so I didn’t want to leave it out… However, it ain’t my cup of tea. To reiterate, I do walk a good distance each day, but not for exercise, I use it to get from point A to point B.
Swimming
I swim a couple of times per year. If I had a heated pool (or indoor) I’m sure I would do this on a regular basis. I think that swimming may be the best way to get a serious aerobic workout. If you do this, good on you!
Stretching
Stretching is great to help relieve muscle aches after workouts and runs. It’s also keeps you flexible, renews energy and helps to avoid injuries. For this reason, I believe that stretching should be a part of everyone’s workout plan. I stretch on my aerobic days. I stretch large muscle groups by slowly (never go fast, bounce or jerk) moving into the stretch and holding it for 22 seconds. Near the end of my 22 seconds, I strive to stretch just a little bit deeper. Also, I only stretch after my workouts, as I have found that cold muscles do not stretch nearly as well and you might even invite injury or pain while stretching cold.
HIT and HIV!
Have you heard of HIT (high intensity training)? It is incredible! Essentially, it consists of lifting weights two (or fewer) days per week. Each workout is a full body workout and it only takes 27 minutes to complete.
I know what you’re thinking, How can you get a full body workout in fewer than 60 minutes per week? I’m here to tell you that it works. I have been doing HIT for more than a year now and I have made steady strength and mass gains since starting. For the first time in my life, I am relatively injury and pain free. If you wanna give HIT a try, start by checking out Dr. Ellington Darden’s HIT forum:
http://www.drdarden.com
Also, I would suggest picking up his book: The New High Intensity Training.
That’s it for exercise… If you would like to learn more, simply drop by my forum and checkout the Fitness board here:
http://www.vaughnripley.com/forum/index.php?board=14.0
Cheers,
Rip
WARNING (in case you missed the first one): Working out and exercise can be dangerous. You can be seriously injured, crippled or killed. The opinions, stories and ideas presented here are my own and do not constitute a recommendation of or endorsement for any particular or general use. You should seek a professional medical evaluation before starting an exercise program. If you choose to workout, you do so at your own risk.