WHAT IS A BODYBUILDING YOGI?

What is a bodybuilding yogi; why not just ‘yoga for athletes’? Bodybuilding is a sport; therefore, participants are athletes, but the way we train and what our bodies go through is very different to a runner or basketball player. We face our own challenges when we walk into the yoga room and same goes when walking into the weight room.

Bodybuilding is very demanding on the human body. We train to look a certain way, not necessarily perform a certain way. It may be to look like the incredible hulk or just a muscular female with a well balanced physique. Regardless of our individual end goal, we all have one thing in common: we are building muscle.

In order to build muscle you must lift heavy weights and eat plenty of food to support muscle growth. This is quite the opposite of a typical yogi’s lifestyle. Bodybuilders must track what they eat for several reasons:

1.      To ensure they are getting adequate protein for muscle development and recovery.

2.      To hit certain caloric requirements depending on whether they are building muscle or losing body fat to reveal their muscle.

3.      Restrict certain foods that may prevent them from doing 1 and/or 2.

4.      To make sure they are getting all their meals in each day and not to skip a meal.

5.      To time their meals which have specific macro-nutrient ratios for different parts of the day.

How does a yogi eat?

1.      Yogis are quite often vegan which raises concern and difficulty over getting adequate amounts of protein.

2.      They eat when they are hungry and are more in tune with their bodies rather than a clock telling them to eat.

3.      They preferably eat all organic to abide by the first limb of yoga, Yama, where Ahimsa or non-violence is practiced. This can get very costly for the hungry bodybuilder eating plenty of chicken breast and vegetables.

Bodybuilding is very ‘Yong’ and must be balanced like anything in life. Where there is a left there is a right, a start and an end, up and down, day and night. Bodybuilders often suffer from burnout because they never balance the extreme activity with something that calms the nervous system and repairs the damage. Enter yoga.

 

THE STRUGGLES WE FACE

As you can already see there are some struggles that arise from trying to live a bodybuilder’s lifestyle and a yogi’s lifestyle as one; eating is just one of many.

EATING

As a yogi we practice the eight limbs of yoga which includes Ahimsa, the act of kindness to all living things or ‘non-violence’. This means that what we eat should have died humanely or grown environmentally friendly. We all know buying organic is expensive and as a bodybuilder, with a higher intake of protein need, we tend to eat a lot of meat. I personally don’t know a professional bodybuilder who is vegan and all natural so there’s the first struggle, being vegan if that’s your choice. Yes there is protein in Quinoa and beans but they are predominately a carbohydrate source; yes there is protein in nuts but they are predominately a fat source. One way to overcome the vegan bodybuilder hurdle would be to find an organic whole food protein shake but this brings us to the second struggle…the cost. Organic anything comes with a high price tag. The way to get around this is to choose what you eat organic and what you could get away with not being organic; for instance, all meat should be purchased organic, but we can be a little more lenient with our fruits and vegetables.

I choose my vegetables and fruits by whether or not I’m going to eat the skin. There are also plenty of online lists of ‘safe’ foods that you don’t have to buy organic. For instance it would be safe to buy kiwi, onions, avocado, pineapple, peas, cabbage, and broccoli that are not organic. Cabbage and broccoli don’t have skin but they don’t retain as many pesticides because they face less pest threats, resulting in less pesticides being used. Foods to definitely buy organic include apples, all berries, grapes, spinach and all other leafy greens, bell peppers, and cucumbers.

STIFF AND TIGHT MUSCLES (DOMS)

This is a big one and one that we cannot fix completely, but there are ways to make it easier. Bodybuilders apply a lot of weight to their muscles in order for the muscle tissue to tear and repair and come back bigger and stronger. The tearing fibers and tissue are a mini trauma and with trauma or injury comes inflammation and pain. This is what we call DOMS – Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. Some days are worse than others, but it can leave us immobile for one to four days; the hamstrings and shoulders seem to be the worst impacted.

Yoga can be very painful and frustrating for the bodybuilder suffering from DOMS, but once we get through the class we feel ten times better having stretched out our muscles. We can make it less painful if we do the following:

1.      Stretch directly after a workout and perform 10 minutes of light cardio to keep our blood from pooling in the areas worked.

2.      Eat enough protein, particularly pre and post workout.

3.      Take an Omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acid supplement to help with inflammation.

4.      Take a glutamine supplement to aide in recovery.

5.      Foam roll.

6.      Take an Epsom salt bath.

7.      Get a massage.

SHORTENED MUSCLES

You can’t technically ‘shorten a muscle’, and you can’t change a muscles insertion point on the bone; however, after years of tearing down muscle fibers and forming scar tissue, it can feel as though you have shortened your muscle. In reality it is just really tight.  This makes yoga more challenging if we don’t keep up with regular stretching. It can feel like the bicep tendons and connective tissue are tearing away from bone in side planks and extended side angle pose.

The difference between the feeling of shortened muscles and DOMS, as mentioned in the previous section, is that DOMS only last a few days and happens inside the muscle whereas these ‘shortened’ muscles are actually tight, inflexible connective tissue and tendons that have worsened over time because of lack of stretching. Regular stretching and Yin yoga are particularly beneficial in reversing this issue.

FITTING IN BOTH ACTIVITIES

I am extremely lucky when it comes to this as I am a personal trainer and make my own schedule. I do, however, get very busy from time and time and something has to give.

Training as a bodybuilder you can expect to be at the gym anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half per training session. Yoga classes generally take 75 minutes, give or take. If we are trying to lose body fat for a competition or because our ‘off-season’ has come to an end, then we also need to fit in cardio which can range anywhere from 30 minutes to two sessions per day, totaling up to an hour and a half.

There are suggested best times for exercise and yoga practice, but the very best time is when you are able to get it in. It is preferential that we split our weight and cardio sessions up but occasionally time does not allow for this, in that case it is recommended to ALWAYS perform cardio AFTER weights. Weight lifting takes precedence; you want all your energy to go into lifting heavy with good form. Yoga can be done at any time of the day but if you are practicing a more vigorous class then you don’t want to be flowing directly after your weights when your strength is compromised. Chaturanga Dandasana is not fun after heavy dumbbell shoulder presses, trust me.

Arrange your day the best you can. Only you can decide what’s best for you. I perform fasted cardio first thing in the morning, I like to run on an empty stomach and it sets my day off right. We can all use the extra serotonin boost that cardio provides for the day ahead. I then do yoga mid morning and weight training mid afternoon with some added cardio either after weights or later in the evening.

 WHY WE SHOULD BE DOING BOTH

“I don’t lift weights, all I do is yoga”. I hear this all too often in the yoga arena and it scares me. The American Heart Association has a recommendation for weekly resistance and cardio training for a reason.

The ‘newbie’ to any type of exercise will experience strength and cardiovascular improvements in the first couple of months of regular activity; these ‘new gains’ start to diminish as the body adapts to the new regimen. The only way to keep building strength is to apply new force and intensity to the body. This needs to happen continually as you become stronger and stronger and is called Progressive Overload. Even when you have reached your desired physique you need to maintain the muscle you have gained; again, you must apply outside force to the muscles.

Physique goals aside, let’s talk about heart health, bone health, and your health in general. Hot Yoga classes will raise your heart rate but no studies have shown that yoga trumps resistance training and cardiovascular activity for heart health. Hot yoga is not for everyone so a lot of yogis aren’t even experiencing a raise in their heart rate during their practice. The recommended amount to keep your heart healthy is 150 minutes per week of moderate cardiovascular exercise.

There are more than three million cases of Osteoporosis in the US per year. This number could be dramatically decreased if more people picked up the weights, particularly women. When we apply force to our muscle it puts stress on our bones and our amazing bodies adapt to this applied force by increasing bone density, something that bodyweight exercise alone do not do well. Doing yoga alone will not achieve these magnificent benefits that weight bearing exercises gives.

Yoga does come with an array of its own benefits, particularly for the bodybuilder. It…

·         Improves flexibility, which can help the bodybuilder get deeper in squats, for example.

·         Increases range of motion promoting better muscle fiber recruitment.

·         Prevents joint breakdown by increasing the flow of fresh nutrients into the joint area.

·         Strengthens your spine protecting it from injury during heavy weight training.

·         Increases blood flow and oxygen to the muscles giving them more power and fuel.

·         Lowers cortisol levels, the stress hormone, which is a bodybuilder’s worst nightmare; when elevated cortisol can cause muscle breakdown and the storage of body fat.

·         Helps you to focus and be more in tune with your body which helps the mind to muscle connection.

·         Calms the nervous system which becomes elevated in a response to muscle fiber trauma.

·         Teaches you how to breathe properly which is an important technique used in weight training.

 

SUMMARY

In my professional and personal opinion, the two go hand in hand and if you’re only performing one of these two incredibly beneficial activities then you’re missing out on achieving your full physical potential.

Our bodies are our homes and if we don’t take care of them then we’ll have nowhere to live.

There are some challenges to overcome but once you get in sync, your body will function harmoniously. A healthy body sets the stage for a healthy mind.

One of the first things that happened after the trauma from that pill the doctor gave me was my inability to eat. The day that I experienced all the side effects I think I got down half a banana and half a protein shake, ALL DAY! My body said 'NO FOOD' but my mind said 'you need to get something in, you can't go all day without food'. That's the only reason I tried to eat was because I knew it was good for me. No part of me physically wanted food. Food actually brought on anxiety attacks. 

I lost a total of 15 pounds in a month and a half! Something happened in my body whenever I ate. It just didn't want food in there. I got really anxious after food and I didn't have an appetite whatsoever. I ate very small portions because if ever I ate until I was full I would have an attack. It was really weird. A week after the initial trauma I tried eating my favorite food, Indian, and I had the worst anxiety right after it. Resting heart rate was in the 80's when it's normally in the 50's. I later read that people with anxiety should steer clear of spicy foods because they stimulate the nervous system, when our main goal with anxiety is to calm the nervous system.

There are a few foods that I experienced first hand didn't mesh well with a heightened nervous system and there are a few that are recommended by professionals to avoid. 

• Spicy Foods; anything that had chili peppers, curry powder, bell peppers or ground pepper in it. Indian and Mexican were definitely out. Spicy foods stimulate the nervous system, raising your heart rate, and can cause gut problems which can bring on anxiety. 
• Caffeine; I have been caffeine free since the day of the trauma. Caffeine again stimulates the nervous system, raises your heart rate, and increases the secretion of adrenaline. Excess adrenaline is the cause of the physical feelings of anxiety so you have plenty pumping around your body if you have anxiety without exacerbating it with caffeine. Caffeine is also known to cause anxiety in people who never had anxiety before.
• Artificial Sweeteners; sucralose and aspartame being the main ones.  I had shelves filled with protein powders that all had sucralose in them which I couldn't use anymore. I switched to all natural powders that were organic and Non-GMO and only sweetened with stevia or other natural sweeteners. I now use Vega and New Zealand Whey. Artificial sweeteners can change your gut bacteria and altar the way our metabolism breaks down food for energy. A study was done where they fed mice artificial sweeteners for 11 weeks and their blood sugar levels were extremely high. Something we want to avoid if we have anxiety as this can lead to an increase in heart rate, light headedness, loss of appetite, and many other things.
• Simple Sugars; white sugar, candy, cookies, cakes, etc. Anything that's going to spike your insulin. When you get a sugar rush, what follows is a crash because your insulin has spiked and taken too much sugar out of the blood leaving you with low blood sugar. Low blood sugar can cause shakiness, nervousness, dizziness, nausea, and headache. All things that can bring on an attack or generalized anxiety. 
• Alcohol; alcohol is a depressant. Just don't do it if you have anxiety, for obvious reasons. It also interferes with the quality of your sleep, something you probably already have trouble with. 
• Processed Foods and High in Fat; pizza, burgers, fries, pies etc. Not only are they not providing you with essential nutrients to aide in the recovery of your disorder, but the high content of saturated fat can cause inflammation in the gut and cause bowel movement issues. They say illness and disease start in the gut. This is where 70% of our immune system is housed. You want to be taking good care of it. Anxiety in itself can cause diarrhea because of the 'flight or fight' response. Your body literally empties itself in preparation for the danger ahead. So if you eat badly and cause diarrhea then it can fool your body into thinking danger is approaching and you are left with the 'flight or fight' response being activated and anxiety follows.   

I found certain foods/meals that didn't cause any anxiety or physical upsets so I basically lived on those for a few weeks and slowly introduced new foods as time went on. 

• Oatmeal; I would eat this every morning with blueberries, greek yogurt and nut butter. Warm oatmeal is very comforting and easy on the digestive system. It keeps blood sugar levels balanced, as long as you aren't piling on the brown sugar. It has a good source of fiber which is good for your gut and can help to correct digestive issues related to anxiety. It also helps in the production of serotonin. 
• Blueberries; as mentioned above I ate these with my oatmeal. They are loaded with antioxidants that can help to relieve stress in the body.
• Greek Yogurt; a wonderful source of protein and calcium. It's easy to digest for those not lactose intolerant and it feeds the good bacteria in your gut. Protein will also help prevent muscle catabolism (breakdown) if you have no appetite and high levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. 
• Whole Grains; I choose to eat gluten-free 95% of the time. Gluten-free grains include oats (check the label), rice, quinoa, millet, amaranth, and buckwheat to name a few. Grains containing gluten include pasta, semolina, farro, rye, and barley. Whole grains contain tryptophan, the precursor to serotonin (the calming neurotransmitter) and melatonin (the sleep aide), both of which are usually low in people with anxiety. Whole grains are high in magnesium and magnesium can prevent the release of the hormone that tells your adrenal glands to pump out more adrenaline and cortisol. 
• Chicken and Eggs; and other high B vitamin containing foods such as rice, nuts, avocados, and beef. Studies have shown a link between low levels of B vitamins and depression/anxiety. They help to control blood sugar levels and the synthesis of serotonin. They also support heart health which is necessary when we're dealing with anxiety attacks which stress the heart.  

I found that warm, comforting foods felt good and were easy on the stomach, and brain for that matter. As I mentioned above, warm oatmeal was soothing and didn't cause any stomach issues. I also found a gluten-free organic mac and cheese by 'Amys' that made me feel good. I could only eat half the portion though. Homemade vegetable soups were great and provided many healthy nutrients and vitamins. Scrambled eggs were also a favorite. I couldn't stomach a big steak or anything that required a lot of chewing. Anything that was too 'bulky' in my stomach made me anxious. I ate/drank a lot of smoothies because they didn't leave me feeling full or bloated and they were easy to get down.

Be kind to your body. It is going through a lot. Feed it good, healthy, nutritious food and it will feel a lot better.  
  

My structured training split looks like this... 

Monday - Glutes/Quads. 
Tuesday - Chest/Arms. 
Wednesday - Back. 
Thursday - Shoulders. 
Friday - Glutes/Hamstrings. 
Sat/Sun - Mountain biking and cardio only.

1. Keep your 'back' days away from leg days, particularly hamstring focus days. One or both of these days should include deadlifts of some kind. Deadlifts work both back and hamstrings/glutes.
2. Train shoulders after back day by one or two days, not right before back. You use your shoulders during back movements so you don't want them fatigued from the day before. 
3. Don't fatigue your biceps too much before back day. You can do back/bicep day instead. I don't need to bring up my chest, triceps or biceps so I just tri-set them all.
4. On Monday's Glute day I focus on the Gluteus Maximus which includes a lot of squats and lunges which also focus on the quads. On Friday's Glute day I focus on the Gluteus Minimus and Medius - think lateral movements. This ensures adequate time for recovery and every muscle in there gets hit. 

Yes there are going to be overlaps and exceptions. For instance it would be nice to have shoulders away from back day but then something else would suffer. To fix this you could change up your rest days or do a 2 week training schedule where you mix up the order. But this works for me and my schedule. 

Your schedule may look different since our bodies are completely different. You may want to bring up your shoulders more so you may have an extra shoulder day in there. Some days I will add biceps with back day instead of chest and arms but that's because I'm just trying to maintain my arms so I am pretty flexible with training those. I will add abs on shoulder day or chest and arms day but I hit my abs pretty good during my morning hot yoga classes. 

Cardio is very flexible at the moment. I try to mountain bike twice a week, in the weekends if it's not raining, and I like to run a minimum of two mornings per week and use the stepper at home twice per week in the morning as well. My morning sessions are fasted, meaning no food prior. If I have time after my weight training I will tack on 20-30 minutes of the stairmaster. If I didn't do the stairmaster after weights, I sometimes head back to the gym later after dinner and do 30-45 minutes on the stairmaster, and have recently started adding in sprints at this time. 

I go to Hot Yoga classes 4 times per week and practice yoga at home the other days.  

What is Binge Eating Disorder? Binge eating is when you continue to eat past the point of being full, sometimes to the point where you vomit or are near to throwing up. You can't stop eating and it generally involves consuming mostly junk food. You can't hear your body cues telling you to stop eating anymore, or you refuse to listen to them. You obsess over the thought of food and all the things you want to eat. You go back and forth into the pantry coming out with something new every time. You may even hide in the pantry and consume your food sneakily in there. You also may drive home via a fast food joint or the supermarket and buy mountains of food and eat it all in the car on the way home or in the parking lot.
If any of this sounds familiar, you may be suffering from a binge eating disorder or have dealt with it in the past. Well you're not alone. Binge eating disorder is prevalent in the fitness industry, particularly with competitors and fitness models, but also anyone who diets is at risk. We deprive ourselves so much from the foods we love and enjoy, that once our 'event' is over or we've reached our goal, we just can't stop eating all the stuff we weren't allowed. It can end careers, cause serious mental health issues, and damage our physical being. 
You're probably wondering if I've ever suffered from it and I'm here to tell you that yes, I did. For my first competition last year I was so determined to win that I didn't have a cheat meal or anything off the plan for 10 weeks straight. When my first coach said I should pull out of the show I was aiming for because I wasn't dropping enough body fat (I probably would have if he had paid more attention to my concerns and not given me a cookie cutter plan and had me over-training doing 6 days of HIIT, but that's a whole different story), that caused so much anger and despair in me that I had a cheat meal because I thought 'screw it', and then it was all down hill from there. I was so disappointed that I had to pull out. I felt like I had failed. I was ashamed.
I would eat massive bowls of cereal and then go back to the pantry and eat chocolate and candy, then put the oven on and cook a pizza and eat the whole thing, then finish it all off with a tub of Ben and Jerry's. This happened every weekend. I never threw up afterwards, but I felt so uncomfortably full that it hurt. All I wanted to do was throw it all up but puking grosses me out so I just lay there in pain and guilt ridden. 
I didn't come in lean enough for my first show because I couldn't stop binging on the weekends. No matter how much cardio you do, it can not undo the mountains of food you consume over the weekend. The body doesn't work like that.
After my show, the binging got really bad for two months. The episodes didn't just occur over the weekends. They started to happen throughout the week too. 
But I am now binge-free and have been since October 2014. How did I overcome it? Well, read on as I share my tips on how to rid yourself of this extremely unhealthy disorder.     

1. Stop looking at food and recipe photos on social media sites. You are just consuming your time and thoughts with food.
2. Don't call it a 'cheat meal'. Call it 'date night' or something else with no negative connotation if you must give it a name.
3. Relax about meal timing. It's not going to make or break your physique by skipping a meal. Eat when you're hungry, not when the clock says so.
4. Don't let there be 'off limit' foods. That just makes you want them even more. If you want a burger, tell yourself you can have one for dinner later or lunch tomorrow. Chances are that you won't even want it when the time comes. If you do end up eating it, enjoy it and move on. You did nothing wrong. Tell yourself 'that was yum, I'm satisfied now' and remember that it is not your last burger. If you want one again tomorrow, you absolutely can if you want. It's not 'off limits'. But ask yourself whether it's going to help you achieve your goals and whether you want more of that processed food so soon after your last processed food meal. 
5. Increase your fat and fiber intake. They naturally keep you feeling full and satiated. Have a Quest bar or Musclepharm bar as they make you feel full and less likely to want to stuff more food in your belly. And they are delicious so it's like a treat. Quest Nutrition have all natural bars you can choose from.
6. Switch to larger, less frequent meals that actually leave you satisfied. Lots of small meals left me hungry and dissatisfied all day and I couldn't stop thinking about my next meal.
7. One square of chocolate or a spoonful of icecream is not going to make you fat. Eat it and enjoy it. Then move on. It's OK, you haven't done anything wrong. Just remember not to be gluttonous and over indulgent. There's no need to be. You will eat chocolate again, don't worry, it's not your last bite.
8. Eat your favorite, most satisfying meal more than once a day. If you love pancakes and they satisfy you, eat them three times one day if you're having thoughts of binging. Return to normal eating habits the next day. The problem with doing this day in day out is you have the potential to miss out on vitamins and nutrients that come from wholesome foods such as fruit and vegetables if your favorite meal doesn't incorporate those.
9. Don't just look at food as a means to build muscle or lose fat. Food is glorious! When you plan a healthy meal, think about all the nutrients you are providing your beautiful body. Think about how you are nourishing your hard working body. Without your body, you don't have much. So before you stuff yourself with processed, refined, artificial foods, take a minute to think about what good this is going to do for your body. Not your weight. Stop thinking about your weight. Let's just think about your physical body and what it needs to run optimally. Don't you want to treat it right and have it last many years in optimal condition rather than 5 minutes of taste bud satisfaction and potential harm to your body?
10. Stay off the scales and don't look at yourself naked in the mirror for a while. When the scale doesn't drop or you're looking and feeling a little bloated one day, the perceived lack of progress can trigger feelings of disappointment which can lead to you trying to make yourself feel better by eating a bunch of crap and then we're back at square one. For me, the opposite was true too. When I lost a pound or two, I wanted to reward myself and gave myself that reason to binge because my 'diet' was working. Again, back to square one.
11. Try Intermittent Fasting. This was the biggest factor for me in overcoming binge eating. I have written a blog about my experience with IF so please have a read of it. It might be for you. 
12. Download a hypnosis audio book on your phone. I know it may sound crazy but I tried it and I am recovered so I can't say it didn't help right? On amazon they have several different binge eating hypnosis tapes.         

You are not alone. You can email me any time at leankiwifitness@gmail.com if you need advice or need to vent or just need to tell someone about your disorder so you can be held accountable. You can and WILL overcome this. 
Join online group support forums or if you really want to, be open about it on facebook. Your friends and family will want to help. If going public is too scary for you, like I said above, email me and I will do what I can to help you. 

Even stars need darkness to shine bright. 

So I'm about 2 1/2 - 3 weeks in and I've lost 3 pounds which is exactly what my goal is. One pound per week loss ensures I am losing the least amount of muscle possible, if any at all. 
An amazing thing is happening actually. I am not losing any strength at all. In fact, I am making new personal records in the gym. But the change in my body is the biggest thing I'm noticing. My muscle bellies are staying full and hard because on my workout days I eat 200g of carbs and on rest days I eat 140g. So I am not deprived of the wonderful energy giving foods, yet I am dropping body fat. And guess what? This week I have dropped cardio completely and I'm still losing weight!
All in all I am loving IF and what it is doing to my physique. I never feel deprived. Some days I actually struggle to get in all my calories which is a nice change from running out of allocated calories by 5pm and still being hungry like I was when eating 7 small meals per day. 
I will update you again as the weeks go on.  

So yesterday was the end of the first week of Intermittent Fasting and I have lost a total of 1.8lbs. Do not assume that all that weight is from fat. It absolutely isn't. Most of it will be water. My goal is to lose no more than 1.5lbs a week. Any more and I run the risk of losing muscle. Muscle preservation is my top priority. 

What I have found this past week...
1. I am not obsessed with thoughts of food like I was when trying to get 6 meals in a day.
2. Some days I actually struggle to reach my calorie goal because I'm just not hungry.
3. I am more satiated from eating larger meals and they are keeping me fuller for longer.
4. I don't appear to be losing any strength thus far.

Some arguments that come up when talking about IF are...
1. But breakfast is the most important meal of the day. 
A. Do you know where the word 'breakfast' comes from? It means to 'break' the 'fast'. It doesn't matter what time you eat it. Secondly, I can argue that the 'post-workout' meal is actually the most important meal of the day.
2. Breakfast kick starts your metabolism so it runs faster all day. 
A. Your metabolism doesn't actually work like that. 70% of your resting metabolic rate is determined by your lean body mass, not your food. 10% is from the thermic effect of food which happens when you eat food. Again, it doesn't matter if you eat at 7am or 12pm, the thermic effect happens whenever you eat. The rest is determined by exercise. There have been numerous studies done on metabolic rate and none of them show that frequency of food 'speeds' it up. Even low calorie diets do NOT have an affect on resting metabolic rate. 
3. You are running the risk of going into starvation mode if you skip a meal.
A. 'Starvation mode' only occurs after several weeks of not eating anything, not a matter of hours. There was a study done that showed you can go 72 hours in a fasted state without ANY affect on your metabolic rate at all.
4. Your body is going to break down muscle when you are in a fasted state. 
A. When fasted, insulin levels drop and glucagon levels rise. Insulin is the 'storage' hormone and glucagon is the 'break down' hormone. So first off, you certainly won't be storing any fat in a fasted state which is a big plus. Secondly, when you weight train your body is looking to conserve muscle glycogen because your muscles are being used and there is a need to preserve it. Fat is not being used so the body will break down your fat for fuel, not your muscles that you are using.

So on a personal level, lets talk about why I am loving IF. I like to eat big meals because they satisfy me and I like to eat in the afternoon and at night. So first off, IF fits my lifestyle right off the bat. When I eat 6 or more meals a day, they are small meals so are not very satisfying and I'm hungry within an hour. So by the time 5pm rolls around I'm running out of allowable calories. At the end of the day, it comes down to CALORIES IN, CALORIES OUT. It's that simple. It really is. You can eat chicken, rice and broccoli all day every day but if you are eating over your maintenance level calories then you are going to store the excess calories. I don't care who you are or what 'broscience' you have read, ALL studies show that if you eat too much you will gain weight (muscle and fat as long as you are weight training. Just fat if you are not) and if you eat below maintenance you will lose weight. PERIOD.
So for me to lose body fat, I need to eat in a deficit, and by shortening that feeding window I find that it is much easier to stay below my maintenance level calories. Sometimes I even find it hard to fit all the calories in because I'm just too full from eating bigger meals.
Now some people even say that eating larger meals gives a greater thermic effect of food thus speeding up your metabolism and that may be true in that short period of breaking down your food, but as I mentioned above it will have no affect on your resting metabolic rate. If you want to 'speed' up your metabolism, then go and lift some weights and increase your lean body mass. Muscle is far more active than fat (some will argue that fat is not active at all) so the more more muscle you have, the more energy your body needs, and where does your body get energy from first and foremost? Food.  

So to sum up my first week of IF, I am really loving it! I fast for 14-16 hours and eat for the rest. I eat my first meal between 10am and 12pm then stop eating between 8pm and 9pm. I'm doing steady state cardio only 3 days per week and I'm lifting 5 days per week. I do like high intensity interval training and I may exchange one of my steady state days for a HIIT session if I feel like it. I don't want to do too much cardio at first because I want some ammo left for when I start to plateau and when I enter competition season. I eat 30% below maintenance calories on rest days and cardio only days, and I eat 15% below maintenance calories on weight training days. I am guestimating my maintenance calories so it's going to be trial and error for a few weeks. I'm eating 1.25 - 1.5g of protein per pound of body weight and I'm eating no less than .5g of fat per pound of body weight. I am eating between 160 - 200g of carbs per day, depending on whether it's a rest day or weight training day. Carbs keep my muscles full and hard so I can lift heavy whilst eating in a deficit so there is no way I want to drop those too low. Plus, I enjoy eating them so why on earth would I want to give them up?

Fat loss takes time and I am in no hurry as I want to stay healthy, preserve muscle, and still have plenty of energy.

I will write a much shorter update next week for you ;-)

If you have any questions, please email me, comment on this blog, or ask me through my media channels.

Thanks for reading! 

You've heard me talk about how too much cardio can 'eat' away at your muscle, but do you actually know how and why this happens? Read on...

There are two big reasons muscle break-down can happen in relation to cardio. There are three heart rate zones that your body goes through when you exercise. Zone 1 is up to around 65% of your max heart rate. Zone 2 is around 65-85% of your max heart rate and Zone 3 is above 85% of your max heart rate. These zones help us determine where the body is getting it's fuel from. For instance, when exercising at 65% or less of your max heart rate, the body is getting it's 'energy' primarily from the break down of adipose tissue (stored fat). Let us not forget however, that even though the percentage of calories coming from stored fat is higher when doing low intensity exercise, the total number of calories burned from fat is greater with higher intensity exercise.

Zone 2 exercise, or 65-85% of your max heart rate, is when you can no longer talk comfortably and is moderately hard. The body's primary fuel source in this zone is carbohydrates which comes in the form of blood glucose and as stored glycogen in the muscles and liver. During prolonged exercise at this intensity, amino acids are then converted into glucose and used for energy. This is what you do not want because amino acids (protein) exist in your muscle fibers and you do not want them broken down.

Zone 3, above 85% of your max heart rate, primarily uses the Phosphagen system. The Phosphagen system is where the energy released from breaking down Creatine phosphate, found within muscle cells, is used to produce ATP (energy). It is extremely limited and can only sustain small bouts of all-out exertion but can regenerate during rest periods (high intensity interval training, 30 seconds all-out, 1 minute rest).  This is one of the many reasons why high intensity interval training is favored because the primary fuel source is not amino acids which is basically your hard earned muscle being broken down. However, do HIIT for too long and your Phosphagen system can no longer keep up with the demand and you enter the same risks as Zone 2 training. 

Now let's talk about the second reason I, and many other athletes, prefer short duration high intensity exercise over steady-state, zone 2 training. There are many hormonal responses to exercise but the main one of focus I want to touch on is the release of Cortisol. Cortisol, or 'The Stress Hormone', is released when the body is under too much stress either from too much exercise or inadequate regeneration. Prolonged levels of cortisol in the blood (like after an endurance event) has been linked to abdominal obesity, excessive protein breakdown, tissue wasting, and weakening of the immune system. It is a highly catabolic hormone, meaning 'muscle breakdown', which is why we want to stay clear of anything that is going to cause excessive secretion of it. 


To put it simply, we want to build muscle to lose fat because muscle burns more calories than fat and the more muscle we have the better our body composition and health is. We want to stay away from things that are going to break down our hard earned muscle because that can lead to a decrease in metabolism and a sure way to gain fat back. 

So that is why you hear me talk about high intensity interval training and why I stay away from long, steady-state cardio, and why I don't overdo it.        

I get asked this a lot. 'How do you lose fat?'.  In fact, it's probably one of the most popular searches in Google (just guessing). Well I'm going to tell you exactly how 'I' lose fat. Everybody is different and that's why you need to keep records of everything you do so you can tweak things along the way. I am not an expert by any means, I just know some science behind these methods and these methods work for me.

So first things first, I worked out my maintenance calories. Maintenance calories are the total amount of calories one would need in order to stay looking exactly the same. The formula used for woman is [9.99 x weight (kgs)] + [6.25 x height (cms)] - [4.92 x age] - 161. That's your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). Then you need to multiply it by your activity level. If you work out 3-5 times per week and are moderately active, which you SHOULD be if you are trying to lose fat, then multiply your BMR by 1.5. This is not 100% accurate but it will give you a starting point.

I took my maintenance calories and subtracted 200 calories. So for the first week, everyday I had a deficit of 200 calories. The following week I subtracted another 100 per day and the following week, I subtracted another 100 per day. That leaves me with 1800 calories per day, a deficit of 400 from my maintenance calories. Since I was losing around a pound a week, I decided to leave it at 1800 calories for a while. You don't want to lose more than 1.5 pounds per week because otherwise you risk losing muscle.

EVERYTHING I put in my mouth is calculated. I do NOT cheat early on in the fat loss stage. Once my body fat gets lower I may introduce one cheat meal a week to jump start my metabolism and restore glycogen stores. If I feel like I need to cheat, or need a treat for my own sanity, then I eat a Quest Protein Bar, NOT pizza or ice cream. I'm serious. NO pizza, no white pasta, no candy, no lick of an ice cream, no sushi, no alcohol... NOTHING. I drink 1 to 1 1/2 gallons of water per day too.

What exactly do I eat then? Plenty! Here's a look at where I get my macro-nutrients from...
CARBS: Oats, sweet potato, brown rice, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, bananas, berries, granny smith apples, whole wheat couscous, Ezekiel bread, Ezekiel cereal, and occasionally Ezekiel pasta.
PROTEIN: Chicken breasts, egg whites, eggs, non-fat plain Greek yogurt, non-fat cottage cheese, protein powders, white fish, and salmon.
FATS: Coconut oil, olive oil, avocados, nuts and nut butters, unsweetened nut milk, fish oil and flaxseed oil tablets, and salmon can contribute to healthy fats too.

That is literally all I eat with the exception of new healthy recipes I might create. I spruce things up by using salt-free, natural spice mixes and I will allow myself zero calorie artificial sweeteners. When I start prepping for my first competition I will eliminate the artificial sweeteners because they aren't natural and they leave you bloated. But for now, they help me stick to my plan.

CARB CYCLING. This is where you have higher carb days on your higher activity level days, and on your rest days you will eat a low carbohydrate diet. So for instance today I have morning interval training and then this afternoon I have weight training. Today for me is a higher carbohydrate day. Tomorrow I don't have morning interval training but I do have weight training in the afternoon therefore I'll eat a moderate amount of carbs. Sundays are my complete rest days and I will only eat carbohydrates in the morning with the exception of vegetables and a banana throughout the rest of the day. On this low carb day my fats will be higher.

MACRO-NUTRIENT RATIO. Macro-nutrients are your carbohydrates, fats and protein. They all play very important roles in the body. These are the three groups that are digested and used for generating energy, building muscle and being stored for later use. I won't go into the science of them. Everyone's ratio is going to be different. What works for me may not work for you. Right now I'm eating a higher protein diet to ensure I maintain as much muscle whilst I'm losing body fat. My ratio is 45% protein, 35% carbs, and 20% fats. This is in general because remember in the above paragraph I explained how I carb cycle so everyday isn't perfectly 45/35/20. I keep my protein the same everyday, the only things I change are the carb and fat ratios. I like to eat around one and a half grams of protein per pound of body weight. So if I weigh 140 pounds, I would eat 210g of protein. I am NOT suggesting you do this. This is just what I do. The recommended amount is actually .8g per pound depending on what you read, but I have very different goals and have a very high training volume compared to most. It also works for me.

CARDIO. I stay away from long bouts of steady-state cardio. I am not training for a marathon so steady-state cardio offers me no benefits. When you run for long bouts at a sustainable speed, your body is getting it's fuel primarily from carbohydrates. Once you have depleted yourself from available carbohydrates, your body starts to convert the amino acids in your muscle into energy. This is the WORST thing you can do. You want every little bit of muscle to stay put! Why on earth would you want to break it down and lose it. Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat does so the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn and the better you look. Look at a marathoner's body compared to a fitness models body.  If running is your sport, by all means train for it. Personally, it is not my goal and if running a marathon is not your goal either then stay away from hours of cardio a day. I have tried it all. Tried running a lot, didn't lose body fat, didn't gain muscle. Tried 5 days of 1 hour long HIIT, lost body fat but also lost a lot of muscle. Empty stomach low intensity walking, offered no benefit or negative effect so why waste that time. Right now I do only 3 days of high intensity interval training for 25 minutes each session. That's it! If I hit a plateau in fat loss then I will add one more day of HIIT. I like to change up the type of HIIT I do so I keep my body guessing. Today I'm doing sprints on the bike, the next session I may sprint on the treadmill and the third session I might sprint on the arc trainer or stepmill. I go all out for 30 seconds and recover for 45-60 seconds.

WEIGHT TRAINING. My favourite thing in the whole wide world! HAHA! I train 5 days a week. I will add a sixth training day depending on how my body is feeling. I split my muscle groups up so a typical week would look like this...
Monday = Shoulders and Abs
Tuesday = Quad dominant
Wednesday = Back and Chest
Thursday = Bis, Tris and Abs
Friday  = Glutes and Hams
I do my HIIT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday mornings. You will notice I do not do HIIT on leg days because HIIT takes it out of my legs and I want to be fully recovered and strong for my leg days. I also keep 'back day' away from my Glutes and Hams day because a lot of glute and hamstring work calls upon your back muscles to perform the exercise, like Deadlifts for instance.
I vary my sessions to keep my muscles guessing. I change up the exercises, rep ranges, weight, order, add dropsets, supersets, focus on the eccentric (negative) phase of the movement, and do isolation work where you keep your muscle under tension and hold it.

I track my progress on a spreadsheet I designed where I record my weight, body fat %, muscle % and water % every morning. 'Every morning' you say. Yes, every morning. There was a study done that showed people who weighed themselves and were conscious of their weight lost more fat than those who didn't weigh themselves regularly. It makes total sense. If you are unaware of your weight, how do you know if what you're doing is working? Don't turn a blind eye. You can't hide from it. Don't worry about the actual number looking back at you, just worry about that number decreasing. But also remember that muscle weighs more than fat so as you gain muscle, the scales might not budge or even increase depending on how lean you are. That doesn't mean you aren't losing body fat. That's why I also measure my body parts every Monday. I record my calorie goal and actual calories every day and my carbohydrate intake. I also record my workouts everyday. I use My Fitness Pal to design each days meals so I'm never guessing and have a plan to follow. That stops aimless snacking and choosing higher calorie food options all in one day.

So that's how I do it. Hard, focused, and dedicated work. Don't sit their and complain that you aren't losing any weight when you eat out 3 times a week, drink alcohol once a week and only workout 3 days a week. That's just not going to cut it I'm sorry. I go through all of the above for a mere 1 pound loss per week. Patience is key people. There are no quick fixes. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Please ask me any questions you have about your current routine as I'll be glad to offer my advice.

Good luck!!