Should I Be Counting Calories?

What is Calories? A calorie is the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius, in another words a calorie is a measure of heat energy. When food is burned, it releases a certain amount of heat (energy), depending on the type of food, for example; Fat has more calories (9 calories per gram) than Carbohydrates (4 calories per gram). The more calories that are in the food, the more energy will be released when it is burned and whatever surplus energy that is not used by the body will get stored as adipose tissue (body fat).

Whatever your goal might be, be it to lose weight or gain weight, you need to count calories to reach your specific goal. If you want to lose weight then you need to be in a negative calorie balance, for example; if you require 2500 calories per day to maintain your body weight, then to lose weight you would need to lower your calorie consumption per day (negative calorie balance) and the opposite is true if one wants to gain weight. So if you do not count calories then you will not know whether you are in a negative or positive calorie balance and that’s one of the reasons why so many people go through numerous diet plans and training programs without achieving the results that they require.

Do not assume calorie consumption, if you say to yourself that you will eat less than what you normally do so you can be in a negative calorie balance, then I have news for you, this in most cases will be disastrous because if you go too low on your calorie consumption it will send your body into starvation mode which in turn slows your metabolism and makes it more difficult to lose weight. And you will even put on weight when you start to binge.

To find out how to calculate your maintenance calorie consumption and how many calories you require to achieving your specific goal Click Here!

What Should We Be Eating?

Most people out there go through life not knowing what foods are good for them and how to eat them. When they decide that their bodies have had enough of junk food (this generally happens when their clothes don’t fit them anymore or when one of the dreaded disease’s strike), they say to themselves that it is now time to go on a diet and become rabbits, they live of salads, some may try an all fruit diet. This type of dieting is not going to help in any way, it may look like it works but it just makes things worst. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that salads and fruits are bad; I am just saying that it is not the only thing you should be eating. 

This type of eating lacks PROTEIN (steak, chicken, fish etc.) and STARCHY CARBOHYDRATES (Potatoes, rice, whole wheat bread etc) which are essential in every meal unless one is on a fat loss diet where he/she will have to cut out the starchy carbohydrates in the late afternoon and night meals and replace it with more FIBEROUS CARBOHYDRATES (vegetables) if necessary. Everybody should be eating a balance of protein and carbohydrates at every meal. 

Protein is the building block in our body, it is what muscle tissue and cells are made of, it is essential for building a strong immune system and stabilizing insulin levels in our body.

Carbohydrates is the primary source of energy in our body’s , carbohydrates is broken down to form glucose (blood sugar) which is then transported by insulin from the blood stream to areas of the body where energy is needed e.g. the muscle. Vegetables are starchy carbohydrates which improves digestion and boosts the metabolism, it is also very low on calories and I guess that’s the reason why most people live of vegetables when going on a diet but this form of eating does not supply the body with enough energy that is required for the day and it also lacks the essential proteins.

Another substance that is essential which most people take for granted is WATER; every physiological process in our body depends on water. Water is also responsible for temperature regulation in our bodies so drink enough water.

HIPPOCRATES the founding father of modern medicine said “let food be your medicine and let medicine be your food”.  For more information Click Here!

How I lost more than 120 lbs.

Want to hear how Brian Nordberg lost more than 120 lbs and 38% body fat Click Here!

Health Conditions That Exercise Is Known To Alleviate

There are numerous medical conditions and health related problems that can be alleviated by exercise and these are the most significant ones:

Allergies – Exercise is one of the body’s most efficient ways to control nasal congestion.

Angina – Aerobic exercise dilates vessels, increasing blood flow thereby improving the body’s ability to extract oxygen from the blood stream.

Anxiety – Exercise triggers the release of mood altering chemicals in the brain.

Arthritis – Exercise induces the manufacture of synovial fluid, helps to distribute it over the cartilage and forces it to circulate throughout the joint space.

Back Pain – Exercise helps to both strengthen the abdominal muscles and the lower back extensor muscles and stretch the hamstring muscles

Bursitis and Tendonitis – Exercise can strengthen the tendons.

Cancer – Exercise helps maintain ideal bodyweight and helps keep body fat to a minimum.

Cholesterol – Exercise helps to raise HDL (the good cholesterol) levels in the blood and lower LDL (the bad cholesterol) levels.

Constipation – Exercise strengthens the abdominal muscles, thereby making it easier to pass stool.

Depression – Exercise helps speed metabolism and deliver more oxygen to the brain, the improved level of circulation in the brain tends to enhance your mood.

Diabetes – Exercise helps lower excess blood sugar levels, strengthen muscles and heart, improve circulation, and reduce stress.

Fatigue – Exercise can help alleviate the fatigue causing effects of stress, poor circulation and blood oxygenation, bad posture and poor breathing habits.

Glaucoma – Exercise helps relieve intraocular hypertension – the pressure buildup on the eyeball that heralds the onset of glaucoma.

Headaches – Exercise helps force the brain to secrete more of the body’s opiate-like pain-dampening chemicals (e.g. endorphins and enkephalins).

Heart Disease – Exercise helps decrease body fat, lower LDL (bad cholesterol), increase the efficiency of heart and lungs, decrease blood pressure and lower heart rate.

Insomnia – Exercise helps reduce muscular tension and stress.

Knee problems – Exercise helps strengthen the structures attendant to the knee (muscles, tendons and ligaments).

Lung Disease – Exercise helps strengthen the muscles associated with breathing and helps boost the oxygen levels in the blood.

Memory problems – Exercise helps to improve cognitive ability by increasing the blood and oxygen flow to the brain.

Menstrual Problems and PMS – Exercise helps to control the hormonal imbalances often associated with PMS by increasing the release of beta-endorphins.

Osteoporosis – Exercise promotes bone density.

Overweight Problems – Exercise increases metabolic rate, burns fat, increases lean muscle mass and improves self-esteem.

Varicose Veins – Exercise can help control the level of discomfort caused by existing varicose veins and help prevent getting any additional varicose veins.

For one of the best exercise programs Click Here!

What Body Type Are You?

There are more than 6 billion people on this earth and every single one of them is unique, nobody shares the same body type. Some may look alike but they have a different cell structure, gene structure, bone structure etc. When it comes to physique there are 3 different body types, a Mesomorph, an Ectomorph and an Endomorph.

Mesomorph – A Mesomorph is naturally lean with small waists, broad/square shoulders, high metabolism, chest dominates over abdominal area and they gain strength and muscle very easily, they are natural born athletes and body builders. They are the genetically gifted.

Ectomorph – Ectomorphs are generally tall and skinny with small joints and waist, they have high metabolisms and maintain extremely low body fat. These are the people that can eat anything and everything all day long and will put on an ounce of body fat. They are hyperactive.

Endomorph – These are the people that work and train hard but still find it difficult to lose weight, an endomorph has a very slow metabolism and stores body fat very easily, most endomorphs are carbohydrate sensitive meaning they can store carbohydrates as body fat very easily, they have wide waists and hips with their waists dominating over their chest. They are the genetically challenged.

Now not everybody is a pure Mesomorph, Ectomorph or Endomorph, some may share a combination of 2 or 3 with one being the dominant type. If you are a pure Endomorph don’t panic, it is not the end of the world, there are ways you can improve and change your body type. No one should blame their genetics for being overweight, weak, out of shape or lazy, you may have been dealt a bad hand but you are in control of the way you look and feel and you can change that anytime.

There is no single perfect diet, training program, or eating plan for everybody due to the fact that everybody’s body type is not the same. If you are looking for the perfect program that suites you and your body type Click Here!

How Bonnie VanNiekerk Achieved Her Goal

"My Goal Was To Be a "Hot Mamma At 40," And I Think I've Achieved That. I lost 23 Kg's and 12.5% Body Fat!"

To find out how i achieved this Click Here!

The Ab Myth

I am sure you have heard of or have tried numerous abdominal exercises or abdominal machines to try and burn the fat around the belly region. Did it work? I am guessing it did not. All this hype that was created by marketing ads was just a money making tactic. I want to let you in on a little secret, doing abdominal exercises with or without any fancy machines or equipment will not help you lose fat around the belly region or mid-section.

When training abdominal muscles like any other muscle, all you are doing is strengthening and building that muscle but you are never going to see it if it is covered with fat. To be honest when I used to prepare for a bodybuilding competition I used to do virtually no abdominal exercises but used to get my body fat percentage in the low single digits.

The only way one can get rid of body fat permanently is to follow a proper eating plan and training program. For more info Click Here!