It's no secret that I love to exercise, I really, really adore it :-).
I experience such joy and deep delight when I am in the gym, weight training, doing some plyometrics, bouncing around to keep my heart rate up, dancing and finally stretching. I am not sure how it works or where the dynamism, eagerness, passion and energy originate but they are all there, and then some! :-)
I feels like s an incredible blessing and gift of the Universe that I have a hobby that is healthy, uplifting, life-affirming and positive - and it is an activity that I can do as much as I want, to my heart's content. As I've written before in another blog post [http://jarcila.blog.com/2013/11/06/gymming-brings-friendship/] going to the gym can also be a fantastic way to make new, genuine, awesome friends. Gymming is also awesome because you can do it almost anywhere in the world! Even some of the poorest, most conservative and closed off cities will have a gym and I have a sense that almost anywhere in the world there are bound to be folks (men mostly) who want to be muscular, strong and like to lift weights. Even if there is no gym, you can do plenty of bodyweight exercises whether it is in a park, a mountainous area, beach/pool area, and so forth.
For all these reasons I love going to the gym and weight training. This morning it was Day 5 of my training and will rest up tomorrow and Saturday. I'm currently working with a 5-day split. These next 2 days will be devoted to R&R, time with friends, personal care, and basic home duties.
Generally on R&R days I may go rollerblading, swimming, or go for a morning walk on an empty stomach to stimulate fat burning in an easy-going, pleasant manner. This is touted as being highly effective if you want to burn some fat more effectively: doing light cardio, 45minutes max, in the morning before breakfast. For reference you can check our Ben Greenfield Fitness (http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/search/fat+burning+fasted+walk) and Elliott Hulse's YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgRcrUU4hEU and www.youtube.com/watch?v=lozkwiyVefw). I love both of these guys and all the incredibly helpful information they put out there.
Light cardio includes: going for a walk, gardening, rollerblading, swimming...an activity that will raise your HR just above resting HR but not so taxing that it will send your cortisol levels through the roof and thus negatively impact your adrenals and send your hormones into emergency mode. It's really easy to do and you will likely feel the effect throughout the day.
When I do such fasted walks I reach home quite ravenous and need to be a bit more disciplined and conscientious about the amount of food I will consume. To avoid overeating I make more of a deliberate effort to measure my servings and to think more consciously about what I intend to eat and why. For instance, rather than just mindlessly munching on nuts while I make the eggs & veggies, I deliberately take 2 Brazil Nuts and set them aside taking bites at a time, include more veggies (since I am really hungry) and use the measuring tools to accurately measure 1 TB Hummus (if I will have it) and the 4-5 egg whites. One thing I am endeavoring to do more and more is taking ! TSP of Coconut Oil as soon as I am back in the kitchen:
- B/c Coconut Oil is amazing - It has MCTs (medium chain triglycerides), antibacterial properties and its fatty acids can help boost brain function, increase feelings of satiety. Plus it tastes really yum (if you get the Organic, non-commercial type).
I also find it's good to take the 1 Ts of coco oil right away since it is Fat which will send signals to my body that it need not go into Starvation Mode and thus avoid fat storage. If you do excessive exercise on an empty stomach for long duration you will inevitably trigger the fight/flight response, thus promoting more cortisol which is linked to belly-fat storage and it will send your hormones into an overall tizzy...which we seek to avoid, of course. At least that has been my experience as a female.
It's best to be in a consistent state of low-stress, feeling good, and well-rested for optimal physical performance and fat burning. If you want to build muscle you need to train, eat heavy and intelligently, and sleep well. If you want to burn fat, you also need to train intelligently, eat even more intelligently, and sleep very well so you can continue to feel good, recovered enough to go strong on the next workout and to optimize cortisol levels high when they need to be high, and low the rest of the time).
I probably get such a kick out of weight training because it releases dopamine (neurotransmitter that generates good feelings and happiness). Furthermore, muscle-bearing activities strengthen bone density, stimulate Human Growth Hormone (HGH) production which is critical for muscle development, bone restructuring and collagen [Read more: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sclark41.htm]. FYI, HGH is released through exercise and sleep - which ties in well with the previous mention of the value of consistently good sleep. Not that the latter elements factor into the main reason why I enjoy weight lifting....it is just a fun feeling of getting into it,
feeling good, vigorous, active, alive, mobile, sassy, sexy, feisty, capable, efficient, alert, moving, deliberate, focused, self-centered and self-focused, hopeful, inspired, and motivated from a je ne sais quoi...In short, making things happen :-) and having fun!I recently blogged about my more thoughtful approach to training: http://jarcila.blog.com/2013/11/06/gymming-brings-friendship/
One of the most important things for anyone to consider as they begin on a journey of fitness is to appreciate and enjoy the process...Many times we do have short-term goals, however, if you want to transform your body and achieve the physique of your dreams, and maintain it, then it's good to always remember that this is a long-term experience, one that you will be be enjoying for the rest of your days. And so, there is no need to be desperate or anxious about reaching an X point, because then what? If you wish to keep up that X point you likely need to maintain, which means abiding by the same basic, fundamental principles that guided you to your goal. Getting into fitness really impacts your lifestyle, and in fact it can become a lifestyle and life structure for many.
Take it one day at a time, get informed, research, gather knowledge, listen to people who have been working in this field for a long while and who physical represent some of the elements that you admire. Get inspired by reading transformation stories (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/trans.htm) and keep it up! Fight the good fight consistently and believe in yourself and that yes, you can do it.
Everyone is different and we all see results at varying speeds, and through applying different methods - there is no cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all...For instance. I am a slow fat burner which means it's really easy to be a curvaceous and hold higher levels of body fat...Which means I have to be a disciplined girl in the kitchen and the gym :-D That;s Ok, that's me. You may be naturally lean and thus easily maintain and naturally thin body, which normally means the person has a harder time putting on muscle mass and needs to increase calorie consumption if looking to gain mass. Point is, we are not all the same and it's vital to do some self-experimentation and read up on the different methods to identify the one best suited for your body type, conditions, circumstances and goals.
I love fitness yet I am not 100% sure I would make it my life's work. For the moment, I really enjoy being passionate about a subject but not having expectations or responsibility to it...In other words, I enjoy the freedom, ease and self-directed flow that my current relationship with Fitness is. Perhaps, little by little, one step at a time, I will attract the necessary elements for me to gradually enter into this world more officially. For time being I am having fun without any expectations except from myself. Perhaps one day I will also have fun in a more expanded realm of Fitness in a way where it has greater purpose beyond just me feeling good.
I could go on but I'll nip it here :-)
Over n out!
-Jen :-)
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