Category: Fitness and Health

Workout Safety: The Importance of Warm Up and Cool Down

Post author By De
Post date March 8, 2017
24 Comments on Workout Safety: The Importance of Warm Up and Cool Down

I never realized knew the difference and the benefits of a warm up and cooled down until I began school. All of my fitness has been Beach Body or Online Trainers. Unfortunately, I was never encouraged to do a Warm-Up or Cool Down nor do they usually program them in. That is why so many people are getting injured working out at home.

Just because you don’t have a treadmill at home doesn’t mean you shouldn’t warm-up. Despite if your workout has a warm-up programmed in I would encourage you to Warm-Up and Cool Down on your own. Unfortunately, a lot of online trainers are either not certified at all, expired certification or no continuing credits. It is critical that you do your due diligience when working with one and check their credentials for your personal safety. Regardless, Warm-Up and Cooldown has been a necessity in a proper workout for many years. Why is it not emphasized? It’s like Breakfast to me the most important “meal” of the day. If you are a highly paid athlete or women just looking to lose a few pounds. Warm-Up and Cool-Down are mandatory. So, take the precautions if you have no idea what to do you can use the Warm-Up/Cooldown workout below or find your own. Just do it anyways despite if your Online Trainer suggests it. I know for DVD Video and Live Streams this is usually included in the workout.

Most people don’t feel there is enough time to add 10-20 minutes to cool down and exercise, but I find that a poor excuse. If you just work out the 150 minutes that are suggested a week you are the only exercise for a little over 1% of the 160 hours that you get a week. You have time! Make it!

Reasons Why You Should Warm-Up

Helps to increase blood flow to the muscles that are being worked as well as a rise in temperature for both your body and muscles.
When your body temperature rises, it helps to produce energy more efficiently which helps you with your workout.
Increases the body and muscle temperature which contributes to increasing the rate of energy production.
Contraction and reflex times severe with higher muscle temperatures.
Exercising without warming up places a potentially serious stress on the heart. Warming up reduces the stress on the heart.
Soft tissue (tendons, ligaments, muscles) injuries are less likely.
Mentally prepared to workout

Cool down

The Cooldown is equally important and as you get older something that you feel the immediate benefits. Despite your lack of time, you should make it a priority to bring your heart rate to a resting pace and prepare your body for the muscle building and repair it will do from your workout session. Proper cooldown is necessary to take care of your body. If you have been pushing hard and then just come to an abrupt stop, you know what that can do to your car brakes imagine your what it does to your body. We are adaptable creatures but like to take it step by step. Intense starts and stops and can be detrimental to your body. Cooling down is just not to gradually bring your body to a resting point it is also to prepare you for the next workout. The stretching done in your cool down is to lengthen, strengthen and prepare your muscles for the workouts to come. It is important to take this step and prioritize it in your workout schedule.

Five reasons cooling down is essential in your workout routine:

Helps to regulate your breathing, body temperature and heart rate to your average pace slowly.
During cool down, your blood is correctly distributed to the heart. The major organ helping keeps things going you don’t want to cause unnecessary stress from skipping your cool down.
Blood redistribution during cool down also helps to get rid of the lactic acid that you have built up in your aerobic workout. Lactic acid can build up in your muscles which are what cause post workout muscle soreness. I don’t know about you, but I rather take a few minutes to cool down then spend the next two days struggling to sit down (and get back up.)
Blood pooling is caused by abrupt stops during exercise. Consistent blood pooling can lead to blood clots, vascular deformations, and pelvic tumors.
Blood pooling, abrupt stopping at the end of exercise can all lead to insufficient blood flow and oxygen which will result in you feeling dizzy, nauseous, and just fatigued or worn out.

Next time you work out whether prescribed to warmup or cooldown, just do it! Come 10-15 minutes early to your class or session to make sure you are properly warmed up. You can use the suggested Warm-Up cooldown below or foam roll, stretch and walk it out on the treadmill for 5-10 minutes just make sure that your body is prepared for the workout ahead. Then once you finished challenging yourself from an excellent workout take the time to cool down and bring your body back to a resting point gradually. Which will avoid some negative reactions, lengthen, strengthen, rebuild your body and prepare you for future workouts ahead? I used to not warmup/cooldown, and ever since I have added it to my workout routine, it has made a noticeable difference in my workout and the days afterward.

Do you warm up consistently or only when told? What about cool down?

A systematic review into the efficacy of static stretching as part of a warm-up for the prevention of exercise-related injury. (n.d.). Retrieved March 07, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18785063/

Clark, M., Sutton, B. G., & Lucett, S. (2014). NASM essentials of personal fitness training. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

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Tags cool down, exercise, fitfluential, fitness, health, safety, sweatpink, warm up, wellness, workout

Fitness and Health Mealtime Monday

How my family went clean

clean-eat

It was like I was in a Movie….

The most amazing thing happened the other night at dinner my kids fought over the last brussel sprout did you read that correctly my kids fought over the last brussels sprout. Two years ago that would have never been the case. After a long road, my girls try new things every other week willingly. They look forward to baking new goodies to try and have mostly adopted a healthy lifestyle. Don’t get me wrong they’ll still welcome without hesitation a Happy Meal but from a recovering drive thru junkie family. Always driving around. Going places and never enjoying what was in front of them.

Got to make some changes….

About two and a half years ago I decided to try to change our processed food lifestyle into a “clean eats” lifestyle. I probably got it from a blog post or Social Media. At first, I tried to try it on my own, but then I was invited to a meeting. I was introduced to information about GMOs, wheat, corn and soy mayhem. I left the meeting wanting to feed my family better and putting my foot down. We didn’t go cold turkey, but there was a drastic change in our shopping and meals. I stopped using helper sides: mac and cheese, rice sides, pasta sides; Anything that came preseasoned; canned goods, baking mixes. All donated or thrown away. That left me with food that you had to prepare every meal from scratch.

Homemade meals every night without my “just add water” side was an overwhelming task. I tried a few different methods of meal prep too and then I found a system that works for me. The more I became fluent in processed free, clean eats that took less than 30 minutes it became easier.

cleaneats

Not keeping it 100%

Now I tell people we are about 85% clean that leaves 10% “real ingredient” processed and 5% junk. What I would define as real ingredient junk, are foods that are processed in a kitchen other than my own but has real ingredients. I buy pasta, rice, quinoa, oats, dried fruit, nuts, etc. I also buy chips, crackers and frozen pizza for my kids and husband. We’ve come a long way from our old diet and are still progressing forward.

The 5% junk those are McDonald’s Happy Meals, donuts from D&D ,birthday cake, icecream, and a Philly Pretzel is my middle diva’s weakness. We live by an 80/20 rule trying to honor our temple but living in grace. I know that eventually, we will be fully clean. My girls can’t even eat school lunch anymore because it makes their stomach hurt. Treats and desserts last longer in my house now too. When I do bake, I try to use natural sugar such as date paste and raw honey. I will also use pure cane sugar, but either way treats last longer.

So, as I watch them fight over a Brussels sprout (I’ll have to make more next time). I am so grateful that I learned how to honor my temple better and my family initially rebellious and unwilling came around and preferred a clean lifestyle too.

cleaneats

Four ways to get your family on board with a clean lifestyle
1. Pick 5 have them pick five processed foods they can’t live without (french fries and frozen pizza is ours) Although, once in a while I get away with homemade french fries.
2. Family favorites try to make family favorites healthy and from scratch. Your rendition probably tastes a lot better than Stouffers.
3.Meal Prep & Plan You don’t have to precook all your meals. I don’t! I make a list for the week compare it to our schedules. I like to preseason and label the meats and freeze. That way it’s defrosted, bake, grill, whatever and mostly prepped. Vegetables cleans and bag in advance. I don’t cut mine, but they are washed, dried and stored, or you can make everything in advance, freeze and have ready to thrown in the oven. Whatever is going to prevent you from stopping at the drive-thru on the way home or grabbing a precooked processed meal.
4.Slow down so you can speed up. Going cold turkey will cause your family to revolt and not adopt. Ease them into it and give them grace. They didn’t decide to change their lifestyle mama ( or daddy) did so they may be slow to adopt. They will fight you, stay strong and just try to make fresh alternatives. The younger they are, the easier it is, but eventually everyone will feel want to continue to feel better and hopefully they’ll be fighting over Brussels sprouts too.

Are you trying to eliminate processed food from your diet? Did you already? How?

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Tags clean eating, clean eats, dinner, eat clean, family, meal time, mealtime monday, paleo, whole 30

Babies christian mom Faith & Self Care Fitness Fitness and Health Self self-care Weightloss Journey

5 Habits Mom’s do to derail progress

Post author By De
Post date January 13, 2017
19 Comments on 5 Habits Mom’s do to derail progress

mistake

I made a delicious, nutritious, and fat loss friendly meal for breakfast. Nothing extravagant Apple Chai (Sugar Free) Oatmeal and Hard boiled Eggs. Something very simple after an intense workout. Ate my serving, that was measured out and a perfect portion, then I did the unthinkable. A habit that I have had since my lil diva’s started eating table food. I am usually mindful but you know how things go, sometimes you slip back into old habits. So, what did I do that is so heinous? As I am clearing the table, I…..yes, I did it. I scarfed down the leftover food from my littlest diva’s plate. (The horror-insert scared emoji here) I went from being completely satisfied with my meal, portion, and calories being in a healthy range. To the feeling of being stuffed and adding probably a good 100-200 calories extra to my meal, (maybe less) which I can’t totally calculate because I didn’t measure out my child’s leftovers. Now, am I going to totally freak out and do more pushups, jumping jacks, and burpees. Um, no I am way to worn out for that. Thank God there is such a thing as grace. But, I am going to be mindful that these bad habits although innocent is little things that make it harder for me to get to my goal. A healthier, physically fit body. That I work very hard on 30 minutes a day 4 days a week. While doing dishes I was thinking, “I know other mother’s do the same thing but I wonder how many innocent habits do we do that hamper our progress?” I came up with five and I would love for you to add more that I don’t think about and maybe not even aware of that these little nuances exist. Pointing them out will help us to stay focused and not derail our hard efforts. Time and pushups are very valuable things to me and if I can reduce both that is a good thing.

Derail

5 Habits Mom do to derail progress

Eating remaining food off your children’s plate. Let’s start with today’s offender. I try to be mindful of this but being the overseer of our food budget and working hard to provided nutritious meals for my family. When I see perfectly good food on its way to the trash my first instinct is to just eat it. You know the saying, “there are poor children starving in Africa.” My instinct to save the waste is counterproductive to my goal to live a healthier lifestyle. Those little bit of calories can add up, considering you feed your children 3-5 times a day. A great solution is to serve your children less. They can always get more and that way they are not wasting as much food and you are not adding to your daily intake by saving food from the trash.
Not sitting down to eat. Again, most of these are just going to be my confession. Up until recently especially in the morning before school. I would eat on the go and have my children sit at the table for breakfast, lunch and I usually sit down during dinner. But, sometimes I am trying to throw something in my mouth and tackle, chores, phone calls, or something while I have them sitting there quietly (somewhat) eating a meal. This too allows you to make poor food choices, portion control and just add unnecessary stress. Sit down, chill, enjoy the meal you have prepared and take a little time out in your day to talk with your children. Teaching moments of “abc’s” or just to sit for 10-20 minutes. This can help reduce your stress which helps reduce your cortisol so, it’s a triple win; Stress reducer, nourishment and calorie control.
Don’t drink enough water. I am in that weird mom stage, I am either on the go with my two older school age children or I am on alert with a very curious toddler. Regardless, I am not attentive to my own needs most of the time. Somedays, I am just on auto pilot getting through the to-do’s of the day. We are supposed to drink half our weight in ounces of water. If I am conscious I am doing that but that requires lots of fill ups and lots of pit stops, if you know what I am saying. But, proper hydration is key to good nutrition so it is something that must be added to the to-do list until, it becomes a great habit.
Don’t make time to workout. Again, this was a mistake of mine. So, beginning of 2015 I had the best intentions. Gym membership, resolution motivation and a 6 month old baby and two active lil school aged divas. My husband works most of the time so, although I intentionally signed up with a 24-hour gym I never seemed to make it in there at all within 24-hours. I am just hanging on by a prayer after 8 pm when my husband usually comes home during basketball season, so night time workout don’t work. Although, I get up at five in the morning for devotion. The idea of getting up at 4 am to devote and then workout seemed like pure insanity to me. I think it would be safe to say that as a mother we do not always prioritize ourselves in life. That is a mistake. We need to take care of ourselves. Physical inactivity leads to so many things that cause us to poorly do our job. Small things like lack in energy, poor immune system; To big things like stroke, obesity, diabetes and other life threatening ailments. We must be active for at least 150 hours per week according to the American Center for Disease Control, however you break that down in your week. It’s a must! So, not adding your time to devote (I find that essential in self-care and honoring your temple) and exercise is a major no, no to weight loss and a healthy lifestyle.

Deuteronomy316

5. Rely on your self.

How do you do better?

The second best thing I ever did for myself was canceled my gym membership, invested in weights and found an awesome workout that could be done in less than 30 minutes. It has double the benefits of going to the gym, an hour of cardio, or an hour workout DVD. If you have an hour of to devote to working out make sure you schedule it in and pop in that DVD. Whatever you do get your 150 hours a week in any way that you can. With kids, without kids but just honor your temple with intentionally avoiding habits and mistakes that you have become accustomed to. I know that I am doing it and although the journey is not as fast as I like, “if I stop now, I will soon be back where I started, 40 pounds heavier, 56 more inches wider. And when I started, I was desperately wishing I could be where I am now.”

The best thing that I did to help me see my mistakes and have strength to change them was bring my goal to live better and healthier to God. After trying too long and too hard I gave it to Him and He has helped me overcome so much. Even though old ugly habits will rear there heads. I was able to instantly recognize it and now will make a conscious effort to overcome it.

Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid of them! The Lord your God will goes ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

I know I am not crossing a river to go into warfare but I am going into battle with my own sinful nature. And the ways that I have become accustomed and where I am trying to do better in my life. So, get out there and honor your temple better. What mistakes or habits do you have that are derailing you from honoring your temple better?

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Tags bad habits, do fitness better, easy, faith, fall off the wagon, fast, fitness, honor my temple, mistakes in weight loss, pitfalls, short, weight loss, weight loss journey, workout, workout better

Fitness and Health Product Review Product Reviews

My Must Haves of 2017

Just a few Must Haves for the New Year

So, you’ve got your planner packed in your meal planning bag as you just strapped on your fitness tracker and ready to tackle your day with your new protein shaker (with protein in it) and 64 ounce water bottle to wash down your salad and chicken breast that you’re going to devour because it’s the New Year and you’re ready for this New You to emerge in the next two weeks, right? Am I exaggerating? Just a little. It has come the time of year that I love the enthusiasm and energy of people making a really effort to stick to their resolutions but I think people miss the mark and don’t adequately prepare. They’ve been watching their social media feed of all the things that they really need to be fit and healthy and don’t really need any of this stuff to be fit and healthy. I’ve put together a few must haves that I will be using this year to keep me focused and on track!

Last year this time I was ready! Ready to really give this getting fit thing my best effort. After many months of trial and error I realized the things that I prepared for and the actual stuff I needed would be just that trial and error but I have a few tips and suggestions; 5 Things that I found and Love in 2016 that I will be taking into 2017 with me are:

What’s in the bottle counts!

In 2016, I discovered that I had a wheat allergy. Since being diagnosed with a wheat allergy and learning I have learned that skincare products contain wheat, who knew? So, I need to avoid those things and applying them to my skin. I was at the Gluten Free & Allergy Friendly Expo and met KissFreely . Kiss Freely products does not contain 8 of the major allergens and more. Then I discovered there AMAZING KissFreely Body Butter! Did I say it was amazing? It is amazing. Whether you have skincare allergies, food allergies or sensitivities their products can be trusted. After trying their silky soft body butter I knew the lil diva’s and I had to try it. Two of my daughters suffer from sever eczema and I am very leary of the products I use on them but with KissFreely I could trust the product before doing the the 3 day skin test that it wouldn’t cause a major flair up.

Flair Ups with Eczema takes moments to pop up and months to get rid of so you really try to avoid them as much as possible. Although, I have found natural products such as coconut oil and shea butter that help I am always looking for something better or that will work season-to season. Another issue that I have is that their skincare needs change from season to season. So far, Kiss Freely has made it from Fall to Winter seamlessly and like I said feels amazing. This is something that I must keep for my 2017 skincare needs.

2. Sometimes you need to workout anywhere!

My life is getting busier by the moment. In 2016, I went back to school to get my Fitness and Exercise Science Associates degree (which I will be pursuing my Bachelor’s in it in April.) I know I am crazy! My girls are getting older and I feel like the older they get the busier I get. I need to be very flexible with my workouts especially since I am training to be Figure Body Competitor. (Oh yeah there’s that too). When I first started this journey I needed the comfort of predicatability and comfort of my home. Now that this is a lifestyle and I plan on being very active in the future Soma Sole Resistance Bands are a must have for me.

SomaSole bands are perfect for anyone who is new to resistance training from those who aren’t. They’re great to take anywhere use anywhere and you all have seen my YouTube I love love love to incorporate in my workouts. I am so glad that I connected with them last year at IdeaWorld! I actually plan on using these even more in the New Year while I train for my very first Figure Bodybuilding Competition. When it gets warm I’m going to be that Fit mom at the park “pumping bands”, haha! Hopefully, I’ll have a whole crew of other Fit Mom’s working with me….wink wink! I am really looking forward to adding these to my training in 2017.

3. MomSanity Core Sliders These things are the absolute best for working out your full body! I LOVE them because they ease the stress on your joints and slide on both wood floors or carpets. Like the SomaSole you can take these anywhere and even use them with the SomaSole Bands too! I really love them for Mountain Climbers and plank jacks those are both I used to struggle with for my knees and ankles but not anymore. In February I am going to be joining some ladies in a I hope you join us! Alot, of people ask me, “What makes these different from furniture movers?” The shape! Most furniture movers or core sliders are circular the triangular sliders fit anyones feet correctly and you’re not constantly adjusting yourself during your workout. They’re actually really reasonable and worth the shipping. if you don’t have any grab some here and join me and my #fitfriends in February on Instagram as FaithFueled™ Women from all walks of life accept the challenge! MomSanity has a Great 15 minute Core Slider video to get you started!

4. MomSanity BCAAs

I have been back and forth if I want to go Supplement free for my Figure training. I believe that God has provided us everything that we need for our bodies but if you’re not consuming those things naturally then supplements are necessary. The only protein I take is Collagen Peptides I don’t drink protein powders any longer. I eat the necessary amount I need if I did there are a few that I would choose. As for BCAAs that is something that I don’t get a lot of in my diet and feel the need to supplement. Branch Chain Amino Acids refereed to as BCAAs is created naturally in the body but because of our busy stressful lifestyles and exercise is often depleted. I found MomSanity BCAAs last year and it is a Must Have for me! It contains a 3:1:1 Ratio of Leucine, Isoleucine, and Valine and its made for mom’s and sweetened with naturally found sweeteners like Stevia, Erythritol and Monk Fruit and comes in Fruit Punch its tasty unlike other BCAAs I’ve had and not overly sweet. This is a lifestyle for me and I want to be able to enjoy food without causing my body harm. So, MomSanity BCAAs get my stamp or approval this year and will be apart of my exercise pre and post recovery. If you use promo code: 5OFFBCAA You’ll get $5 off this week and FREE SHIPPING till Jan. 9, 2017.

5.ProYo

I was introduced to this yumminess the last week of the 2016 and it’s will be a fixture in my home for 2017. My daughters and husband are icecream addicts. I am more a cookie and cake girl but they can do some damage to a quart of icecream. ProYo is so filling the it’s a small serving size so you don’t over-indulge. It’s prebiotics and probiotics alleviates bloating and even I can eat it. I love it because I can have a ProYo instead of a Protein Shake and get 20g of Protein, 3g of fiber, 2g of fat and they’re rich in calcium. We’ve also been make some treats with it too. Oh and they’re gluten-free. No binders! The lil diva’s will clean their plate for a ProYo dessert and I get away with giving them a healthy treat. Comes in 4 delicious flavors! Bluberry Pomegrante which is my fave, Ed and Boo love Chocolate and Kyhia loves Vanilla and Blueberry Pomegrante. It also comes in Banana and I made the most yumminess Banana Yogurt Cake with. Since the family enjoys these so much this is a Must Have and a great compromise. #MomWin

There is so much out there on the market, thousands of products but these are just a few that I really believe can help you with your goal this year to live a happy healthier life!

What are some products you discovered last year?

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Fitness Fitness and Health Mealtime Monday

What’s the deal with Macro Counting?

Post author By De
Post date October 31, 2016
7 Comments on What’s the deal with Macro Counting?

Meal Time Monday [Autosaved]

calculating-macros

I have been counting macro’s for a while now about 6 months and it has made a world of difference in my diet. I also recently just passed my nutrition class at school so that makes me an authority on macro’s, right? Nope, but I am going to let you in on my notes from my personal research.

Macro’s?

According to my textbook Visualizing Nutrition Everyday Choices, macros are “Carbohydrates, lipids (aka fats. Proteins, and water.” I am not including alcohol although it is a macro it is not a nutrient required to live. It does contain calories which is why it is a macro but let’s try to keep it out of our count. These are all considered macronutrients and what we need in large amounts. There are also micronutrients which are vitamins and minerals and we only need a little that is why they are micro.

So, when someone is counting macro’s they are measuring their Carbohydrate, Fat, and Protein.

carbohydrates

Let’s tackle that monster first! Should I eat them? Shouldn’t I? Please do eat Carbs. The purpose of Carbohydrates are to fuel our bodies with energy. They are stored in the liver, brain, blood and muscles as glycogen. You can get carbohydrates from: Starches, sugars and fiber.

You can get carbohydrates from:

Fruit
Vegetables
Grains
Oatmeal
Steel Cut Oats
Sweet Potatoes/Yams
Brown Rice
White Rice
Whole Wheat Bread
Ezekiel bread
Cream Of Wheat
Cream of Rice

You can also get them from processed foods and drinks but since you’re trying to make healthier choices stick to Whole foods.

How much is enough?

We all are different, Thank God. It can range from zero-700 grams per day. The daily recommendation 130 grams of carb per day. If you are counting macro’s I would go to a macro calculator. When taking into account your macro numbers there is usually activity level, body weight, body fat percentages and goals.

A range that I saw consistently was .5-2 grams per pound of lean body mass. Lean body mass everything (including organs, blood, bones, muscle and skin) that is not body fat.

Body-Fat = Lean Body Mass

The Lean Body Mass Formula:

Body Weight- (Body Weight x Body Fat Percentage) = Lean Body Mass

Or you can use an automatic calculator.

Before we go back to Macro’s, Lean Body Mass is a good thing to know. It will help you to track changes that you have in your Body Fat versus whether the scale decides to behave or not it can give you a more accurate idea of weight loss! It also helps to make sure you are just losing your fat and not muscle too!

Protein assist you in building muscles if consumed correctly it can also prevent muscle loss if you have a calorie deficit. Protein has also been linked to controlling appetite and helps keep you full longer better than fats and carbohydrates do. Another thing about protein is that it requires a lot more energy to digest than other macro nutrients. It has been said that protein is a good example of effective calorie burning gram for gram. That is why a lot of high-protein diets have been associated with better fat loss.

You can get your protein from both vegetables and/or animal sources:

Egg
Skinless Chicken Breast or Cutlets
Lean Turkey
Top Round
Steak Filet Mignon
Fish
Beef
Cottage Cheese
Pork Tenderloin
Wild Sea Bass Wild Swordfish

Vegetable Sources:

Chia
Hemp Seed
Soy
Seitan
Quinoa

How much is enough?

Again, this is all dependent on YOU! Your weight, body fat percentage and goals need to be accounted.

A consistent range that I found was .5 grams-2 grams per pound of lean body mass.

According to Authority Nutrition, “The DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound. This amounts to: 56 grams per day for the average sedentary man. 46 grams per day for the average sedentary woman.”

Example:

You weigh 140 lbs. and you are at 25% body fat, your lean body mass will be

140 – (140*25%) = 140-32.50 = 107.5 is your Lean body Mass what is left AFTER the body fat.

108 x .5 g of protein = 54 grams of protein. If you planned on consuming .5 grams of protein per day for your goals. That is why with macro’s-goals matters!

Fat?

Despite the low-fat nonsense you see in the store. Fat can be good! Say what? Yep, we absolutely need fat to survive it helps us with vitamin absorption, hormones and their regulation, keeps our brain functioning properly among some of the things which are pretty important.

How much is enough?

Always asking this question, huh? Well we all know too much is too much but how much is enough? Good question but guess what that depends on? Yep, you got it your body wright, body fat percentage and your goals.

A consistent range is 15-45% or .35-.7 grams per pound of lean body mass. That can be calculated just like the protein.

Although, a lot of people give that range. According to Health.gov, you should strive for “a total fat intake of no more than 30 percent of calories, as recommended in previous editions of the Guidelines”

You can get good sources of fat and poor just like any other macro nutrient.

My suggestion:

Olive Oil
Flaxseed Oil
Fish Oil
Almond Butter/
Cashew Butter
Almonds
Pecans
Walnuts
Cashews
Natural Peanut Butter
Avocados

What does all this mean?

When someone is counting their macro’s they are tracking the Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fats they eat in a day versus calories. Now each macro nutrient has caloric value but we’re not going to get into that.

macroscalorievalue

When counting your macros as long as you focus on the grams of macro nutrients and use an amount according to your goals. With the information from a nutrition label instead of counting calories you can create your Macros:

counting-macros-from-a-nutrition-label

For Example:

This is an example of how although you are counting macro’s it still equals your calories. Why? Calories are the amount of energy food gives you. Macronutrients are where the calories come from they are the nutrients that give you energy.

Is there any other things that need to be counted when calculating macro’s? No!

NOT:

· Saturated Fat

· Cholesterol

· Sodium

· Dietary Fibers

· Sugars

· Added Sugars

· All the Vitamins, Calcium, Iron and Potassium are Micro nutrients so, not these either.

What do I do if it doesn’t have a label?

Google it! My Fitness Pal it, get a really educated idea of the macros in your apple, chicken breast, or baked potato. Gift of modern day technology. You can track everything on My Fitness Pal if you like. I just wanted to break it down so you understand what the macro’s look like and are coming from.

Still concerned? Or, Ready to try?

For those who are still concern I will address a few issues I had at first!

This seems complicated why not just track my calories? Macro tracking or counting helps you make sure that the weight that your losing is not the muscle you have worked so hard to gain, you aren’t having hormonal issues because you’re consuming adequate amounts of fat, you performance won’t suffer because although you are reducing calories do you know if you’re getting the adequate amount of carbohydrates to fuel your workout?

You can remain counting calories but if you’re looking to improve your health and maintain your muscle definition and work to your bodies best ability because it is fueled with the adequate macro nutrients for today. It’ s really up to you I say at least give it a try!

Do you use macro’s? Have you heard of counting macro’s ?