Exercise and Fitness

Getting the most for your TEE-time (Time, Energy and Effort). 
Where are you spending most of your Time, Energy and Effort?

Did you know that...

• 15-20% of your results from exercise come from the actual "workout!"
   

• 15-20% of your results from exercise come from Rest and Recovery!
   

• 60-70% of your results from exercise come from your Diet!

• The key is NOT how much protein you intake, it's whether you are digesting and absorbing the protein in your diet!

• Do you struggle with bloating, gas, indigestion or other irritable bowel problems after eating a protein meal or shake? 

• Are you over-training? Is your body (adrenal glands) so overstressed that it can't make enough growth hormones, testosterone, DHEA, IGF-1 (insulin growth factors), which are needed to rebuild the body? 

• Are you doing aerobic exercise at too high an intensity, so that it triggers "anaerobic metabolism" and causes your body to burn carbs and proteins instead of stored body fats?

Yes, protein, fats and carbs are important, BUT...

If you suffer from bloating, gas or indigestion you are probably NOT absorbing and utilizing all the nutrients you are consuming and paying for.  Add Digest Plus^™ to your meals.  Digest Plus is a combination of digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid (HCL).  Commercial radio and television want us to believe these problems are a result of too much acid, when in fact it is often an underproduction of acid that is the problem.

Stomach acid is needed to properly breakdown protein.  Insufficient HCL can cause protein to rot and putrefy in the stomach which leads to the sour stomach. 

Is weight loss a simple matter of diet and exercise?  Calories in vs. calories out?

Millions of people are dieting and exercising and still not getting the results they want!  Remember it is NOT how many calories you burn, but whether your body burns calories from 'stored' body fat.  The body can burn calories from the breakdown of carbs, proteins or fats.  The goal is to put your body in the 'fat burning' mode.

The body produces two and a half times more energy when it burns calories from fats, as opposed to carbs or proteins!  Most people who struggle with weight loss and the inability to add lean muscle to their body do so because they are burning too many calories from carbs and lean muscle, and not enough from body fat.  Those who are successfully dropping the weight and keeping it off are triggering their metabolism to burn calories from stored body fat, which is the key!

Click to see if you are staying in your "fat burning" zone....

FAST FACT: Many exercise machines can tell you how many calories you are burning, but unfortunately, they can't tell you if you are burning those calories from the breakdown of carbohydrates, lean muscle (protein), or stored body fats.

What controls our metabolism and our "fat-burning" mode?

In "To Burn or Not to Burn - Fat is the Question", Dr. Lopez speaks a lot about what truly regulates our metabolism; it's hormones!  Some hormones tell the body to burn fats, some hormones trigger the storing of fats, and others trigger burning carbohydrates and lean muscle (protein).  The primary hormones that regulate our metabolism are insulin, glucagon, cortisol, and adrenaline.  Stress and diet have direct influence on these hormones...

• Too many carbs (especially refined, processed carbs found in breads, pastas, muffins, high fructose corn syrup, maltodextrin, etc.) in the diet cause the body to produce more insulin, which triggers the body to store fat.

• Protein causes the body to produce more glucagon, which helps the body burn fats.

• Stress causes the body to produce more cortisol and adrenaline, which triggers the body to burn carbs and proteins.

FAST FACT: Stress is anything that causes the adrenal glands to produce more cortisol and adrenaline.  This includes: mental stress, physical stress (exercise), skipping meals, digestive issues, being on the go all day long, etc.

Exercise is typically thought of as stress reducing, but it can actually be a form of stress!

True aerobic exercise is performed at low to moderate intensity and is stress reducing!

Moderate to high intensity exercise is stress producing, because it triggers additional cortisol and adrenaline from our adrenal glands.   So, even though a high intensity workout often feels mentally beneficial, it is stress producing.  This is OK if your body can handle that stress.  However, if you are struggling with adrenal fatigue and exhaustion or overtraining....you may only be making things worse!

The classic mistake made by many people is performing an aerobic exercise at a higher intensity level than they are conditioned for...which triggers "anaerobic metabolism."

Aerobic metabolism triggers your body to burn stored body fat!  Anaerobic metabolism causes your body to burn carbs and protein (lean muscle). Successful weight loss occurs when you trigger your body to burn stored body fats.

Just because you do 'aerobic exercise' doesn't mean you've triggered 'aerobic metabolism.'  When you complete an aerobic workout, you should NOT feel exhausted and tired.  If you do, you probably trained at too high of an intensity level, which means you probably triggered "anaerobic metabolism."

The best indicator for exercise intensity is with the use of a heart rate monitor.  It can be a great tool to determine if you have been training at too high an intensity level. When aerobic workout intensity is properly managed, many see the unwanted fat peel off, they start feeling better, and have more energy.  More information on finding your correct heart rate when you do aerobic exercise can be found in "To Burn or Not to Burn - Fat is the Question."

Do I need to do weight training or can I just walk, jog, cycle, dance, etc...?

Your goals and reasons (better health or for competition) for exercising will determine the type and intensity of your training.  For improving overall health, a 50-50 balance of both strength and aerobic training is usually recommended.

The primary 'bio-marker' used to determine how well we age is the percent of lean muscle tissue.  So, if you want to have a longer, healthier life -- do a combination of both types of exercise.

Why are sleep and the adrenal glands so important to exercise and fitness?

Your body releases its growth hormones, testosterone and IGF-1 when you sleep.  These hormones are needed to rebuild and repair the muscle.  Inadequate amounts of sleep interfere with the release of these very important hormones.

The reason the adrenals are so important is because cortisol is needed to activate your growth hormones.  If you're struggling with adrenal fatigue your body isn't making enough cortisol to activate the release of growth hormones.

If your adrenals are over stimulated and producing too much cortisol and adrenaline, this will trigger your body to continue to burn carbs and (protein) lean muscle for energy.  This is why after a workout the faster you can get your cortisol and adrenaline levels to come back to normal, the faster your body will begin to recover.  This is why a product like Adrenal-Fuel^™ is so valuable.  Adrenal-Fuel is specially formulated to provide your adrenal glands the nutrients they need to produce the proper balance of hormones, allowing you to maximize your results.