What Can We Really Achieve?

I have many of my clients who have seen great success. They have gotten down to their original goals with their weight and have asked, “What next?” I know I have been their before as well. Can we lose more weight? Can we get stronger? What other tweaks can we make in our nutrition? How do we want to challenge our self next? What are we really capable of?

 

One of my friends posted this on her facebook page the other day:

 

The sky is the limit and we have to determine for our self what our goals are. Many of my clients have mentioned when talking about their goals or changes they are making with others that person will say, “You don’t have to make any changes you are already skinny.” This is frustrating in the sense we then question our motives and our drive.

 

That was the case for me and I became content even when I knew I wanted to achieve more. I sat at 7 lbs heavier and two sizes bigger then I really wanted to be for many years not having more reason to push that extra bit. The individuals I spent time with thought I was skinny, I had been at this weight for 2-3 years, all my clothes fit, and I knew what to do to maintain it. I was content. Then I asked myself what was my goal? The goal that is determined not by anyone except myself and my beliefs of where I truely wanted to be. Once I broke that barrier I had a new drive. Changes were made and the goal was achieved.

 

In writing this blog posting today I wanted to get you thinking about how you determine your goals, how you set standards for yourself, and if the sky was the limit what would you want to achieve?

 

Now give yourself permission to become extraordinary!

Breaking the Chronic Cardio

Everyone asks if I lose weight when training for long distance running events due to the added calories burned. For every mile a person (150 lbs) runs they burn roughly around 100 calories. Running long distance is not effective for many individuals to lose weight. Personally when I hit more than 7 miles that is when my hunger takes over. It has always been a challenge for me to feel satisfied and well fueled when training without my brain taking over that that is way too much food to eat.

Mark Sisson the Author of the Primal Blueprint would say this is chronic cardio. Going out and keeping your heart rate elevated too high (75 % and above) for too long of a time he does not suggest. I find that when I work with shorter, but more intense sessions the weight comes off. One of my favorite workouts only takes about 20-25 minutes total.

I run to the park (or other green space) 4 minutes away. I set up five cones about 15-20 feet apart from one another. I start at the first cone sprint to the second and then back to the first. I then sprint the third cone and back to the first repeating in the same fashion for last two cones.  I allow myself about the same amount of time it took me to complete the sprint to recover before repeating 4-6 more times. I time myself for each sprint and try to be as fast with all subsequent sprints as the first. the goal is to work almost to your max with your heart rate. You want to feel like you are at a nine on a scale of 1-10. 10 being I need to sit down because I am working too hard. Most of my sprints last 40-50 seconds. I then jog back home or do some strength training at the park.

I look forward to doing more sprint work again.

Carbohydrates

It is interesting that in the past I have never really paid that much attention to carbohydrates. I never questioned the recommendation of 6-11 servings of grains and 50% of your diet coming from carbohydrates from the American Dietetic Society as being wrong. I am currently reading The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson. It is about the Paleo diet. Eating what our hunter and gather ancestors ate to survive. He does a great job explaining how our body utilizes the carbohydrates and fats at different levels. He breaks down why low fat diets are making everyone fatter and what the real culprit is for the conditions included in the metabolic syndrome (high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and obesity): carbohydrates.  

At 50-100 grams of carbohydrates (200-400 calories) our body is a fat burning machine and one can achieve effortless weight loss. At 100-150 grams (400-600 calories) our body is at a weight maintenance range. At 150-300 grams (600-1200 calories) we start finding it a huge challenge with weight gain.

After looking at my food logs from the past I have averaged around 200-300 grams of carbohydrates. Granted many of the things I have been eating are lots of fruit, whole grains, vegetables, etc. I exercise at least 45 minutes everyday of the week in order to keep my weight in check. What would it be like to workout a lot less, yet have the body of your dreams?

I know of a few other trainers who believe in the Primal Blueprint and have seen great results. I am using myself as a guinea pig. I have never cut something out of my diet completely, my philosophy has always been everything in moderation, and so this will be a huge challenge for me. I actually love whole grains (rice, barley, oatmeal)

Here is what my eating plan will consist of:  1600-2100 calories

No Grains
100-150 grams of carbohydrates a day (my goal is not weight loss)
70-100 grams of protein  (based on .7-1 gram per pound of lean weight from body fat calculations)
100-125 grams of fat (healthy fats)
I will eat when hungry and till I am full/satisfied

This challenge will start on August 21^st. I have a half marathon on the 18^th and I know that going lower carbohydrate will mess with my energy levels. In order to PR, to prep with my meal plans, clean out the cupboards, and mentally get my self ready I have decided to push it back. To keep myself honest and accountable I am going to blog my experience at www.paleotransition.blogspot.com. Please follow me. In the past I have told myself that I was going to go gluten free or vegetarian and always caved. This is my way of sticking to my guns.

I suggest you pick up a copy of the Primal Blueprint or do some research on your own by googling the Paleo Diet.