Muscle vs. Fat

We tend to get really fixated on our scale weight. (Especially women!) If you are weight training consistently and lifting a decent amount while you train (plus take in sufficient protein), you may not see the scale moving down much.  That doesn't mean that your body isn't changing for the better, though.  You could be adding muscle and shedding fat at the same time.  If your clothes are looser or you even drop a size, but the scale is the same as before, who cares what that number is?!  If you visually see your body changing for the better- smaller, leaner, and tighter- don't get so stuck on the scale.  Celebrate that the fat is coming off your body while you build muscle!  A comment you hear in the gym sometimes is that "muscle weighs more than fat."    What's the truth??  Here's a blurb from an article that I read recently....

Does muscle really weigh more than fat? (Article by William R. Sukala, MS, CS)

"Muscle does not weigh more than fat, any more than lead weighs more than feathers. A pound is a pound is a pound. Where the misunderstanding often comes in is that muscle is much more dense than fat, so that, by volume, it seems to weigh more. That is, a pound of muscle occupies less space than a pound of fat. In addition, because a pound of muscle burns more fat than a pound of fat, even at rest, by increasing your lean muscle tissue mass, you're helping your body burn more calories.

If you only have a small amount of weight to lose, then you may feel like the weight training is not helping you move down on the scale. In fact, the number may even go up, but you will look thinner. This is due to an increase in lean body mass (muscle, bone, blood volume) and a decrease in body fat. In other words, even if the scale doesn't change much, you will probably see a difference in how your clothes fit.

On the other hand, if you have a lot of weight to lose, you will also experience an increase in lean body mass and loss of body fat. But the results on the scale will probably be more dramatic."

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So, how much does muscle weigh anyway?

According to wiki.answers.com, each liter (33 oz/4 cups) of muscle is 1.06 kg.  That is the same as 2.33 pounds. (About one pound per inch) 1 liter of fat weighs 0.9 kg.   

Remember, the scale is not your only indicator of success in your fitness journey.  If your goal is to lose weight (fat, that is!) I recommend having your body fat taken so you can track your lean mass to fat ratio and also have your inches taken too.  Work to keep your muscle by strength training....muscle is a fat burner, a metabolism lifter, a big calorie burner, and that's where your strength lies.  

Things that make you go hmmmm......

Life often doesn't make sense.  Just for fun, I'm making a list of things here that have boggled my mind lately, or at least made me raise my eyebrows...

It doesn't make sense that:

1) Sweet tea costs less than unsweetened tea at McDonald's.

2) We paid $7 for a snack sized veggie tray on our recent weekend getaway and only $4 for fried chicken strips (for our son).  Both prices were ridiculous, but come on.  At least they had the healthy choice, but the cost seemed almost like a deterrent.

3) Men often try to lift too much weight with poor form.  I can't stand to watch it!

4) Men only want to work out their chest and arms and pretend that the rest of their body is invisible.

5) Women are afraid to lift weights because they think they'll get bulky.  But somehow, slogging away on the treadmill or elliptical is going to make them melt away.  That is simply not true.  I'm working on changing this one for the women I know and train!

6) People think they'll get a different result if they do the same exact workout day in and day out.  Why would anything change if YOU don't change?  That's insanity!

7) People will buy their expensive coffees every day and eat out all the time, but not "have" money for something that could benefit them like a personal trainer or a gym membership.  

8) I have to fight with my children sometimes to get them to go outside and play.  I feel they should just WANT to do it.

9) We pack our schedules so tightly every day and forget what is really important.  We need to slow down.

10) Technology is changing our bodies for the worse.  I can look at someone's posture and be able to tell if they sit at a desk all day hunched over their computer or other device.

11) I recently saw a story about a lawsuit where a woman was suing DiGiorno pizza and one other company for the fact that their product had some trans fat in it.  So don't buy it, lady.  Personal responsibility here, people.

12) If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is, so why do we as a society continue to believe in crazy products and crazy diets?  I hate to tell you, but anything that promises a weight loss of 20 pounds in 20 days is something that you can't sustain your whole life and is probably not teaching any valuable lessons.  You'll end up gaining back your 20 pounds plus more if you aren't careful and don't change your habits.

Anyone have any "hmmmmm" things to add?  Let's hear them!

Draining

Life is full of highs and lows, peaks and valleys.  It's said that our character is built during times of crisis....that we always come out stronger on the other side.  At least, we come out a changed person.  I recently posted about stress and how people choose to handle it-- Do you stop eating during the tough times or bury your problems with food?  I'm going to continue on a bit with the topic of stress and how to find a healthy "drain" to be able to manage it.  

Everyone needs to find their drain.  I've seen first hand what internalizing your stress can do to your body.  It can eat you from the inside out.  Even if you think you are managing stress the best that you can, the anxiety and tension that you are holding can be destructive.  I've experienced  what it is like to try and eat your problems away as I am an emotional eater, or at least was for most of my adult life.  Even now, as an extremely disciplined person, I sometimes feel the need to bury my face in a bag of chips or a box of Girl Scout cookies.  I can stop myself now and realize that it's not worth it and that it won't help, but it's taken a long time to get there.

Below is a "drain" visualization that I got out of the book, The Female Body Breakthrough, by Rachel Cosgrove.  It's fantastic.  Read on...

"...All of us have a tub that we fill with our stressful events.  Some of us have huge tubs and can handle a lot of stress without it affecting us too much.  Other people have smaller tubs and can't handle much at all, and the smallest obstacle in their life can overflow their small tub.  Each stress is pouring into the tub from a faucet.  Each type of stress has its own faucet.  You may have one faucet pouring into your tub that is financial stress, another one that is relationship stress, another that's family stress, and another that's career stress.  Identify all your faucets.  What do you have flowing into your tub of stress?  Some of these faucets may only be trickling in, while others are on full blast, quickly filling up your tub.  The problems come when your tub gets full and starts to overflow.  This is when you have symptoms of stress- you may develop anxiety or depression, or you may get sick.  Everyone has a different response.  But, when your tub is overflowing, your body is not burning fat and building muscle- big problem.  Instead, it is in a state of panic and will hold onto fat.  When people are under extra stress and their tub is full, they carry more body fat on their bellies."

She goes on to ask "What can you do to manage this?"  Ask yourself these questions:

1) Can you turn down or off any of the faucets?  Can you hand off something that is stressing you out to someone else or not deal with it for the time being, until some of your other faucets are turned down?  Decrease the amount of stress coming in if you can.  If you can't reduce, try prioritizing.

2) Start putting drains in the bottom of your tub.  Drains are actions you can take to destress, like down time or exercise. Taking care of yourself, eating right, and getting enough sleep are all drains that will help you deal with the stress that is coming in.

Keep your tub from overflowing.  Find your drains and keep yourself healthy.

Stress= Weight Loss or Weight Gain??

Stress is the body's reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. It's a normal part of life.  We all experience stress in our lives, whether it's the little day to day things that bring it on or one gigantic stress cloud looming overhead due to something big going on in your life.  So, will stress make you lose weight or gain weight?  It's really up to you and your habits.  Some people lose their appetites during stressful times, thus losing weight, while others turn to food as a stress reliever and gain weight.

What actually happens to your body during times of stress? Consider this article from WebMD:

The Stress Management Diet 

How Does Stress Affect Health?

The human body is designed to experience stress and react to it. Stress can be positive, keeping us alert and ready to avoid danger. Stress becomes negative when a person faces continuous challenges without relief or relaxation between challenges. As a result, the person becomes overworked and stress-related tension builds.

Stress that continues without relief can lead to a condition called distress -- a negative stress reaction. Distress can lead to physical symptoms including headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, and problems sleeping. Research suggests that stress also can bring on or worsen certain symptoms or diseases.

Stress also becomes harmful when people use alcohol, tobacco, or drugs to try and relieve their stress. Unfortunately, instead of relieving the stress and returning the body to a relaxed state, these substances tend to keep the body in a stressed state and cause more problems. Consider the following:

-43% of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress.

-75% to 90% of all doctor's office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.

-Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety.

-The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) declared stress a hazard of the workplace. Stress costs American industry more than $300 billion annually.

-The lifetime prevalence of an emotional disorder is more than 50%, often due to chronic, untreated stress reactions.

There are solutions.  We're not going to get rid of stress anytime soon.  We just need to learn to deal with it in a healthier way.  We need to deal with it, period.  It seems like there are people that aren't handling life well when things get bad and are turning to violence.  We hear about it in the news every day.  Remember, stress isn't happening "to" you, but "around" you.  YOU choose how to deal with it.  Are you going to stop eating or do the opposite and bury your problems with food and then feel bad about weight gain on top of it all?  Hopefully, you can choose another plan and eat healthy food that will fuel you through the day and make you feel good.  

Find a "drain" for your stresses.  Exercise is one of the best stress drains there is.  Choose your activity and get to it!  Once you are "in the zone," exercising your heart out, you will feel the stresses draining right out of you.  You will feel better afterward and that is something to feel good about!  Personally, when I'm having a stressful day, I can't wait to get to the gym and pound out a tough workout!  Another option is yoga and meditation to ease your stress.

Nourish your body with good food, not sugary, greasy, fatty, salty foods.  

According to Livestrong.com, there are "right" kinds of food that help fight stress. Some of these foods are: almonds, walnuts, pistachios, avocados, oatmeal, oranges, salmon and spinach. All of these foods either carry antioxidants, increase serotonin, or are packed with vitamin C, magnesium or omega-3 fatty acids. These are all good edibles that help soothe your brain and ease stress.  Please, ask yourself, "Is this unhealthy food really going to help me right now?" the next time you swing through the drive-thru on a rough day.

Read this other article that I found for more detailed information on what stress does to your body: http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/can-stress-cause-weight-gain?page=1  

Take care of yourself.

Real FIT mom!

Look, ma, I'm a Real FIT mom!  I submitted my story to Skinny Mom (www.skinnymom.com) and they just published it!  Check it out at  http://www.skinnymom.com/2013/02/14/real-fit-mom-kara-short-drops-baby-weight-and-finds-herself/.  There are many other inspirational moms and women on there too.

Who will you inspire today?  Who inspires you?

Observations from a water park.....

If you want a snapshot of the physical being of our society, go to a water park.  My family and I did just that this past weekend and what I saw was alarming!  There is no hiding in a swimsuit, folks.  If we would have lined up average sized or fit people on one side of the building and overweight/ obese people on the other, there is no question of which group there was more of.  Our society is in sad shape, no pun intended. It seems to be so extreme, too....many people 50-100 pounds overweight, easily.  I'm not judging, I'm observing.

Obesity strikes all age groups, but what stuck out to me was that the age group, at least at the water park, that had the biggest weight problems were the twenty-somethings, especially females.  Let me analyze a bit--

1) Is this the "lost" generation that hasn't learned how to cook real food? They've grown up in a world of convenience and Super Size food/drink and don't know what a normal portion is?

2) Is this the generation that grew up learning that "everyone is a winner" and there are no losers in childhood games and sports? If so, has that left them devoid of knowing how to appropriately deal with failures and let-downs as an adult and they turn to food to cope?

3) Are the twenty-something's so used to having everything instantly that they not only eat in that fashion, but give up on fitness goals too soon because the results are "taking too long?"

4) Have they been brought up to understand personal responsibility?

I don't know if there's truth to any of that, but could there be?  Maybe I'm spinning my wheels here.  It's just such a different world now than when I grew up. More pressures now, more uncertainty, less of so many good, basic things.   I'm afraid of what is becoming the new norm in terms of "acceptable" weight.  I envision our society turning into the Wall-E movie with people floating along in chairs with a screen in front of their faces and a never-ending soda at their ready.  How close are we to that?  

We've got to take some responsibility for ourselves and get it under control for upcoming generations.  It should never be "normal" to look around and see this many people in physical trouble.  Care for yourself and those that you love and keep making healthy changes.  Seek help if you need it.  

Thinking Points

I wanted to share the handout that I gave to my seminar participants.  If you are in the right stage of change, you'll be ready take a look at the following questions and dig into what's really going on in your life.  Be honest with yourself.  Write down some realistic goals.  Read it over when you finish and see if it brings an "aha" moment that will propel you forward.

"Thinking Points" - Elements of Success in Your Fitness Journey

1)  WHAT do you want?  WHY do you want it?



2) What are you willing to give up to reach your fitness goals?  What are you NOT willing to give up? If you aren't willing to give it up, will it get in the way of meeting your goals?



3)  Have you reached a fitness goal before?  What happened when you got there?  (i.e.- did you just "stop" or make a new goal?)



4) Everyone has a trigger that will bring change.  What has been a trigger in your life?  (Is it something someone said to you or something that you couldn't do, but wanted to?)


5) Short term goals--  Where do you want to be fitness-wise in 6 months? Be specific.



6) Long term goals--  Where do you want to be fitness-wise in one year?  Be specific.



7)  Make up a mantra that you can repeat to yourself when things get tough for you. (Example- mine is "You're stronger than you think you are.")


What's the point of all of this?  Well, answering some of these things can give you focus instead of  you just floating along with no goal in mind.  Maybe it will help you remember what didn't work for you last time so you can avoid repeating the same mistakes.

Stages

I taught a seminar last night called, "Elements of Success in Your Fitness Journey."  It was a great interactive group of people that were excited to make changes in their lives.  They were all somewhat active already, but needed some guidance....needed some fresh ideas.  I don't think they had thought of fitness as a "journey" before, but left with a new look on things realizing that everyone has to work at this their whole lives.  At the beginning of the seminar, I defined "fitness journey"-- The process of keeping yourself healthy your whole life.  It never ends... you always have to take care of your body, you always have to eat.  I think once your look at health and fitness and your own situation in this way, it takes some of the pressure off.  There's always a push to "get there."  When you get there, you have to work to "stay there."  The "staying there" is the hardest and longest part of your journey.  I've talked about this in some of my earliest blog posts from last fall.  (Go back and reread if you don't remember.)

As part of the journey, you all know that you have to be ready to make lasting changes.  In my studies to become a trainer, I learned about the "Stages of Change."  It's good to identify where you are among these and define where you want or need to go from there.

1) Pre-contemplation-- This stage is where someone has no intention of making any changes.  They aren't exercising and don't intend to start in the next 6 months.  ***Have you ever tried to convince a loved one to change their life habits that are in this stage?  It's pointless because they aren't ready.

2) Contemplation-- Someone in this stage of their journey is not currently exercising, but is thinking about becoming more active in the next 6 months. They are looking for information and education on what they want to try.

3) Preparation-- People in this stage of their fitness journey do exercise sometimes, but are planning on doing it more regularly in the next month. This is where you can strongly influence a friend or loved one to join you in your favorite Zumba class or invite them to hit the weights with you!

4) Action-- People here are active and regularly exercise, but haven't maintained the behavior for 6 months, which is how long it can take to form a new healthy habit.

5) Maintenance-- People here have maintained change for 6 months or more. ****People here consistently review and renew their goals.  They don't stop because if they do, what happens??!!  They'll gain the wrong things and lose everything they've worked so hard to achieve.

So, WHERE ARE YOU??  Can you identify?  How do you move from one stage to the next?  Well, usually some sort of trigger sparks you to move into the next stage.  Maybe you find what you love to do or discover that eating clean and exercising makes you feel so good!  Maybe you've had a recent health scare and it triggers you to the action stage because you have to change for the sake of your own future.

Just so you know, you will bounce around these stages during life.  You may be in Maintenance now, but get sick or hurt or life gets in the way and you get thrown back into Contemplation or Preparation.  That's okay, keep on your fitness journey and remember to take care of yourself in some way until you can cycle back up to to where you were.  

Don't Stop.  Look Forward.  Just Keep Going.

Just what IS the "right size?"

I did a talk this week about body measurements--what to measure, how to figure out different calculations, and why they are important.  I think measurements are a great indicator for progress that you are making when the scale isn't reflecting it.  I typically measure these areas on a client:  bicep, chest, waist, hips, and thigh.  Use a measuring tape and track your progress once a month.  

Part of this discussion led to this question:  What size and weight do you need to be in order to achieve your optimal fitness and wellness?  It's different for everyone, of course.  You have to look at height, body fat level (and how much muscle is on your body), body type, and waist to hip ratio to name a few measuring tools.  Everyone has a picture in their own minds on what their "best body" will look like.  Someone's best body may be completely different than the next person.  Naturally, you want to achieve a body that promotes good health and not raise your health risks.  Beyond that, it may just be what looks good to you.

I did a little research, and here is a really interesting article that brushes on the typical sizes of women decades ago compared to now and also some tidbits about healthy indicators on dictating your "right size."

Excerpts from a Web MD article from 2010: 

Just What IS an Average Woman’s Size Anymore? by Pamela Peeke, MD

...." What size is “normal” – what is an average weight anymore?

To answer this question, let’s look at some facts. The average starlet is wearing a size 2 or 4 which is the sample size designers are making presently. Today, the average American woman is 5’4″, has a waist size of 34-35 inches and weighs between 140-150 lbs, with a dress size of 12-14. Fifty years ago, the average woman was 5’3-4″ with a waist size of approximately 24-25″, she weighed about 120 lbs and wore a size 8. Curiously, over the past twenty years, fashion model sizes have dropped from a size 8 to 0. Whenever I hear 0 I can’t help but envision an invisible woman. It gets more interesting when you look at changes in women’s bodies and dress sizes dating from the 1950′s. There was actually a uniform sizing system for women’s clothes until the US Department of Commerce dropped it in 1983 noting that the traditional sizes were no longer reflecting the size and shape of the average consumer. Today, in order to cater to women’s vanity, as women have gotten larger, designers have manipulated sizes so that truly larger sizes are marked as smaller. A size 8 in the 1950′s is now a size 4 or less today. Sizing from brand to brand is now so variable that most women fill their closets with at least two or three sizes.  (SIDEBAR from me:  Marilyn Monroe was NOT fat!!  Read this article to dismiss the myth: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2012/04/marilyn-monroe-was-not-even-close-to-a-size-12-16/)

...Who’s calling the shots on the definition of beauty as well as health? The fashion industry with their emaciated models? The fitness folks with their flat-ab’d muscle mavens? Celebrities from size 0 to obese-sized stars? Government professionals armed with charts, graphs and committee reports?

The answer is all of the above. Each group is helping shape women’s perception of what is right for them. Women are turning their backs on the skin and bones coat hangers that have been the mainstay of the runway model. The ’80′s ushered in the fitness magazines and their meatier, curvier models. Women are starting to get smarter and realizing that reaching a jeans size with no fitness involved is an empty experience. Also, the fitter you are, the more you can weigh at a smaller size. 

So, where does all of this lead us? I believe that women want to be able to see a range of possibilities in the media as well as in government recommendations. Skip the starving or frankly obese models, and show a spectrum of active, fit women of a variety of shapes and sizes. Plunk them all into great clothes and show the world that a real diversity of women can look and feel great. We want to celebrate a wide spectrum of health and fitness, and run from the old stringent, “skinny” definitions of beauty that have haunted us, leading to eating disorders, eroded self esteem and scale hopping, pill popping madness."

What’s a healthy and appropriate size for you? The answer lies in this key list of health indicators:

Know your waist size:

Take a tape measure to your waist, measuring across your belly button. Your goal is a waist circumference less than 35″. More than that is unhealthy because it’s associated with too much internal belly fat, and that’s associated with heart disease and diabetes.Identify your shape... apple or pear?  (See my previous blog post on this)

Measure your body fat. 

You can buy a body fat scale or have a fitness professional perform a measurement at a health club. Average women should keep their body fat in the range of 20-29% until they become menopausal. After that time, body fat through age 60 can peak at about 32%. Too much body fat all over the body increases a woman’s risk for breast cancer. Too much inner abdominal fat leads to heart disease and diabetes.

Calculate your BMI. 

Check out the BMI Calculator Plus on WebMD and plug in your weight and height for your BMI. It’s best to keep this in the range of 20- 25. If it’s greater, it’s associated with the consequences of overweight and obesity. If it’s less than that range, you may be too thin and headed for trouble. The only exceptions to the BMI rule are truly athletic and muscular people. That means their BMI may be higher than normal, but their body fat is usually lower than normal.

Live a healthy lifestyle. 

If you’re eating a healthy diet and getting in at least 30 minutes of cardio activity 5 x week along with some form of strength training 2 x week, then you’re living an optimal lifestyle. The key is not to be sedentary all of the time, and eating trash 24/7. If you are, you’re living an unhealthy lifestyle with increased disease risk. Also, you’ll never know your ideal clothing size or body shape unless you make better lifestyle choices. 

Note your clothing size. 

Get out a piece of clothing (jeans) that fits you perfectly. (See my pants challenge blog post!)  That’s your current size. How do your other numbers look? If you find that you’re in an unhealthy range, you’ll need to shed some excess fat. Your clothing size will change with healthy lifestyle choices. The only way to continue to improve that size is to take it up a notch and add more intensity and exercise, while paring away excess calories.

Look at your waist to hip ratio: 

Divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement.  A ratio greater than .8 for women or .95 for men may put you at higher risk for a number of diseases.

One size does NOT fit all.  Figure out what your "right" healthy size is and start working for it.  Make sure it is realistic and give yourself time to get there.  Then, keep working so that you can STAY there.