In a previous post, I mentioned that there is some evidence that intermittent fasting may be a viable option for fat loss. One compelling body of work is the ebook EatStopEat from Brad Pilon. After reading Brad's materials, we had one of our trainers, Nikki, fast for two 24 hour periods each week for 4 weeks. Here are her results/experiences:
- 6 lbs of fat loss in 4 weeks! This is amazing considering that Nikki was already very diligent with her exercise and eating habits. Though fat loss was not a goal of Nikki's, the reduction in calories resulted in relatively drastic results. Also, per the books prescription, Nikki reduced her exercise to just three days a week of weight training and no cardio at all.
- A more relaxed approach about food. Every trainer knows the burden of packing your food for the day and hauling it to work in a giant cooler. By having two days off from eating, Nikki was totally relieved on the days when she didn't have to worry about when/what to eat. Nikki was also more relaxed on her non-fasting days by not feeling like she had to eat every three hours. She now just eats when she is hungry.
- Nikki also noticed more clarity on the days when she was fasting. It was hard for her to describe it, but she actually embraced the feeling of an empty gut and the simplicity of her days without food.
Overall, it was a pleasant experience for Nikki. So much so that she decided to continue fasting throughout the fall. She has a lot of football parties on the schedule and needs to balance out her calories!
As far as the science behind intermittent fasting, head over to EatStopEat and see what you think.
Rick Mayo
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Catching Up
It has obviously been quite a while since I have posted to this blog. We have been crazy busy at the gym so I have been handling my bidness!
Here are some random thoughts that did not make the blog:
- I am the luckiest man alive! Seriously, when I think about what I get to do each and every day and all of the people that I am fortunate enough to work with, I can't imagine life being any better than it is now. Of course, I said the same thing last year.
- Business is good. We have grown just under 20% this year in an economic climate that is less forgiving than previous years. Some of my friends/colleagues are really struggling to maintain their businesses. Personal Training is obviously an expense that some simply can't afford, but we have a unbelievable group of core clients that understand how important it is to look good and feel great. If you don't look or feel good as you can, hire someone to help you. Believe me when I tell you it is worth every penny.
- I have fasted twice (see the last post) and I have to admit that I actually enjoyed it. Having a truly empty gut is something that I had not experienced. Nikki has one more week and then I will report on her final results and feelings about her fasting experience. On that note, according to the IDEA Journal, researchers found that mice that fasted for 2 days leading up to chemotherapy treatments showed no signs of hair loss or nausea. Apparently, fasting protected the healthy cells but still allowed the chemo to affect the cancer cells. Interesting!
- My longest standing client (17 years) was recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer. It is a strange feeling when someone who you are close to gets that kind of news. The upside is that thyroid cancer has an extremely high rate of survival and this person is in perfect physical condition. Also, the fact that this client is the consummate optimist certainly doesn't hurt.
- We are training the Centennial 8th grade baseball team twice a week for 6 weeks. While adult fitness is our bread and butter, it is nice to be able to train these guys. Baseball really requires unique strength programming that these young men don't get at the middle/high school level. Typically, strength coaches just use a one size fits all philosophy with strength training. Football players are using the same training program as the baseball, tennis and basketball team. This can create some serious issues when overhead athletes (throwing, serving, volleyball spikes) are performing overhead lifts that are not appropriate for their sport. Can you say, "shoulder injury"?
- While we are on the baseball subject, I thought kids weren't supposed to throw curve balls until their arms totally matured (16-18 years old). I was at my son's baseball tourney this weekend (12-13 year olds) and nearly every kid on the teams he played threw curve balls. Do the coaches not know or do they just not care about the kids? I would like to think that it is not the "win at all costs attitude" that impairs their judgement, but based on some of the psycho screaming parents in the crowd I think that is exactly the reason. Ever heard of Tommy John?
- I really like riding my single speed, rigid mountain bike! Something about not having gears, shocks and all of that technology just makes you focus on what is important- riding your bike. Not to mention that it is hard as hell to get up hills without gears. It makes me remember what it felt like to ride my bike as a kid. I only ride on the weekends but I look forward to it all week.
- My home client, Fred Lee, turned 70 in late summer. On his birthday he hit the following numbers: Bench Press 200 lbs, dead lift 250 lbs and 5 full range pull-ups. When we started training together 13 years ago he was 20 lbs heavier, benching 160, couldn't do ANY dead lifts or pull-ups and had to stretch for 15 minutes just to get out of bed. Don't tell Mr lee that you can't lose weight and gain strength at the same time or that you should lift wimpy weights as you age because you might get hurt. He still works everyday and lifts more than most guys 30 years younger. Attaboy!
RM
Here are some random thoughts that did not make the blog:
- I am the luckiest man alive! Seriously, when I think about what I get to do each and every day and all of the people that I am fortunate enough to work with, I can't imagine life being any better than it is now. Of course, I said the same thing last year.
- Business is good. We have grown just under 20% this year in an economic climate that is less forgiving than previous years. Some of my friends/colleagues are really struggling to maintain their businesses. Personal Training is obviously an expense that some simply can't afford, but we have a unbelievable group of core clients that understand how important it is to look good and feel great. If you don't look or feel good as you can, hire someone to help you. Believe me when I tell you it is worth every penny.
- I have fasted twice (see the last post) and I have to admit that I actually enjoyed it. Having a truly empty gut is something that I had not experienced. Nikki has one more week and then I will report on her final results and feelings about her fasting experience. On that note, according to the IDEA Journal, researchers found that mice that fasted for 2 days leading up to chemotherapy treatments showed no signs of hair loss or nausea. Apparently, fasting protected the healthy cells but still allowed the chemo to affect the cancer cells. Interesting!
- My longest standing client (17 years) was recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer. It is a strange feeling when someone who you are close to gets that kind of news. The upside is that thyroid cancer has an extremely high rate of survival and this person is in perfect physical condition. Also, the fact that this client is the consummate optimist certainly doesn't hurt.
- We are training the Centennial 8th grade baseball team twice a week for 6 weeks. While adult fitness is our bread and butter, it is nice to be able to train these guys. Baseball really requires unique strength programming that these young men don't get at the middle/high school level. Typically, strength coaches just use a one size fits all philosophy with strength training. Football players are using the same training program as the baseball, tennis and basketball team. This can create some serious issues when overhead athletes (throwing, serving, volleyball spikes) are performing overhead lifts that are not appropriate for their sport. Can you say, "shoulder injury"?
- While we are on the baseball subject, I thought kids weren't supposed to throw curve balls until their arms totally matured (16-18 years old). I was at my son's baseball tourney this weekend (12-13 year olds) and nearly every kid on the teams he played threw curve balls. Do the coaches not know or do they just not care about the kids? I would like to think that it is not the "win at all costs attitude" that impairs their judgement, but based on some of the psycho screaming parents in the crowd I think that is exactly the reason. Ever heard of Tommy John?
- I really like riding my single speed, rigid mountain bike! Something about not having gears, shocks and all of that technology just makes you focus on what is important- riding your bike. Not to mention that it is hard as hell to get up hills without gears. It makes me remember what it felt like to ride my bike as a kid. I only ride on the weekends but I look forward to it all week.
- My home client, Fred Lee, turned 70 in late summer. On his birthday he hit the following numbers: Bench Press 200 lbs, dead lift 250 lbs and 5 full range pull-ups. When we started training together 13 years ago he was 20 lbs heavier, benching 160, couldn't do ANY dead lifts or pull-ups and had to stretch for 15 minutes just to get out of bed. Don't tell Mr lee that you can't lose weight and gain strength at the same time or that you should lift wimpy weights as you age because you might get hurt. He still works everyday and lifts more than most guys 30 years younger. Attaboy!
RM
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)