'Geek out' - my philosophy

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Fitness, food, and overall health bring a bazillion questions in terms of how to do it best. The constant of science is change, so we have to keep our hand on the pulse of it. Below are some common questions that float around regarding these three categories. All information below cited from NSCA-CSCS text and paraphrased.

FITNESS

-Why do I have to lift weights to lose weight? ok. let's reframe the question. it should be 'what is the most effective and efficient way I can lose body fat... not weight. ?' Lifting weights and doing more resistance training (putting more resistance on your joint structures) starts to put more strain and tension on your actual muscles which enables them to grow, granted proper nutrition and recovery. There are different ways of putting on muscle which I'll get into below but, put simply, there are three important reasons to lift weights:

1) more muscle on your body (think lean) means more calories burned at a resting state

2) more structure and support to joints; reduces injury

3) function function function; don't be that woman or man who picks their luggage up above their head and throws out their back

-but what about getting bulky? ok. i understand. lifting weights CAN actually make you get 'bulky' (for lack of a better term) BUT if you're smart about your nutrition, you can have much more control over that. You lift more weight and you eat like an NFL linebacker, you're going to get bulky. Be mindful with your food.

Here's the science. Say you've never lifted weights above 15-20lb before and you go into the gym and start up a heavier weight lifting plan. Your central nervous system and muscles will start to adjust and the added tension you create will start to make the actin and myosin chains in your muscle fiber pull a little bit harder, which brings in more fluid and thus the food (energy) you have afterward gets pulled into that muscle to help put the building blocks back together, and then some. You put enough tension on your muscles you actually start to increase the diameter of your muscle fibers and start to create new ones! The way to build more muscle is to work at a level where you are lifting 65-75% of your one rep max, doing 8-12 reps give or take, multiplied by three to four sets. For example squats, instead of holding two fifteen pound dumbbells and doing 15-20 reps, try holding a 50-70lb barbell and do a slow eight reps. More on nutrition in nutrition section.

-what should i do for cardio if I want to lose weight? once again, lose body fat, not weight. high intensity interval training is what i recommend for body fat loss, if cardio is your thing. high intensity means you get into your 'red zone' heart rate (i.e. 80-90% of your max heart rate) about 6-10 times during your cardio/conditioning.

i.e. treadmill running: 8 30-60 second intervals 9-13.0mph with 90 second walking recoveries. build up to it if that is too fast. running 10-30 miles a week will absolutely burn a ton of calories and with that, will burn some body fat. what you have to be aware of is if you're in a higher net calorie burn from all of the running and/or group fitness classes, you're body starts to use more fuels within your body, including the proteins that make up your muscle.

NUTRITION

-how much should i be eating in order to get/stay lean? this is a tricky one and a TON of variables need to be factored in: genetics, hormones, sleep, stress levels, emotional well-being, exercise routine, etc. The biggest problems we have in the US is eating too much. Portions. In addition to that if you are in a constant state of high stress or chronic stress that requires lots of travel and deadlines (many of us in NY and LA) then you need to work on finding a balanced state of mind FIRST - see a therapist or put some really positive, easy-minded people around you. If our emotional state is out of wack our eating is out of wack. Here are some ground rules:

1-eat whole foods; i.e. non-processed. think local chicken breast, fish, beef that isn't doused or grounded up with some other starches fats or additives. same with vegetables, breads, fruits. and yes you can eat bread.

2-plan bigger meals around more activity; post-training you should have a bigger meal to REFUEL; try handful of brown rice, salmon or white fish with decent size salad. if you're sitting all day at a desk, eat small snacks throughout your day or low-sugar juices.

3-don't think breakfast lunch dinner, think # of smaller meals. why are psychologically wired to think we need to have three big meals. start to shift that mindset and plan your meals based on #2

4-reset your body by restricting food for 14-16 hours (overnight) once a week or twice a month; i.e. 8pm-10am no food just water (or coffee)

5-stop obsessing over calories and carbs. you're doing yourself more harm by stressing about it than actually zooming out and recognizing you need carbs to fuel your day.

OVERALL HEALTH

-i'm doing everything right exercise and diet wise, why am I not losing weight?? my answer could be complicated or could be simple. you're most likely doing something wrong. it's all in the details. is your training intense enough? intense enough where you feel the strain on your muscles from lifting heavy or getting >172bpm heart rate with cardio intervals? are you truly in a daily caloric deficit if your goal is to lose body fat? are you aware of how your psychology affects your choices on food? have you experimented with intermittent fasting? once again, if you want to go from good to great to excellent, it's all in the details.

-I travel a lot and can't seem to keep a consistent routine or don't know what to do for my workout when i'm gone. the clientele in new york city and los angeles can have pretty heavy travel schedules and may end up being in a lot of hotels not have their standard gym equipment. it's important to continue to move and put stress on your body especially when it comes to weeks or months of travel. zoom out on it for a second and ask why it's important to do that. our bodies are living tissue and when we discontinue our routine, or discontinue putting stress on our body or mobilizing our joints, we end up aging our body faster. find a way to get it done, even if it's in your hotel room. and if you're not sure what to do, that's where I come in :)

Have a question you'd like me to weigh in on? Send me an email train@rachelmariotti.com

Welcome ladies and gentlemen

To the eighth wonder of the world!

The flow of the century, always timeless: HOV!

-- jay z