Congratulations we’ve reached the half way point to achieving our goals, this week we will focus on why we should do resistance training and also look at good versus bad fats.
As a trainer at bodybyrne fitness, I constantly hear from women concerned that by doing resistance training and lifting weights that they’re going to bulk up. This won’t happen as long as you are eating right too, women don’t have the same muscle building hormones as men do, so getting bigger isn’t an issue.
So why should we incorporate resistance training into our exercise regime?
Weight loss
Strength training is vitally important to weight loss; we all know that simply put to lose weight we need to burn more calories than we take in.
If we just do 1 hour of cardio training such as running, cycling or swimming we burn calories up to 1 hour after we finish these activities. However if we can do weight training for 1 hour we can continue burning calories for 6-8 hours after our workout!
Which would you prefer? Bear in mind that to lose 1 pound of fat we need to burn 3500 calories!
Feel stronger, look leaner!
Lifting weights will increase our muscle mass, increasing our resting metabolism, again burning more calories! Don’t worry you won’t bulk up, women have about 10-30% LESS hormones that cause men to bulk up and get bigger.
When we weight train we might find that the number on the scales stays the same, this can sometimes happen as we lose fat but gain muscle at the same time. Fat doesn’t weigh more than fat but it does take up more space than fat, you might notice that after a few months of weight training your actual weight on the scales may stay the same but your jeans may be looser!
Stay Healthy!
We also reduce our risk of developing osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and type 2 diabetes. As weight training will help to control our blood sugar levels, lower our levels of bad cholesterol and stabilize our blood pressure.
Remember resistance training can include free weights, machine weight or even just using your own body weight as resistance, incorporate different methods into your training session for variety and to prevent your workouts from getting stale.
For nutrition this week we are going to look at fats and why not all fats are the same.
There is a very old fashioned thought that fats make us fat and are unhealthy for us, but this is not true for all fats. “Good” fats are essential for health and well-being, lean body composition and the promotion of hormone regulation as well as preventing certain diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease and some cancers.
What are good fats?
Good fats essentially come from fish oils and unrefined animal fats, as well as plant sources such as nuts, olives, seeds and avocados. These types of fats tend to have a high proportion of omega 3 fatty acids.
What are bad fats?
Bad fats are typically oils that have been refined (they have been processed in some way), thus making them harmful to the body. Which include vegetable oils, refined sunflower, peanut and canola oils for example. These types of fat have a higher proportion of omega 6 fatty acids. A typical modern diet has a higher percentage of omega 6’s, this is harmful to us as omega 6 fatty acids are pro inflammatory are associated with diseases such as cardiovascular disease, asthma, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. In comparison omega 3 fatty acids are anti inflammatory can help prevent these diseases, ideally we want a ratio of 1:1 of omega 3 to omega 6.
By slightly decreasing your carbohydrate intake and replacing them with healthy fats can help to boost your metabolism, improve insulin sensitivity and also thyroid function, helping to regulate body fat. As fats aid in hormone regulation, this can promote increases in muscle mass as fats in conjunction with restricted carbohydrate intake, increases our levels of human growth hormone and inhibits muscle break down, therefore making us stronger and leaner.
Does eating fat increase my cholesterol levels?
Sometimes when we think of cholesterol we think of heart disease and clogged arteries. What causes plaque build up in our arteries is high levels of trigylcerides, which is caused by excess amounts of carbohydrates and sugars.
Foods such as eggs and coconut oil contain HDL which is good cholesterol and helps to lower disease risk. In comparison to processed foods and trans fats which can be found in pastries and cakes etc, have high levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) which is associated with increased risk.
Fats to avoid
Avoid vegetable oils, canola, sunflower and corn oils, these have been highly processed and have a higher proportion of omega 6’s to omega 3, making them harmful to your health.
Eat fish high in omega 3 including salmon, tuna, trout, mackerel and sardines. Plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids include flaxseed (ground), oils (coconut and flaxseed), and walnuts
Continue training (weights and interval training), eat clean and avoid processed and high sugar foods and keep the hard work going!