Tips for the P.O.S.H. Fitness Challenge!

By Esquire on Jul 13, 2008 with Comments

We at P.O.S.H are extremely pleased with the responses we have received with our fitness challenge. For those who have not signed up, its not too late! Email us at poshlifeposhstyle@gmail.com and sign up today!

In order to keep our challengers motivated, I’ve decided to put together a few weight loss tips to help each challenger maximize their weight loss.

1. Aerobic exercise is great, but…..
For maximum weight loss you want to incorporate strength training into your program. The reality is this, our bodies burn 60-80% of the calories we ingest while sitting on our baddunks. That’s right…the vast majority of the calories you burn come from you sitting on the couch watching Flavor of Love and General Hospital. Does this mean exercise is frivolous? Of course not. What this means is that in order to maximize your weight loss, you must increase your BMA (your resting metabolic rate). This is done by creating more muscle. For every pound of muscle you build your body burns an additional 50 calories. So let’s say you create 6 pounds of muscle, your body is burning 300 more calories in order to feed that muscle…and that’s while you’re sitting on your butt! So does this mean you should cut out cardio and head straight to the weight machines? Not so much…everything in moderation people! The thing about aerobic exercises is this….it doesn’t create muscle. Thus, you are only burning calories while you are exercising, not while you are resting. And after about 20 minutes of cardio, your body begins to burn not only fat tissue but muscle tissue as well, becoming slightly counter productive. Running is a great form of cardio (my favorite actually) and will help you to quickly shed poundage. But if your goal is for long term leanness, then weight training is essential to your workout regiment.

2. Protein, Protein, Protein (its not just for your hair)
Your body is actually a food snob. It favors some food over others for the silliest reasons such as where it is located on the food chain. Ok, that was only slightly a joke. But really, “between 10 and 30 percent of the calories you burn each day get burned by the simple act of digesting your food. But not all food is the same. Your body actually uses more calories to digest protein (about 25 calories burned for every 100 calories consumed) that it does to digest fats and carbohydrates (10 to 15 calories burned for every 100 calories consumed).” The Abs Diet For Women. Moreover, protein is essential to building muscle. So lean protein (such as fish, chicken, turkey, etc.) actually pack a double whammy…..you burn more calories digesting it than most other foods AND you build muscle which will in turn burn more calories. Now that’s hot!

3. God created two-a-days for a reason
Its the same reason why all diets suggest eating smaller portions more often throughout the day….working out more than once a day means you rev up your metabolism more than once a day. Think about it like this…when you drive to pick up a friend, do you drive to their house, turn the car off, jump right back in the car, and then turn the car back on? No….of course not. Why? Because the act of turning the ignition on, then off, then on again uses more gas than if you allow the ignition to stay on the first time. The same concept applies to exercise. Revving your body up to run for 20 minutes in the morning and then doing it again in the evening will make you burn more calories than running for 40 minutes straight one time (and prevents the burning of valuable muscle tissue…see #1). So break up your workouts into two-a-days. Even if you can only do 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes after dinner…you will notice a huge difference in your weight loss as your body benefits from the extra metabolism boost!

4. Whey Protein will make you P.H.A.T
Ok, I’m on a roll tonight with the corny jokes, but in spite of that, its true. Whey protein is a great addition to your diet. Whey protein (typically found in Whole Foods or Trader’s Joe’s) is a type of animal protein that supports muscle building. I already stated the benefits of protein earlier, but whey protein is an extra special protein because it packs the most essential amino acids and the highest amount of protein for the fewest calories. I typically put about 2 scoops of whey protein in my smoothies before every workout. This is because a “2001 study at the University of Texas found that people who drank a shake containing amino acids and carbohydrates before working out increased their protein synthesis (their ability to build muscle) more than those who drank the same shake after exercising.” Abs Diet for Women.

5. Read food labels carefully….
Typically we have been trained to look for things that are low fat and low calorie. Well, that’s not all we need to be concerned with. In order to succeed on your weight loss journey (and not be miserably famished the entire time) you need to incorporate foods that are naturally high in fiber, high in protein, low in sodium, and low in sugar. Ok so I know some people read this and their eyes glazed over like, boooo…sounds like a doctor’s report. Well, it helped me to know the reason why, maybe it will help you too: Fiber & protein help you to feel full longer (think of it as shopping at Sam’s Club vs. Giant…you get more bang for your buck). So while a cheeseburger may have the same amount of calories as baked chicken and a cup of broccoli, an hour after eating that cheeseburger you’ll be hungry again. However, the chicken and broccoli, due to their high protein and high fiber content will keep you satisfied well into your next meal and prevent mindless snacking. Moreover, foods high in sodium will make you retain water as your body attempts to flush all the salt out of the arteries….so….you’ll look fatter than you really are. Kind of like walking around with one of those circus mirrors attached to your body….now that’s just not a good look for anyone, is it? A diet high in sugar, specifically high fructose corn syrup, will actually MAKE you hungry. High fructose corn syrup increases your appetite. It shuts off your body’s natural appetite control so you can eat and eat and eat way beyond your body’s normal capacity. High fructose corn syrup is the villain. I’ll say it again: HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP IS THE VILLAIN TO YOUR WEIGHT LOSS! Steer clear and read those labels carefully!

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That’s it for now…stay tuned for more inspirational posts for a successful weight loss/get fit journey!

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