Feb 10
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Written February 16, 2010
By Jason Mathews, Edmonton Personal Trainer
Do you know how to fill your lungs with air?
Do you know how to establish, regulate and direct the metabolism of your
No, you don’t know how consciously,
but there is a wisdom within you that does know.”
~Donald Curtis~
Today: The Simplistic View of Metabolism
Losing weight is such a big topic in North America and many other places with a sedentary life style. As a personal trainer here in Edmonton, Alberta losing weight is a common thing 90% of the people I work with on a daily basis are trying to achieve. A CRITICAL thing I want to achieve with the people I take care of as clients is getting their body’s metabolism and blood sugar levels working for them (more on blood sugar levels in a later post). It’s common for people not pay attention to the needs of their body so as a result …. their bodies do not work for them.
I recommend that my clients fill out a food log or diary and bring it in for every session so that they can learn how to improve over time and they know they are accountable for what passes through their mouths. No …. I’m not going to deprive them of every comfort food right away. I believe in baby steps because I know over time they will come to appreciate how their bodies feel while eating healthier and eating regularly. Part of my purpose for writing these posts is to share some of what I’ve learned (the way to become more knowledgeable is to teach what you know to others) and also I am accountable to you by providing a log of what I am doing personally. I do myself what I tell my clients to do.
What is Metabolism? Dictionary.com Definition:
Biology, Physiology. The sum of the physical and chemical processes in an organism by which its material substance is produced, maintained, and destroyed, and by which energy is made available.
So what does this mean?
Let’s compare a car engine to your body’s metabolism to make it easier to understand. Your metabolism is the engine that keeps your body moving. Food is the fuel or energy source that keeps the engine running. To keep the car moving there must be fuel available to burn when the fuel runs out the car sputters to an idle or halts all together. The thing about your body is it is a car that never stops till you …. are permanently stopped. You will be refueling while the engine is running every time and the trick is to do it before your body runs out of gas and sputters to a halt.
My own personal understanding of this leads me to eat regularly and I try to eat a variety of foods in adequate amounts to meet my individual needs. As I feed myself regularly my portions at each meal tend to be smaller because I’m not waiting for long periods before eating and it takes less to be full. This keeps all the processes in my body running efficiently. Eating a balanced healthy diet will usually provide the necessary nutrients for normal body processes. Curious what a healthy balanced diet is? See some examples in my other posts: Healthy Eating Made Easier (Days 7 & 8 ) or ‘What do I eat before working out?’
Check www.jasonmathews.com tomorrow to learn: How to BOOST your Metabolism.
Day 11 Food & Exercise Log
Today has been a tougher day. Just like in Personal Training, I really believe in coaching and surrounding myself with different levels of accountability for different areas of my life. I committed to one my coaches that I would complete some exercises. Sleep is one of the areas I sacrifice too much in my life and I plan to end that trend very soon however that was not going to be today. In fact I skipped my work out so I could get my task done today. I did attend a course on Group Training by John Sinclair today and it was worth it. I hired John as my own personal trainer a few months back and every time I sit down to learn from him my knowledge level explodes. I now have 20 pages of new notes to re-read and to tweak my client’s programs with.
12:00 AM – Tuna with olive oil, Mixed veggies, Brown rice
03:00 AM – Tuna with olive oil, Mixed veggies, brown rice
05:00 AM – Tuna with olive oil, brown rice, mixed veggies, Apple
09:00 AM – Nap
12:30 AM – Pecan Eye of Round Beef in No Sodium Tomato Sauce, Mixed veggies, Brown Rice
01:15 PM – John’s Course (4 hours no meals drank a lot of coffee)
04:30 PM – Brown Rice and kidney beans (ran out of veggies and protein)
06:30 PM – Brown Rice and kidney beans (still out of veggies and protein)
07:30 PM – Finished this post + completing targets for my coach.
As always if you have any questions at all about your health, fitness, nutrition, or you are curious for some exercise tips send me an e-mail fitness@jasonmathews.com.
Have a healthy and happy day!
By Jason Mathews, Edmonton Personal Trainer & your Fitness Advisor.
February 16, 2010
www.jasonmathews.com
