the holidays are the time of year when we all share moments with our friends
and family over an abundance of tasty foods. Many people panic and start exer-
cising excessively weeks or days beforehand thinking that this will have a positive
impact on their waistline. this may actually do more harm than good.
the idea that you can, in a sense, make room through exercise for calorie intake
is incorrect. the human physiology does not understand how to burn calories in
preparation for more coming in later. this is purely psychological conditioning
from the exerciser. human biology is designed for efficiency and function; mean-
ing, if your are eating correctly most or all of the time you will be metabolically
efficient all the time. you will not have to worry about consuming a few hundred
more calories extra during a thanksgiving or Christmas celebration. your body
will able to properly utilize those extra calories.
eXerCise
unfortunately, most people today do not eat nutritious foods, or eat incorrectly.
they are metabolically inefficient. so when the holidays come around, they are
essentially adding more fuel to their overweight fire. Exercising to try to counter
this is useless. Exercising is a form of applied stress. the type of exercise you are
doing, and all the potential variables that go with an exercise program design,
will dictate your performance and aesthetic outcome. For instance, many people
will start to jog or cycle to try to lose weight. this seems like it would work to most
people; however, when you take a close look at the science between short and
long term energy systems, the dominance of sympathetic and parasympathetic
nervous systems, and the difference in hormones that are created by aerobic
versus anaerobic, you will see that endurance-based programs for weight loss
are actually very ineffective. also, there is no actual scientific evidence that
proves aerobic exercise is effective at weight reduction or effective at making
someone more cardiovascular. there is a LOt of monetary interest from many,
many businesses that promote aerobic exercise, like the ones that manufacture
cardiovascular equipment. trying to change this improper philosophy in my
clients is tough until they start to see the unwanted weight come flying off their
waistlines!
Fats
Many people have a very poor understanding of dietary fats and what they
actually do in our bodies. First of all, Fat dOEs nOt MaKE yOu Fat. Being meta-
bolically inefficient and consuming empty calories with no nutritional value and
excessive calories makes you fat. dietary fats (especially from animal sources) are
not only healthy for you, they are very necessary. animal fats contain high levels
of vitamin a, vitamin d and B12. Vitamin a is essential for innumerable biochemi-
cal processes like its role in building strong, healthy bones. you cannot effectively
synthesize protein, minerals and other fat and water-soluble vitamins without it.
that is why in nature fat is always coupled with protein and enzymes. Vitamin
a is also a very powerful antioxidant. Many people try to avoid fat in their diets
a that is not synthetic and is bioavailable. Just be sure to check its source and
because they think by consuming fat they will become fat. Consuming fat-free
make sure there are no soy additives. Fats WILL nOt MaKE yOu Fat. Fat is needed
foods like pasteurized fat-free or skim-fat dairy is unnatural and potentially very
for abundant health and degenerative disease prevention.
dangerous to your health. Many people believe that they can get enough vitamin
If you are healthy, holiday eating will not send you or your waistline over the
a from plant sources (carotene) or synthetic vitamins; however, this is not true.
edge. you do not need to run a 5k or spend more time in the gym to make room for
humans, especially infants, children, diabetics and people suffering from various
any meal before, during or after the holidays. Eat the appropriate types of foods,
other health problems like a dysfunction in their thyroid, cannot make the con-
and eat appropriately all the time. your body will always be healthy, and you will
version from carotene to preformed vitamin a (retinol) in the intestine. Vitamin
never have to worry about having seconds again. happy holidays!!
a from synthetic vitamin supplements can be toxic, especially if you are suffering
from a liver dysfunction and if you are eating poorly or in poor health. Martin Alonzo owns a private training studio called Performance Training Center on 4th Ave. in
dietary fats are your friends and should only come from organic, unpasteur- Hillcrest. He is a CHEK institute-trained professional and can be contacted via the web at perform-
ized, grass fed sources. Cod liver oil is also a great source of supplemental vitamin
center.com or direct at 619.206.4577.
December 2009 | RAGE monthly 55
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