So, America is fat.  Occasionally this fact will be broadcast on the news, but the fact of the matter is, this is a serious matter.

• 58 Million Overweight; 40 Million Obese; 3 Million morbidly Obese (around 101 million people)
• The population of the United States is around 304 million
• 1/3 people is at least overweight
• Around 60% of CHILDREN already have a risk of heart disease
• “Political Nerve Injection” – Economic costs of obesity are around 93 BILLION dollars (9% of our GDP) – if you want to fix healthcare, help America not be fat.

Whist this post takes bit of a different direction from the more traditional fitness and supplement articles, it is necessary to highlight the fact that Americans are eating themselves into the grave, both financially and biologically (while it’s true that 10 out of 10 people die, there’s no reason we can’t live well and feel good while we’re alive).

All of the horrible statistics aside, the fact of the matter is that if you live well, you are in danger of: enjoying your life more, staying out of the hospital more, being happier, and enjoying EVERYTHING more.  Most people seem to think that it’s just way to difficult to be fit, the reality is that all that is required is a little self control.

Almost everyone will have soda when they go out to eat, what they don’t realize is that one twelve ounce can of soda will have upwards of 40 grams of carbohydrates… now if you factor in the size of the cup at the restaurant and the refills, people will consume around 120 grams just in what they drink (keep in mind your body converts anything excess to fat for when lack of food rolls around – the problem is that in America, there is no lack of food).  Now that we’ve gotten an idea about what the average person consumes in regard to carbohydrates, add on about another 60 to 100 grams for the bun and fries and you’ve got your daily allotment of carbs for the DAY eaten on one meal (if you’re an athlete there’s nothing wrong with this, your body needs the extra nutrients).

This was a little of a rant, but please, take it to heart and live well.  If you don’t want to live well for yourself, be a patriot and live well for your country! *insert patriotic music here*

Now that the two core steps have been covered we can get to the benefits of healthy living!  Obviously if you have a healthy physique you look better… everyone looks better with muscles rippling as they move and the sun glinting off of perfectly tanned skin, but there are even more benefits!  If you feel healthy and good physically, your confidence will go through the roof and you will feel better emotionally and mentally (which will probably come across in all of your relationships as well).  Aside from looking and feeling like “the hotness,” the quality of your sleep will also improve.

There are different levels of sleep and the restorative benefits, the best and deepest levels that you can have are “Deep” and “REM” sleep.  These levels of sleep are where your body gets rid of the stress of the day, increases hormone production and balance (especially key for muscle growth and repair), and gets you pumped for the next day.

The key thing to remember is that there are no shortcuts to health and fitness.  Everything boils down to creating a caloric deficiency on a daily basis and physical activity (at least 30 minutes a day).  There was a study done recently that compared the major “fad” diets… and the only ones that had any positive effect (i.e. weight loss) helped the dietee (I have just coined a new term!) use more calories throughout the day than they put into their bodies in the form of food and drink.  If you do these things regularly, your emotions will improve, you will look better, you will feel better, and you will be more productive throughout the day.

I tried to condense things into these few lines… but they are by no means fully detailed.  A great thing you could do would be to do your own research (and hopefully I’ve sparked your interest and desire to learn what a healthy lifestyle is) and educate yourself in regard to your body and how it works.

It’s over!

Sean

The second part, in my opinion, is the most fun of the two, namely physical activity.  The physical activity keeps your muscles strong and growing (because let’s face it, no one wants to cut down to their “ideal” weight and be blown over by a hefty gust of wind because they’re scrawny right?  We all want to have muscular definition and be called the hotness) as well as adding a supercharger to your metabolism and caloric deficiency you are creating by eating every two to three hours (despite how much we would like it candy, fast food, doughnuts don’t help us in a path towards health – that sure would be awesome though).

When you first start on a path to physical fitness, I’ll be the first to admit that it sucks;  It hurts, you’re out of breath, you’re sweaty, etc.  After the first few sessions however, your body will start to change, it will start to release more endorphins as you’re exercising (think of them as your body’s naturally produced “happy” drugs).  Have you ever wondered why all of the big trainers and fitness gurus are so upbeat and disgustingly happy and cheerful?  Of course you have.  It’s because they’re feeling amazing when they’re working out because of the release of endorphins in their bodies (I can also tell you that the best I’ve ever felt physically and mentally is when I’m exhausted from blasting through a workout whether that workout involves weights, sports, grappling, it doesn’t matter – I feel like I’m on top of the world).  Disgusting right?  I know.

To be continued at the next entry!

Sean

People are forever looking for ways to lose weight and bring out their inner “six pack,”  the problem is that when people lose things they virtually always find them again (the same is true with bodyfat).  The problem is that the majority of those in search for perpetual muscularity don’t view fitness as a lifestyle but as a temporary plan to reach a point where they look the way they want to, which means that they will never make it and will forever be stuck in a cycle of gaining/losing a few pounds.

There are no fancy formulas to reach a healthy and even muscular physique.  Despite all of the (often very unhealthy) get fit quick schemes, it all boils down to two things: having your body burn more calories than it brings in and making sure you have a decent amount of physical activity.

The first part of this is the easy part but most people fail because they don’t know how to eat, the key to the first step is eating every two to three hours (keeps your metabolism running all day) and making sure that you are eating a serving size – which is about the size of a fist – and that what you are eating has a good ratio of carbohydrates to protein (Complex carbs i.e. oatmeal, lentils, different beans, whole grain bread keep you full for longer which means you end up consuming less throughout the day).

Here’s the good part about (and I hate how cliché this phrase is) eating properly:  Eating properly doesn’t mean you can’t eat the foods you love that are otherwise known as heart attacks in a bag!  The key to this, just like life in general, is balance.  When you have a doughnut (assuming it’s not a cheat day – you should have one, maybe two a week) you just need to balance it out later in the day so you aren’t bringing in more calories than you’re sending out.

To be continued at the next entry! *Insert suspense here*

Sean