Perfect Parts

  

Perfect Parts: 
A Guide to Muscle Development

This is from a book I read years ago that got me into weight training. I found it very helpful to have an idea of what to expect. I summarized some great info about each muscle and their development. Results depend on a lot of things: your present condition, your age, your previous involvement in physical activities, your diet, your metabolism, your enthusiasm, and most important your commitment. 

However, everyone who follows a weight training program will see results. The time range varies for each body part from one to six months. 

This information is based on a routine that consists of about 5 exercises, 3 sets each, for each part (except for biceps and triceps 3 exercises) done 2-3 times a week, or every other day. I hope you find this helpful like I did. Even as your routine may vary, I still believe this is helpful information.

Chest: In terms of speed of development, the pectoral muscles are usually somewhere in the middle. They neither jump into shape nor do they lag behind. Expect to feel an uplifting tightness after a few workouts and to see some visible results between three weeks and two months.

Shoulders:The deltoids are among the first muscles to show development on most. You can expect to see something happening as early as 3 to 6 weeks, but you'll feel something immediately, after your first few workouts. They are relatively small muscles and if you're not used to working them, they may be unusually sore for the first few weeks. Don't let that worry you. It's normal and it's a good sign.

Back: The back, especially the latissimus dorsi, develops slower than most other body parts. You will see some development of the smaller muscles of your back within three months, but it may take longer before you notice lat development. You will notice one thing much sooner. In about 3 weeks there will be an immediate improvement in your posture. Your shoulders will be less rounded, and you'll sit and walk with your head up. The process of development will have begun to make a noticeable difference, even though you may not see more muscle yet.
 
Biceps: The biceps is a small muscle and is quickly stimulated. You should see some development in about 3 to 6 weeks.

Triceps: The triceps often take a bit longer than most muscles to develop. You should see results anywhere between 2 and 5 months, but your triceps will feels tighter after your very first workout.

Abs: If you are not more than 5 pounds overweight, you should begin to see some ab development after about 2 months. In 4 months you'll see definition beginning to form, and in six months you'll begin to feel that natural girdle of sculpted muscle building up underneath your stomach.You'll be able to hold your stomach in without much effort. In a year you'll have a perfectly formed, sensual abdominal area.

Buttocks and Hip Muscles: It takes a while to see results in the hip-buttocks area. While you can count on seeing some results in 3 months, don't expect reshaped buttocks until at least 6 months. It may take as long as a year. Since fat likes to accumulate there, if you are overweight, chances are it will take a little longer. But as the fat melts away you will see a newly reshaped, uplifted buttocks.

Thigh Muscles: The thighs, front and back, defy exercise in the beginning stages, or at least they seem to. You will work on your legs for weeks before you see much results, then suddenly you'll notice some changes. It may even take 3 months before you see any progress at all, but once you do you'll see continual development. Then it's only a matter of time until you begin to notice some definition. In six months everyone should see some major changes. It should become easier and easier with time.

Calf Muscles: The calf muscle is one of the easier muscles for development. You will probably see them beginning to take shape in a month or two.

I encourage you to weight train to reshape your body.

You will see worthwhile results!

Have a great day!

Amy

 reference: Perfect Parts by Rachel McLish

www.facebook.com/amyfitnesstips

Explaining your body and brain on sugar...

Sugar is the leading food additive in the U.S. food supply and is making us sugar junkies. Sugar, not fat, is the leading cause of obesity in the United States.

Sugar isn't just bad nutrition; it's health damaging nutrition. The body actually has to borrow from its stores of nutrients in order to process it. Sugar literally eats up the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. This depresses your immune system, and that's way sugar can make you sick.

Your brain on sugar...

When you eat refined sugar, it goes straight to your intestines, bypassing any chemical breakdown in your body. From the intestines, it's absorbed right into the bloodstream. Your blood glucose level spikes fast. Your brain registers this sugar hit with a drug-like reaction. Sugar triggers the release of the same natural brain opioids released when shooting heroin, which are associated with positive feelings as pleasure, energy, and euphoria. That release makes most people feel good, but it makes sugar addicted people feel absolutely high. And when sugar is taken away, you get the same withdrawal signs and changes in brain chemistry. When you are addicted to sugar, you need more to feel better. And I don't just mean candy and cookies, also carbohydrates that are quickly converted to sugar, such as bagels, breads, croutons, rolls, cracker, cereals, and more! 

Your body on sugar... 
Their rapid conversion to sugar causes a corresponding hike in insulin. High insulin prevents the breakdown of body fat. Excess sugar wreaks havoc on every organ in the body. Initially it's stored in the liver in the form of glycogen. When the liver's storage capacity gets maxed out, glycogen is expelled in the forms of fatty acids. These travel to every part of the body and lodge themselves into our fatty areas, the belly, hips, butt, breasts and thighs. After these areas are filled, the remaining fatty acids get dealt out to the major organs, including the heart and kidneys. Fat nestles there, releasing toxic chemicals that damage the arteries, blood vessels, and organs. Sugar also causes a sluggish metabolism and adds worthless calories. Sugar is quickly metabolized as fat and prevents the body from knowing it's full. This is why you can sit down with a box of cookies or chips and eat them until they're gone. And guess what else? It ages your skin and causes wrinkles. Eating sugar attacks collagen and elastin, that make your skin look young. Sugar actively ages you. Ditching sugar will make you look and feel years younger!

Refined sugar is technically sucrose, or common table sugar. The other sugars to be aware of include dextrose (corn sugar), fructose (fruit sugar), maltose (malt sugar), and lactose (milk sugar).

A quick tip before you go: A key to weight loss: 5 grams of sugar or less in foods does not register in the body, meaning this amount does not cause insulin spikes and drops. Also most fruits release their sugar relatively slowly into the bloodstream, meaning that they are less likely to disrupt the blood sugar balance. Although the sugars in fruit juice are released more quickly because they are the concentrated forms of fruit sugars like those in dried fruits, so they do have the potential to impact blood sugar levels.

I hope this clears up any questions you have about sugar. 

To stay healthy is to stay informed! 

Have a great day! Amy 

www.facebook.com/amyfitnesstips

 reference: "This Is Why You're Fat (And How to Get Thin Forever)" book by Jackie Warner

 

For those frustrated in calorie land...

 

This is for anybody who is frustrated about counting calories for fat loss. If counting calories works for you, then keep counting. But if you are frustrated with the counting, the weighing, and the measuring, let me give you some reasons to stop counting. 

• Calorie counting is treating your body like it's a checkbook! It's not just calories in, calories out, that determines your weight. That's not how it's meant to be! Your body is a body! Your body is not a checking account!
• Counting calories limits not only bad food, but also limits healthy food. For example, I don't feel that fruit and vegetables should be limited at all. They are already very low calorie and there you are measuring and weighing every little thing, every strawberry, cucumber, carrot, or piece of celery...really?!... But if you are eating bad food or fast food, then yes, I would count those calories.
• Calorie counting does not take into account quality food. It is so important to eat quality food. Quality food determines your energy level, how hormones react, insulin levels, how your skin looks, muscle toning or building muscle, your thyroid, liver functioning, to name a few. If you are eating low quality food, and are eating toxins that your liver has to detoxify, it will cause metabolic issues. Low quality food will make you hungrier and you get tired and your hormones are all screwed up.
• In calorie land, you don't eat when your body tells you to because you have reached your calorie limit. When you eat quality foods, you body is centered and balanced and nature gives your body the ability to know when it needs food and how much. Your tastes buds for example, when you eat a piece of fruit, it tastes very sweet and your body knows you don't need too much, but some.
• Calorie counting disconnects you from awareness of how your body feels when you eat. You get calorie tunnel vision! Instead, you should be paying attention to the way foods make you feel, for example, do you feel energized, groggy, bloated, satisfied or hungrier after you eat a certain food? Have more physical awareness!

The way I do it, I don't completely ignore calories, but I don't count calories.  If you eat quality 'clean" foods, you probably won't need to either. I hope this is helpful!  
Remember, your body is not a checkbook. I promise!

Have a great day! ~ Amy

If you like my blogs, don't forget to "LIKE" my facebook page Amy.Fit

Stop being terrified of carbs!...

Eating good carbs makes you thin, not fat!

The fact is, carbohydrates make up the largest portion of the best fat burning diets! When a lot of people think of carbs they think of bread in any form, but there are good carbs and good carbs will make you thin, not fat. There are two types of carbs, fast digesting carbs and slow digesting carbs. Slow digesting carbs will help you lose weight.

Slow digesting carbs are natural and you find them in fruit, veggies, beans, brown or wild rice, and grains high in fiber, such as whole grains, sprouted grain breads and oatmeal. Carbohydrates are muscle and brain fuel. They should make up the largest portion of your diet. The slow digesting carbs slow down insulin levels, meaning your blood sugars remain pretty normal and not causing insulin spikes that cause weight gain.
.
Fast digesting carbs are man made. They are found in breads, white rice, cereals, rice cakes, and fruit juices. Avoid carbs that are processed. Fast digesting carbs increase blood sugar levels, which releases insulin, which can make you gain weight.

If your diet too low in carbs, you will feel tired or moody and have difficulty concentrating. Your body will be soft and untoned because you won't be able to build muscle and shape properly. If you eat a slow digesting fruit right after your workout, the sugar in that fruit rushes to muscles to help them replenish lost glycogen, the fuel your muscle runs on. Starchy carbs, such as legumes, brown rice, oatmeal, and most grains that are whole, sweet potatoes or yams, potatoes, rice, kidney beans and corn, are super loaded with fiber, which dilutes toxic agents in the bowel, and  moves fat out of your body before it has time to get stored.  

Make sure you eat your good carbs! My next blog will be about protein coming soon! 

 Have a great day!

Amy

If you like my blogs, don't forget to "LIKE" my facebook page Amy.Fit!

Spin class does not have to be intimidating...

You can do spin!

 You may think that spin is only for the most hardcore exercisers. But, anybody can do spin! People of all fitness levels can take the same class and all get a great workout!

Some may ask, what is spinning?  Well, you will not need a magazine for this like you might on other cardio machines. Spinning classes are a group workout that are done in a health club studio, usually with various lighting, such as the lights dimmed and neon lights on, and pumped up music fills the air to create an energized atmosphere. The bikes are not regular stationary bikes, they are spin bikes with gears which you can adjust with an easy to reach knob to make the pedaling harder or easier. The instructor on the lead bike with a headset calls out commands to guide you through workout phases, which are a warm-up to more challenging phases to a period of peak effort followed by a cool down. These include sprints, climbs, steady cadences (how fast you are pedaling) etc. The instructor will call out phrases like "add gear!" and "come out of the saddle!" (you stand while pedaling) because there is a "big hill coming!" or  you are riding "through the mud!" or "lose gear!" and "sprint!" (pedaling as fast as you can) because you are "riding down hill!" or in a "tail wind!" etc. These phrases get you out of the room and onto the road using visualization. You control the resistance by adding or losing gear on your bike to make the pedaling as easy or hard as you choose. It is your ride!

Just some of the great reasons to give it a spin...Burn more calories! I'm not going to give you a number, but trust me you burn a LOT of calories! Spinning will make you push yourself. Left on your own, you are more likely go easier on yourself. Spinning classes will motivate you to work harder and get a better workout, which means better results and higher calorie burn than on your own. It does not take long for this to show up as weight loss. Shapely Legs! Spinning will make a difference in the shapely appearance of your legs. Low Impact! Spinning is a low-impact cardio exercise, which means it's easier on your joints, including your knees and ankles, than many other forms of cardio. Get the natural endorphin kick! You will feel better throughout the day following a workout and you have more energy. An ab workout too!  In addition to the major leg muscles worked during a spinning routine, the abdominal muscles get a workout, as well. Over time you will feel your entire body begin to tone up, including your abs. Feel connected and have fun! The spin class makes the whole workout experience more fun and helps you feel connected with the people around you, like you're all in it together.  

I hope you go for it! Try a spin class! It's cool! I was hooked after my first time! Make sure you bring water and a towel and be a little early to reserve and adjust your bike. 
Have a great ride! ~Amy

If you like my blogs, don't forget to "LIKE" my facebook page Amy.Fit!

Clean Eating to Get Healthy and Fit...

"Clean Eating" makes getting thin easy, natural and enjoyable!

  You may have heard about something called "clean eating". This is the way I eat. I am nearing 44 years old and I feel better than I ever have and staying thin is easier than ever before! How I wish I had discovered clean eating even sooner! I believe it is the healthiest way to eat. Clean eating is eating whole foods that are not processed, modified or hydrogenated. Foods are processed for a couple of reasons: to increase shelf life and to mass produce at a lower cost. Our bodies are not meant to process all of those chemicals used. You can begin by reading labels and apply this one basic rule: If you can’t pronounce the names of the ingredients on the label, then you probably shouldn’t put it into your body. It’s that simple! 

Here is a few clean eating tips:

• Eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Processing them reduces their nutritional value and adds, salt, fat, sugar and chemicals. Choose fruit instead on fruit juice and if you must pick a processed vegetable, frozen is always better than canned.
• Eat lean meats, preferably choose organic or grass fed meats because these are usually clean of pesticides, hormones and additives. Grill, broil, or bake rather than fry.
• Avoid soda and high calorie, sugary drinks. Choose water or tea, or make your own juice with fresh fruits and veggies without added sugars or preservatives. The chemical compounds found in diet foods such as sucralose, aspartame and cyclamate are much harder for your digestive tract to break down. These sweeteners can also be up to 300 times sweeter than natural sugar!
• Trade bad fats for good fats, Removing saturated fats, and eating monounsaturated fats or polyunsaturated fats, from foods like nuts or fatty fish.
• Choose low-fat or fat free dairy. Note that some people who live a clean eating lifestyle don't eat dairy products. I have replaced cows milk with almond milk and I really like it, although I do eat cheese and choose the low fat.
• Choose whole grains. I recommend Ezekial bread which is a sprouted grain bread with no preservatives and a complete protein. Tastes great too! You find it in the freezer at select stores.
• Eat several meals to keep blood sugar stable and to avoid overeating. 

If you eat this way you may not ever feel a need to count calories, but instead trust in good quality, healthy food. Instead of stressing the liver out daily with junk, it will recover fast. It rebalances your body chemistry, helps break your sugar addiction, and boosts your metabolism, so getting thin is easy, natural and enjoyable. Your body will become primed for fat burning and building lean muscle. You will balance your hormones and detox your body. It may be a little hard at first, and if you are used to eating foods with a lot of saturated fat or refined sugars, your tastes buds may need to adjust. But you can choose to still have your favorite foods, and just save them for a once a week cheat day, or maybe twice a week cheat day! That's what I do. Once you get the hang of it, it becomes easy! I am working on helping you guys with tasty "clean" food ideas, so keep visiting me on my facebook page Amy.Fit.

I Have a great day!

Amy

Cheat on your diet and lose weight...

 Cheat on Your Diet

to Help You Lose More Fat!

 

 First, stop crash dieting! 

When you lose weight too quickly by cutting calories dramatically your body acts like it is starving. The hormones secreted will make you hungry and have lower energy and want to eat more. You are not doing your body any favors this way! Similar to a bicycle, your metabolism needs momentum to work. To get the most out of your metabolism, you need to eat smaller portions more frequently throughout the day. 

Also once a week cheat!

 Have a nice, high calorie meal. Your body senses the rush of fuel and boosts your metabolism, priming your body for fat loss. This way, as you are losing weight, your body adjusts and realizes that you are not starving. Cheating helps ease your body through these changes happening.

So you can enjoy something delicious and still win!  Enjoy! :) 

 Amy