Chunky Aerobics Insructor Syndrome

Chunky Aerobics Instructor Syndrome
By Paul Chek, M.S.S., H.H.P., N.M.T
Have you ever gone to the gym and noticed that the same people seem to be exercising on the same machines, week after week? Have you noticed that these same peoples physique never seems to change despite their dedication? The million-dollar question is WHY? Quite simply, the body is a very conservative machine. During human evolution, food supplies were unreliable and to survive in a feast or famine environment our physiology learned to become very efficient. This efficiency carries over to modern life particularly whenever you participate in an exercise regime based upon cyclical motions (rowing, swimming, cycling, running, or using a step machine). The body quickly becomes calorie conscious, progressively accomplishing the same amount of work with less energy expenditure.

Charles Poliquin and colleagues have identified The Chunky Aerobic Instructor Syndrome. Poliquin found that aerobics instructors quickly adapted to the workload of teaching classes, often performing three hours of exercise a day. Despite the fact that this is the equivalent training level of a professional athlete, the instructors still maintained disproportionately high body fat levels. You can verify Poliquinâs findings by simply observing the bodies of people who perform a lot of cyclical cardiovascular activity; there is no question many of them are pudgier than you would expect!

Resistance training is the key to breaking away from the Chunky Aerobics Instructor Syndrome. First of all, lifting weights in the intensity zone of 8-12 reps coupled with short rest periods has been shown beneficial for releasing the androgenic hormone testosterone and growth hormone. These important hormones encourage development of lean muscle mass, which is a metabolically active tissue consuming calories 24 hours a day. Fat, on the other hand is just along for the ride! Aerobic exercise has been linked with the release of the catabolic hormone cortisol, which is antagonistic to the development of lean muscle mass. Cortisol also promotes conservation of glucose and encourages the use of fat. This might sound good on the surface, but you also become as efficient as a Honda Civic running for 80 kilometers on one gallon of gas. Then you are just like those people going for hours at a time on machines, only to utilize miniscule amounts of fat!

The Formula for Changes:

1. Alternate between cardiovascular exercise and resistance training.
2. Use resistance exercises requiring multiple muscles; squats, lunges, rows,
lat pull downs,and Swiss Ball weight lifting exercises. Swiss Ball weight lifting exercises
consume large amounts of calories because staying on top of the ball requires activation
of hundreds of muscles as stabilizers, plus the prime movers of the exercise you have chosen.
3. Keep loads between 8-12 reps per set and perform five exercises in a row
without rest(mini circuit).
4. Keep your rest periods between circuits under 1:30 minute, reducing to 1
minute as your body adapts to the development of lactic acid. Just two days
of resistance training and two days of cardiovascular exercise a week will
do a lot more for your shape than camping out on the stepper. After all, the
leanest bodies in the world belong to sprinters, who despise the thought of
aerobic exercise!

My Detox Quest / April Newsletter '08

Hi,
I am starting this blog site, in hopes that we can have more interaction with each other. I will be posting interesting things that I come across and hopefully spark something in you.

As spring is fast approaching (not fast enough for me) I have decided that I wanted to try a detox diet. I have never done this before and was curious on how I would feel, strength/energy/sleeping etc.

A friend of mine told me about a great book she had been reading and it had a detox diet in it. I bought the book "Making the Cut", by Jillian Michaels (Biggest Loser trainer) I started my detox quest on Monday 3/31. The plan is only 7 days long, any longer and you would be depleting your body of too many nutrients. The plan is easy to follow and is perfect if you want to get ready for an "event" or really cut it up.

I started this because I needed to rid my body of it's dependency on sugar and carb's. I had recently been leaning on those foods for the "quick fix" for energy...only to crash a few hours later, feeling exhausted and grumpy.

With this eating plan there are no carbs, dairy, sugar, fruit, beef or booze. Rather than telling you what you can't eat the list of things you can eat is much smaller :) chicken, fish, greens (dark) water (enough to float a boat) egg whites, almonds and various vegetables.

Here's how it went:

Monday: Weighed in at 142 in the morning, the highest weight I have been in 2 years. Not really sure I wanted to do this...drank coffee (2) with skim milk (neither on list of food I could eat) and went to work. I taught/lifted for an hour and went home. Scrambled 6 egg White's (yes 6) and added a teenie tiny speck of margarine with 2 large glasses of water. Ate this at 10:30 and found it delicious. Taught a cardio/lift class 12-1, returned home - had a ton of spinach, salad and the biggest chicken breast I could find with glass of water. I was stuffed and was sure I would not fit in my pants in the morning...no carb carve at all. Snack 20 almonds, Dinner was more dark greens, chicken breast, salad with low fat dressing (25 calories pr/serving) taught that night 1 hour step class.

Tuesday: I was really nervous to get on the scale...weighed in at 139...holly crap it was working! Drank my coffee like the true rebel I am and went off to work the morning class...home, back to the egg whites and tons of green beans and that "oh so small" pat of marg. Lunch was salad with a can of white tuna - more spinach. At 2:00 I was looking forward to my 20 almonds and still no carb attack...I was shocked. I also was starting to feel really good. I mean really good, energized and strong. Still drinking tons of water. I am a habitual person so of course the chicken again, with lot's of veggies and a salad. I am peeing like a race horse but I don't care, I can't wait for the morning weigh in. I was so full, I rolled my self to bed at 8:00.

Wednesday: OK, I am on day 3. No beer, no bread, no brownies...I am feeling like a damn hero! I got on the scale and weighed in at 136. Let's make this an official holiday~Rob "makes weight". Even though it is mostly water weight - I am a trainer and "know the deal" - there is something to be said about "making weight". I was exhilarated...I continued my detox quest until Friday night. Those of you who know me, know that there is a happy hour at the end of the week...it is sort of religious (just kidding, not really).

Some of the things I noticed with my body was this:
1. I was very dehydrated the first few days. I had some leg cramping during the night, even
with all the water consumption.
2. Bodily functions were working...ummm, really well.
3. I had no headaches as a result of the no carb or sugar withdrawal.
4. I didn't have the urge to go off program as long as I ate at the correct times. When I got
hungry, you better have been out of my way because there was no one going to stop me when
it was time to eat.
5. Energy level and strength were better than they had been in months.
6. Insulin levels stayed level, there was no crash-ever.
7. I noticed my body was more efficient at cooling itself (better sweating)

OK, so what happens after? You have to introduce your carbs slowly...and of course you have given up sugar completely (ya-right) but honestly if you go back too quickly you will be the human sponge and suck all that water back up into your cells; aka the Pillsbury Dough boy effect. I went to a party on Friday night and was looking for "good food" to eat. There was not one green thing around, only cheese, bread dip, crackers (white) cookies, brownies and the like. Well, I didn't want to hurt the hostess's feelings so I ate it all. I woke up Saturday with balloon "Kankle-ankles" and a carb hang over like no other. Don't do it-

Where I am now: I have kept some of the eating plan (dark greens at lunch, lot's of water, and my beloved 6 egg white scrambled eggs) I limit myself to one sweet before bed and the carbs have been reduced dramatically. I am holding 138.

If you want to shake things up try this program. It gave me the shot in the arm that I needed.
Trying to keep it real...honest,
Rob

Here are the first 2 menu days of the program:
Breakfast
6 scrambled egg whites
with green veggies,cooked without butter or oil

Lunch
5oz of fresh salt free or low sodium turkey in lettuce with tomato

Snack
20 raw or dry roasted unsalted almonds

Dinner
Grilled 6oz swordfish
cooked with lemon and garlic
unlimited side of steamed kale.
Follow up with a cup of dandelion tea

Breakfast is always the same
Lunch the second day is 1 can of low sodium tuna salad (tuna should be prepared with lemon and pepper only) on a bed of lettuce
You can use balsamic vinegar and 1 tsp olive oil for salad dressing
Dinner the second day is 6oz grilled chicken breast - cooked with lemon and garlic
unlimited side of eggplant
Follow up with a cup of dandelion tea