Understanding your Basal Metabolic Rate

Your body burns calories no matter what you are doing, even while you are sleeping you are probably burning approx. 69 calories per hour, because your body uses that time to regenerate damaged tissue and build new tissue. The brain also consumes a large portion of your daily calories - even while dreaming.

So what is the basal metabolic rate? It is the amount of energy expended daily while at rest (no strenuous activity). eg. Sitting is typically 60 calories per hour, less than it takes to sleep. Assuming 552 for sleeping 8 hours and 960 calories for 16 hours of sitting, we can assume the average human uses up approx. 1512 calories per day.

Determining your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is useful when trying to lose weight. To lose weight, one must create a caloric deficit each day to eventually use up a pound worth of calories to be lose (3500) more than you are eating. It is recommended to create 5% to 10% caloric deficit each day so you can lose weight while still taking in enough vitamins for your health.

The human body is supposed to eat 1,800 to 2,000 calories per day. So if dieting you should be eating 100 or 200 calories less. So approx. between 1600 to 1800 is the ideal range for a weight loss diet. At 200 calories per day a person will lose approx. 1.7 lbs per month or 21 lbs of fat per year.

Combined with regular exercise and a person will lose weight even faster. eg. If they jog daily in addition to such a diet, enough to burn 400 calories per day, and they can lose 63 lbs of fat in a year. (Note: You can burn 400 calories by jogging for 40 minutes. And 40 minutes is only 2.8% of your day.)

Some people argue that you can crash diet by cutting your diet down to 1000 to 1500 per day, but reducing your food consumption to such a level is both dangerous and idiotic. Such a diet will also sap your mental resolve and you will probably quit the diet early and end up having your weight yo-yo up and down - which isn't going to help you at all.

When you lower your caloric intake to really low levels the basal metabolic rate will actually lower if the body enters into a starvation mode - it will begin to interfere with your mental functioning and you won't have the needed calories to be repairing the brains mental pathways (which are under a constant state of repair). Your body will begin to feast on muscle and brain tissue in order to find extra energy. The basal metabolic rate will also decrease with age, but that is a natural reflex to less calories being burned at rest, exercise and thus if becomes ever more important to be mindful of your diet as you get older.

Below is one BMR formula that I found (however I think it may be wrong, because I calculated it using my own weight, height and age and it says my BMR is 1832, which I don't think is at all accurate).

Women's BMR= 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)

Men's BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years)

EXAMPLE
Gary has a BMR of 1600
If he eats an average of 1800 calories per day
And he burns 500 calories per day with exercise

Then his net calorie loss should be 300 calories per day.

Gary will lose approx. 2.5 lbs per month (31 lbs per year) if he keeps it up.

There are many other formulas for calculating BMR. They are all basically inaccurate because it is really impossible to tell what each person's metabolic rate is. Each person is different. Some days are different too.

There is the Original Harris-Benedict Equation, and also the Revised Harris-Benedict Equation.

There is also the Mifflin St Jeor Equation, the Katch-McArdle Formula and the Cunningham Formula.

The formula up above is none of the five commonly used formulas. And honestly, it doesn't really matter.

I argue that people would be better off going off the average BMR, which I calculate to be approx. 1512, and then calculating their BMR based on their height and weight compared to that average, and then modified lower for age.

Thus the Moffat Formula would be:

1512 X YOUR WEIGHT / AVERAGE HUMAN WEIGHT X YOUR HEIGHT [160 lbs] / AVERAGE HUMAN HEIGHT [66 inches] X AGE MODIFIER = Your BMR

Thus using myself as an example, I am 6'2" tall and the average human is 5'6" tall, so 109.1%. Determining average weight for a human is tricky. In the USA so many people are overweight that the average has been skewed, so the "average American" is overweight. So instead I have estimated that the average healthy human weighs about 160 lbs. In which case due to my size I am 106.25%... *calculate the math*...

And my total is 1753 (minus a small age modifier). That sounds much more accurate than the sample formula from further above.

Now the trick is, how much does our metabolic rate decrease with age? Well I did find a chart for that... So I suppose it would be possible to determine what your exact rate is... but there will always be a margin for error.

Healthy Habits of Fit People

Some people just have really healthy habits when it comes to exercising and eating... and to those people who are struggling with their weight such healthy-habit-people make it look so easy, don't they?

It is as if they're never too tired to exercise and they never crave junk food. (Actually they do get those cravings, but they control them better.) If you know how hard it is to stick to your diet and exercise plan then it certainly will be a moment for envy when you see other people who have already succeeded in their fitness goals and made it look easy.

But you can develop those healthy habits too. You have the same basic genetic makeup as they do, you probably even have the same amount of time available too. Reaching your health and fitness goals can happen if you put in the effort to develop the same healthy habits that fit people use and take for granted.

They all have a number of things in common. Lets look at them!

#1. They all have healthy activities that they enjoy, eg. Dancing.

Being able to work out almost every day is a lot easier if you enjoy the activity. Becoming resentful of going to the gym, or running every morning if you do not even like it, will only pave the way for failure and disappointment. Most people who have reached fitness goals look forward to their workout because they love the way it makes them feel first, before the way it makes them look. It is one of the reasons why

Speaking for myself I enjoy archery, boxing, swimming, ice skating, weightlifting, rock climbing and cycling. I never get bored of those actitivities and indeed encourage others to do them too.

#2. They know how to say NO

Saying yes to every dinner invitation, every chocolate offered to you and every event that would cut into your scheduled workouts, you would have a lot of difficulty achieving your fitness goals. YOU are responsible for your outcome and only you have the power to say NO. Don't feel bad for not trying every one of your mother or grandmothers's sixteen different kinds of cookies. She will forgive you eventually.

Your body will thank you over the long term every time you say no to unnecessary temptation.

#3. They make it happen no matter what

Some people are dreamers and some people are doers. Dream it and then DO IT.

Whether it's by waking up early to go jogging, preparing a week's worth of healthy lunches to take to work or packing the gym bag the day before so you can go to the gym after work, succeeding means not giving yourself room for excuses or procrastination. If you set out to accomplish a goal then you have to DO IT NOW.

Learn to avoid obstacles and excuses and make your workouts happen. If you give up on your workout just because your bicycle has a flat tire then you aren't thinking right. Make fixing your bicycle a workout instead. Clean your home while you are at it. (Cleaning counts as exercise.) Don't give up just because one little thing gets in your way. Either circumvent that problem, fix the problem, or do something else in place of your normal workout.

Kung Fu Abs Workout

"Freddie" is a Kung Fu expert in Chicago, Illinois. (If you were hoping he was a personal trainer in Toronto, I am sorry to disappoint you.) The video below is a series of ab exercises that he recommends to his martial arts students.

The goal of his exercises isn't so worried about developing "six pack abs" and are more concerned about giving the abs a complete workout from different positions so that the body can be properly conditioned to perform martial arts.

It is true that many martial artists have the kind of abs that other men only dream of having, but that isn't their primary goal. It is really just a bonus side effect.

We should note however that if you are overweight that to get to that point however you first need to do lots of cardio so you can lose your extra belly fat.

Ab exercises are really more about toning the muscles. Ab exercises don't burn that many calories because people only do them for short periods of time.



Same goes with weightlifting - it doesn't burn a lot of calories because most people don't have the energy or stamina to weight lift constantly for an hour without a break. It is a myth that weightlifting burns a lot of calories because the stats on various websites giving caloric estimates that don't specify how many reps, how much weights, how much break time, how quickly/slowly is the person performing repetitions. There are too many unknown variables.

Both amateurs and professionals take breaks in-between exercises such as weightlifting. Ab exercises are, basically, a body weight exercise in the same way that chin ups and push ups are also body weight exercises. So don't expect to lose weight by doing ab exercises. Quite the opposite, you will probably gain muscle weight within the first couple of days of performing ab exercises.

If your goal is to lose weight and eventually get six pack abs then you first need to focus on some cardio activities such as running, jogging, swimming, cycling, or even just walking. As you progress you can also add activities like yoga, boxing, martial arts for fun. Then as you near your goal you can start doing more ab exercises.

Understanding the Glycemic Index

You've probably never heard of the Glycemic Index. Well, now you have! The glycemic index is a relatively easy to understand rating system for ranking carbohydrate based foods.

A low rating on the glycemic index means that the food does not spike blood glucose and insulin levels quickly within the body.

Now you might wonder why that is important.

Foods that raise blood sugar levels quickly increase the chance of developing diabetes and heart disease but they also contribute heavily to weight gain. High GI carbohydrates are typically foods that don't keep you full for very long, like white bread and junk food, and instead you gorge yourself on half a loaf of bread or an entire bag of potato chips because you still feel hungry.



LOW GI FOODS

Breakfast Cereal All-bran Oat bran Rolled Oats Special K Natural Muesli Porridge Staples Wheat Pasta Shapes New Potatoes Meat Ravioli Spaghetti Tortellini (Cheese) Egg Fettuccini Brown Rice Buckwheat White long grain rice Pearled Barley Yam Sweet Potatoes Instant Noodles Wheat tortilla Dairy Whole milk Skimmed milk Chocolate milk Sweetened yoghurt Artificially Sweetened Yoghurt Custard Soy Milk

Bread Soya and Linseed Wholegrain Pumpernickel Heavy Mixed Grain Whole Wheat Sourdough Rye Sourdough Wheat Snacks & Sweet Foods Slim-Fast meal replacement Snickers Bar (high fat) Nut & Seed Muesli Bar Sponge Cake Nutella Milk Chocolate Hummus Peanuts Walnuts Cashew Nuts Nuts and Raisins Jam Corn Chips Oatmeal Crackers Legumes (Beans) Kidney Beans (canned) Butter Beans Chick Peas Haricot/Navy Beans Lentils, Red Lentils, Green Pinto Beans Blackeyed Beans Yellow Split Peas

Vegetables Frozen Green Peas Frozen Sweet Corn Raw Carrots Boiled Carrots Eggplant/Aubergine Broccoli Cauliflower Cabbage Mushrooms Tomatoes Chillies Lettuce Green Beans Red Peppers Onions Fruits Cherries Plums Grapefruit Peaches Peach, canned in natural juice Apples Pears Dried Apricots Grapes Kiwi Fruit Oranges Strawberries Prunes

MEDIUM GI FOODS

Breakfast Cereal Bran Buds Mini Wheats Nutrigrain Shredded Wheat Porridge Oats Special K Fruits Mango Sultanas Bananas Raisins Papaya Figs Pineapple

Bread Croissant Hamburger bun Pita, white Wholemeal Rye Staples Basmati Rice Couscous Cornmeal Taco Shells Gnocchi Canned Potatoes Chinese (Rice) Vermicelli Baked Potatoes Wild Rice

Vegetables Beetroot Snacks & Sweet Foods Ryvita Digestives Blueberry muffin Honey Legumes (Beans) Beans in Tomato Sauce Dairy Icecream

HIGH GI FOODS

Breakfast Cereal Cornflakes Sultana Bran Branflakes Coco Pops Puffed Wheat Oats in Honey Bake Team Total Cheerios Rice Krispies Weetabix Fruits Watermelon Dates

Bread White Bagel French Baguette Snacks & Sweet Foods Pretzels Water Crackers Rice cakes Puffed Crispbread Donuts Scones Maple flavoured syrup

Vegetables Pumkin Parsnips Staples Instant White Rice Glutinous Rice Short Grain White Rice Tapioca Fresh Mashed Potatoes French Fries Instant Mashed Potatoes

The glycemic index food chart above is a guide of which foods have a low, medium or high GI rating. By choosing healthier foods off of this list, it creates a very simple way to improve your nutrition without having to do a lot research/buying diet books/learning to count calories, etc.

The Glycemic Index is not just for weight loss. Regular exercise enthusiasts and athletes benefit from choosing low GI food. Low GI food before exercise maintains blood sugar concentration and increases the rate of stored fat being used for energy (fat oxidation). Low GI foods before exercise have been shown to increase endurance.

Stairs and Steps - Frugal Exercising

Using your steps or stairs at home or near your workplace in Toronto can give you a fantastic cardio and/or strength workout. By adding the stairs into your daily regimen, and by performing step exercises you will strengthen your legs and butt muscles, while using core stabilizing muscles for balance - thus giving you an almost full body workout which make you buttocks and legs look fantastic if you do these exercises regularly for a year.

And the best part is it will help build endurance so you don't get tired so easily while climbing stairs in the future.

And the bonus is that its very frugal. No equipment needed. And you don't need a personal trainer to tell you what to do. I've provided everything here.

Stairs Exercises Instructions

#1. Go slowly. Rushing or running up the stairs will more likely cause you to trip and hurt yourself. Possibly even result in falling down the stairs.

#2. If you are a beginner and don't normally take the stairs start out with no weight. Intermediate to advanced can use dumbbells, soup cans, or even tote bags filled with books.

#3. Start by standing at the bottom of the staircase and placing one foot on the bottom step.

#4. Step up each leg one at a time by placing all of the weight on your heel and by keeping your hamstrings, quadriceps and glutes strong while driving up through the foot until both feet are on the same step. Perform one set of 10 to 15 reps on the first foot and then switch sides, doing the other foot first.

Ideas for More Variety

#1. Alternate feet.

#2. Side Step. Turn sideways and step up the stairs facing sideways. Try adding a lateral raise while lifting the free leg out to the side.

#3. Reverse step up. Start by standing on the bottom step. Step off the stair with one foot. This will bend the knee of the leg remaining on the step. Straighten the leg to bring the foot back up to the step.

#4. Stairs can also be used for uneven squats (one foot on, one foot off) and lunges, by placing one foot on the step. The back foot on the step will make lunges much more challenging.

#5. Do Cardio and Weight Lifting Intervals. Time yourself for 2 minutes and try cardio intervals on your stairs in between weight lifting sets. Remember to wear running shoes and don't go too fast or else you will risk falling.

Yoga Class Etiquette 101

Practicing yoga is more than an exercise. Its meant relax the mind and bring peace to the body. Sadly not everyone knows about a number of often unspoken etiquette rules. There are many yoga instructors, many personal trainers and many yoga studios in Toronto. But sadly very few talk about etiquette for yoga or other exercise activities.

For many people their yoga practice is more than exercise. It is their whole mind and body well-being lifestyle. The studio is their sacred place, a place of quiet and relaxation. Here are a few tips on courtesy to avoid making a yoga studio faux pas:

#1. No Talking in the Studio

If you practice yoga with your friends, keep the pre and post catching up in the lobby. Some studio change rooms even discourage discussion because some people feel uncomfortable with talking while they are half-naked and changing their clothes.

#2. Bring a Yoga Mat Bag without a Zipper or Velcro

Walking into the yoga studio to set up and causing a loud ZIPPING NOISE is just as disruptive as talking! A bag with strings, a carrying strap or even a fabric sleeve is preferable.

#3. Give Others Plenty of Space

Personal space is important to people practicing yoga. In a crowded studio be sure to move your mat over as comfortably as possible to make room for other students. Don't hog space if the space is limited.

#4. Help put Straps and Blocks back

If you borrow equipment such as straps and blocks, be sure to put anything back as you originally found it. Don't expect the studio staff to clean up after you! If you rent a mat, disinfect and hang to dry.

#5. Don't Stare at Other People

Think of it like being on the TTC subway. Don't stare at the other passengers, or in this case, yoga practitioners.

#6. If you are new, head to the back

From the back you can see more experienced students and learn from them, without staring at them too much. If you are a new student and practice in the front, not only are you likely taking the spot that advanced students need to check form, but the students behind you may follow your lead without realizing you are an inexperienced yoga newb!

#7. Try to Arrive Early

Lateness and disrupting a class currently in session is a big no-no. You should also avoid leaving early and disrupting the class by quitting early and making noise as you leave.

#8. Turn your Cellphone OFF!

Easy. Press a button, turn off your cellphone. Its like being in a movie theatre. Avoid any unnecessary noises.

How to Stop on Ice Skates

You can't really learn how to skate by reading, but the instructions below should help teach you how to stop on ice skates the next time you go skating. Remember, practice makes perfect. While not easy, once you learn how to pull it off you will never forget.

Method #1. Make an upside down V by pointing / angling your skates together. This will cause you to slow gradually to a stop. This is sometimes known as a "V Stop".

Method #2. While skating forward at a medium or slow speed bend your knees a bit like you're going to sit down. Keep your knees about shoulder width apart. Then turn sideways about 60 to 90 degrees from the direction that you were going before and the action of changing direction will cause your skates to drag on the ice and slow you down. While doing this you will also lean away from the direction you were going. This is sometimes referred to as a Side Stop or Snow Plow.

Practice both of these methods of stopping while ice skating and with time you will be able to stop easily.

Once you have mastered both methods 1 and 2 you can attempt to learn more difficult methods of stopping - such as spinning 180 or even 360 degrees - but don't expect to do that if you can barely skate in the first place.

For private ice skating lessons in Toronto you know who to call!

Yoga can do Amazing and Inspiring Things

The following is an inspirational video which brought tears to my eyes.


If an over-weight and disabled war veteran can do that using yoga, just imagine what you can do when you exercise?

Arthur had given up. He didn't think he could do it. You might not think you can do it either.

But along came "DDP", Diamond Dallas Page, who is an American retired actor/wrestler for the WWE, personal trainer, fitness instructor and yoga instructor. I admit, not your normal yoga practitioner, but he is certainly an athlete.

DDP gave him the instructions and encouragement to do it. And I must say they both did an awesome job of getting Arthur back on his feet and walking again.

And that is proof of how a personal trainer can help change your life. Regardless of whether you live in Toronto or California.

Weight Lifting Sets + Self Control

Finding the motivation and energy to do all your weight lifting sets can sometimes be a challenge.

BUILDING ENDURANCE FIRST

Part of the problem is endurance. Many people who get into weight lifting at the beginning are trying to lift as much as they can, at the max, but after lifting 5 to 10 times need to take a break. After their break they lift another 10 times... then another break. They're lifting so much that they end up taking really long breaks in-between sets. Over a period of 60 minutes they might do this 10 times total (if the have the stamina for that), lifting the weight 100 times total, before giving up.

Trying to lift such large amounts is the first part of their problem. They see other (bigger) men at the gym lifting large amounts and they're trying to prove they can do it. This is more an ego problem for men than for women. Women might still try to prove they can do it, but they won't be so worried about it as the male ego will be.

What should be doing instead is a smaller amount of weight, but lifting it 50 times before taking a break. (Knowing math helps with this.)

Lets pretend for example that in 60 minutes you lift 10 sets of 10, of 300 lbs. Total 10 x 10 x 300 = 30,000 lbs. So at 30 minutes that is averaging 500 lbs per minute.

Instead what a person should be doing is 10 sets of 50, of 120 lbs. Total 10 x 50 x 120 = 60,000 lbs. So that is lifting an average of 1,000 lbs per minute.

Who do you think got the better workout? Who do you think will gain more muscle and/or more endurance?

During a strength training program there is a lot of benefits to building endurance first. If you're planning to be at the gym for an hour every day, but spend most of that time catching your breath and you run out of steam easily then you're not really lifting much weights, are you?

By building endurance first so you can workout the entire hour with minimal breaks, and then gradually increase the amount of weight you are lifting on a weekly or bi-weekly basis then you will be maximizing both your endurance and your weightlifting.

Tip! Having smaller free weights and dumbbells can help you to build endurance/strength faster because you can do a greater variety of exercises using free weights than you would with exercise machines.

SELF CONTROL + JOURNAL

When doing a strength training program, and trying to get beyond the level of absolute beginner, adding more than one set per muscle group is ideal. Doing multiple sets is a necessity. If you only do 1 set of 5, you aren't really challenging yourself. You need to give yourself a specific number of sets, a known number for each set, and a specific weight you want to lift for each set. For best results keep a JOURNAL of the total number of sets you did, how many repetitions, what weight you did, and you can even track how much rest time you gave yourself between sets. A good thing to track is also how well you were feeling when you got to the gym (eg. hungry, tired, upset, etc) because your mood and emotions can often effect your stamina and self control.

With longer sets and multiple sets there is an increase of blood flow to the muscle, and it stimulates better growth/development and therefore, strength building. The reason for this is because your body responds better to endurance strength building methods, building muscle faster than it would if you were just trying to lift larger amounts with only 1 set.

You also want to alternate which body parts you are focused on. A good technique is to alternate upper and lower body exercises on a daily basis. You also want to use a variety of different exercises that target different muscles. Only targeting 1 set of muscles (eg. biceps) won't really help you that much. You need to be thinking of muscle groups like dominoes. If you want to grow your biceps, then you also need to exercise all the other muscles surrounding the biceps if you want to get better results.

Only focusing on one specific muscle is also extremely boring. To maintain motivation and increase self control it helps to do a variety of different exercises. You get bored less and you will get better results.

In your journal make a list of exercise machines or free weight exercises you like doing. Then start tracking how many you do during an hour at the gym. Track your rest times too if possible.

Once you know what exercises you enjoy, try to make a routine or a circuit you can do every time you go to the gym. Track everything in your journal.

When bored, add extra exercises and try new things to spice up your weight lifting workout. Having the journal will help you keep focused and having a list of "chores" to do at the gym will help keep you on track with your goals.

Breathing Exercises during Yoga

Before a yoga class starts, it is a good practice to do some breathing exercises while waiting for the teacher. Breathing exercises help you to become more aware of your body. Perception and awareness is very important to yoga and as human beings we are basically trapped in our minds, we sometimes lose awareness of how our bodies are feeling and lose focus on what body parts might be paining us.

As you begin the class many yoga teachers will tell you to clear the mind (easier said than done), to leave the past and future behind and focus on the present moment. With practice such brain exercises can build your mental self-control, and knowing a few breathing exercises you can focus on helps build this self-control.

If you think about your breathing, practice different breathing patterns and do it consciously you will notice it requires your concentration to do. Trying to do so while distracted will cause you to revert to your natural breathing pattern and to daydream about other things.

When combined with yoga movements, you add an extra level of difficulty to your yoga activities - but after awhile it's amazing how easy that becomes.

When many people start a yoga class their mind is a mess. Even without thoughts of what needs to be done, they are probably stressing over the idea of being in a challenging class for 60 or 90 minutes. By the time class is over, you may feel that it not only did it feel like a mere 15 minutes, but you may feel mentally and physically refreshed. (Although to be fair, some yoga classes will be more exhausting and leave you tired, sweating and hungry.)

In which case breathing exercises are also good to do AFTER yoga. It will help keep you feeling relaxed and refreshed (or relax you after a particularly grueling yoga lesson).

TIP!

Try breathing naturally, at your own pace, and count your breaths to 10. Sounds pretty simple, right? Yet due to our wandering minds, most of us lose track many times along the way. When it happens, start over again without frustration or worry. Its the learning process and journey that matters, not how many times you fail. Counting your breaths is not a game to win or a skill to master. Instead, it's an instant, ever-handy way to deepen your awareness and concentration.