If I stop lifting weights, will my muscle turn into fat?

Muscle and Fat are two completely different cells in the body, and are unable to change from one into the other. What happens when you stop exercising is that the body’s metabolism slows down and becomes less efficient at using calories for energy. The result is an increase in stored fat and a decrease in muscle tone.

When should I lift heavy weights?

Increasing the weight you’re working out with will actually help you from reaching a training "plateau." If we exercise in the same fashion all the time, our bodies get used to the stress we've placed on it, and accommodate to preserve calories (survival mode). To prevent this from happening, we need to switch from lifting light weights and several repetitions to heavy weights, low reps ideally about every 3 to 4 weeks.

Will weights make me look bulky?

Due to the fact that women do not and cannot produce as much testosterone as men do, it’s impossible for women to gain huge amount of muscle mass unless using anabolic steroids in conjunction with an aggressive weight training program and bulking diet.

Is walking considered cardio?

No! Walking has a minimal effect on your level of cardiovascular fitness, in order to benefit from aerobic exercise; you must achieve what’s known as a "training effect," which stresses your body sufficiently. For most people, this is training at 55 to 85% or your predicted maximum heart rate.

Will cardio alone tone up my body?

Unfortunately, the answer is no! Cardiovascular exercise is vital to our health in order to take oxygen into the lungs and blood; it strengthens our heart and immune system, and reduces the risk of many diseases. Even though this form of exercise stimulates our muscles, it doesn’t effectively build or increase the size of the muscle cell. Without lifting weights or strength training the muscles will not grow, nor will they become as metabolically efficient, and the result is less calories burned in a given day preventing you from losing unwanted body weight.

More is not better!

Research shows that an aerobic exercise program that exceeds more than four 45-minute sessions per week has a limited effect on improving your aerobic capacity and doing more than 1.5 hours per week may actually be counterproductive if you’re trying to lose weight.

Best sources of protein.

Protein is essential to the body and is responsible for the growth and repair of our muscles, hormones, and absorption of nutrients into the muscle cells. Your body uses protein to make structural and biochemical reactions that are required for muscle contraction, cardiovascular function, and immunity from disease.

The best sources of protein contain the highest Amino Acid composition, which are the building blocks of protein and muscle tissue. The best sources, with the highest amount of amino acids are listed below in order of highest to lowest biological value.

Whey Protein 106-159
Eggs 100
*Cow's Milk 91
Fish 83
Casein Protein 80
Beef 80
Chicken 79
Soy 74

Keep in mind, it's always best to consume the most natural sources of protein whenever possible. Look for organic, free-range or grass fed, natural, cage-free, steroid/antibiotic free. This should provide the healthiest, leanest, and safest forms of protein, which will benefit you the most.

Yours in good health,

Boone Ebel

*Dairy products are only recommended if they're organic and unpastureized.

Don't be fooled.

Good marketing will get our attention, and great marketing will encourage us to do, believe, or buy just about anything. Let's take the low-carb diet for example, for years this country avoided carbohydrates like the plague...all because of a great marketing campaign. Sure, a lot of people lost weight, and cutting carbs will allow you to do this for a short period of time, but carbohydrates are absolutely essential for our body as the primary food source and brain fuel.

The marketing trickery goes beyond just weight loss products and diets, companies are placing labels on food like organic, whole grain, low fat, no trans fat, etc. since we associate these words with being healthy we'll most likely buy it. The sad truth is a majority of these products may contain one ingredient that's organic and the remaining ingredients may read as follows (high fructose corn syrup, wheat gluten, artificial coloring, sulfur dioxide, and BHT to preserve freshness).

From now on, take the extra couple seconds to read the ingredients before you purchase something, you'll be amazed at the foods you once thought to be healthy are loaded with fillers and artificial ingredients. Don't be fooled.

Yours in good health,

Boone A Ebel

Benefits of Beer??

Since it's St. Patrick's Day, I figured it is the perfect time to touch on the topic of beer. Occasionally we'll hear studies come out that claim beer is good for us, and that it prevents some form of cancer, heart disease, etc...

Beer is by no means a healthy food, and the ill effects it has on our body and digestive system far outweigh any of these supposed benefits. First of all, beer is made of yeast, and inside our digestive tract this added yeast (along with sugar) can overgrow and cause a host of serious immune problems and debilitating diseases. Secondly, beer is highly acidic (not that our diet isn't acidic enough to begin with)and it depletes our alkaline minerals leaving us susceptible to chronic and degenerative diseases. Lastly, beer is alcohol, and alcohol is a poison. The liver cannot distinguish between beer or wine or whiskey, so there isn't one that is "better" or "safer" for you. Be smart.

Boone A Ebel

Peanut Butter Recall

As you may have heard, since January 1, 2009 several "nutrition bars" have been recalled due to an outbreak of Salmonella, specifically from peanuts. Here are a few common brands that have been recalled with peanuts as a main ingredient (Balance, Clif, Detour, Kashi, Luna, Odwalla, and Zone Perfect). By no means am I saying that you should avoid these brands, just look closely to the ingredients and make a conscious decision when purchasing your snack bar.

Personally, I believe this recall is a blessing to your health in disguise. There are so many reasons to eliminate peanuts from your diet to begin with, this recall will simply allow us to search for better options. Beyond the widespread peanut allergies so common in the U.S., these nuts have a number of health related issues surrounding them including an interference with metabolic efficeincy, they can inhibit liver function, and often contain Aflotoxins (a toxic carcinogen). If that wasn't enough, they are also highly acidic and can alter the body's pH level.

This recall may indirectly cause people to look for an alternative to peanuts, which will do them more good than they could imagine. If you're wondering what is a better alternative, try almonds, or almond butter. A few peanut-free brands of nutrition bars that I recommend are (Organic Food Bars, Raw Revolution, Larabar).

Boone Ebel

"Running" on Empty

"If you workout first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, you only burn fat."


Madness!


I am amazed by how many students will ask me if this is true. It is one of those "Fitness Myths" that just seem to appear (usually in a informercial - or "magazine" trying to sell you on some get big quick scheme).

When asked, I toss the question back to the student and inquire "how much did you eat while you were sleeping last night"? The answer "nothing" often makes them think about the ZERO FUEL that was ingested for 6 to 8 hours. In other words, your body is in a state of STARVING or FASTING and is CRAVING FUEL. And that fuel is carbs (or blood glucose / stored glycogen).

Without this your body is forced to BREAK DOWN MUSCLE to achieve whatever physical act the misguided exerciser is forcing upon it.

So you take one step forward, and 3 steps back! MADNESS!

by Dr. Jack Barnathan

What should I eat before a workout?

This question comes up so often, I can no longer put off writing about it, especially because of the impact it will have on your training and weight loss efforts. Nutrient timing is the concept of eating the right foods at the right time and applies to both athletes and those looking to lose a few pounds, so here goes...

The idea we'll discuss is about preserving muscle tissues, which are the most metabolically active cells in the body. The more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn, even at rest. Now I am not talking about becoming a bodybuilder, we just want to have more lean mass than body fat, which will give you a leaner more defined look.

When it comes to exercise, the worst thing you could possibly do is workout on an empty stomach...and that includes cardio in the morning! Without getting too scientific here, I just want to explain that the body needs food to operate, just like a car needs gas. Without it, the body will first turn to muscle tissue, and then fat for energy.

So what is the best thing to eat before a training session, and how long after I eat should I wait to workout? These are great questions and I'll answer them in the best case scenario, simply because some people exercise at 5:30am and waking up at two hours before that is just not feasible.

It's best to eat a complex carbohydrate (oatmeal, pasta, bread, cereals, etc) about 1.5 to 2 hours before your training session. If you're a morning person and cannot wake up early enough to follow this rule, try eating a piece of fruit (apple, banana, pear) approximately 20 to 30 minutes before training. Also, include a sports drink like Vitamin Water during your session. Avoid heavy proteins or fats, because they take so long to be digested and are not a primary fuel source like carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are absolutely necessary in your diet to lose fat and will actually work towards preserving muscle tissue.

Remember, the more muscle we have, the leaner and more defined we look, and the more calories we'll burn throughout the day. Carbohydrates are your friend!

Boone A Ebel

The Wheat Weight Gain

In our country, the term "whole grain" has become misused and in my opinion, abused! Many companies are claiming their products are healthy simply by placing the word "whole grain" in big letters on the box or package. They even make claims that a diet rich in whole grains will help you manage or even lose weight by consuming them, which in most cases, couldn't be further from the truth. Don't get me wrong, in order to stay healthy and manage our weight, we need the right type of grains as part of a balanced nutrition plan.

What most companies are using as their whole grain is WHEAT or wheat gluten, which is exactly what we need to avoid. Gluten has been shown to cause weight gain, allergic reactions, and damage to the digestive tract, creating complications that can lead to diseases like Psoriasis, Arthritis, Crohns or Celiac Disease. Listed below are symptoms of a wheat/gluten intolerance.

Abdominal cramping and pain
Bloating and gas
Skin rashes
Bone and joint pain
Anxiety, depression, and fatigue

The good news is that there are alternatives to wheat, these foods are much healthier for you providing unprocessed nutrients, and a better source of carbohydrates. The bad news is that wheat is in just about every commercially manufactured foods like bread, pasta, bagels, cereals, cookies, chips, and the list goes on. Here is the list of gluten free foods that can be found at local health food stores.

Millet
Potato
Quinoa
Brown Rice
Amaranth
Almond
Arrowroot

To find out if you have wheat or gluten issues, talk to a local Naturopathic Doctor and they can perform a food intolerance test.

Spot Reduction

Recently, a participant in one of my classes asked me about losing belly fat, and her initial thought was that we should be doing more "ab work" during class to help reduce those trouble spots. This idea of "spot reduction" is quite common due to all the infomercials and abdominal machines on the market today promising people a great figure and six pack abs simply from using their product.



This couldn't be further from the truth, and unfortunately the body doesn't funtion that way. Reducing body fat is an overall metabolic process and requires several things including strength training exercises, proper nutrition, sleep, and a low level of stress. When all these things are in place, it really comes down to focusing most of your efforts on nutrition, which is the absolute most important for a reduction in body fat.



How can this be achieved? Your diet must be balanced, and you should be burning more calories than you're taking in...without starving yourself (that's the number one pitfall of losing weight)! If you take in too few of calories, the body will actually store fat instead of using it as a form of fuel, not to mention you'll be deprived of nutrients. A balanced diet should provide you with all the essentials (proteins, fats, carbs, vitamins, minerals, and water) in the right proportions, and at the right time of day.

A Committment to Health

Well, my name is Boone A Ebel, I own a fitness company (Valley Trainer) in the Phoenix metro area in Arizona. My company provides personal training, fitness bootcamps, and nutritional cleansing with the Isagenix programs and products.

I've decided to create this blog to help my clients and those who struggle with weight loss challenges gain insight and answers to improve their health and physical appearance. So many people in this country are out of shape, overweight, and an increasing number are clinically obese, I feel compelled to help them in any way I can.

My posts are intended to dispel myths about dieting, training and exercise, weight loss, and anything else related to health and fitness. Some of this material may be opinion based, while other information is factual based on the researched I've done as a fitness professional. It's not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any diseases.

I sure hope it helps.

Boone A Ebel