Have you ever heard a conversation regarding weight loss go something like this 'I have a slow metabolism so it's harder for me to lose weight'? Or conversely 'I can't gain weight because I have a fast metabolism'.  If you've made efforts to lose weight yourself, or work in the health & fitness industry, no doubt you've heard such a conversation. And it makes sense. If our metabolism is the sum-total of all the reactions occurring in the body i.e. anabolism + catabolism, than a faster metabolism should burn calories and a slower one less. Well James Krieger, one of the presenters at our Okanagan Strength & Conditioning Conference, gave a great presentation on the fact that metabolism is not as important in determining who is lean and who is obese or overweight. Krieger was able to present evidence that our metabolism is not the gatekeeper with respect to our level of leanness. [caption id="attachment_5135" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Where your body expends calories. In the pie chart above we see that over the course of a day we spend energy in three different ways including our metabolism (60-75%), the food we eat (10%) and through our physical activity (15-30%). We already mentioned that our metabolism, or RMR in the pie chart, doesn't account for how lean we are. When he looked at feeding, also known as the thermic effect of feeding, Krieger presented that while there is a difference in the amount of energy we expend to eat protein compared to carbs and fats this wasn't enough of a value to account for the difference in leanness. So this left physical activity as the only possible contributor to how lean someone is or isn't. [caption id="attachment_5136" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Physical activity can be broken down into exercise and Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT). And there were a...

Recently we've been discussing metabolism, how the body burns calories and things that put the breaks on our metabolism. In this post I'm going to discuss a situation that is not too uncommon among female fitness enthusiasts and may be leaving them frustrated with their weight loss efforts.[caption id="attachment_4117" align="alignleft" width="300"] Cardio: One of the things that makes fat loss harder.Normally I don't like to generalize but this is a unique situation and applies to many. And hopefully for those that recognize themselves when reading the sections below they are able to make some changes in their weight loss efforts and realize better results.The type of person I'm referring to here is one where the following conditions apply:* they have a weight loss goal* they prefer cardiovascular exercise as the preferred means of exercise* they employ a severe caloric restriction in an attempt to lose weight* they have plateaued in their weight loss efforts* they are stressed or are becoming so due to the lack of results they are realizingDoes this sound familiar? I think every gym I have every been a member at over my entire life has at least one if not a few female members that fit this profile to a 't'.You know what I mean? They are the members that are at the gym everyday. And not just everyday but first thing in the morning when it opens. And then maybe again after work when for a second workout.But these workouts aren't intense lifting sessions. And they aren't metabolic circuits. Instead these are purely marathon cardio sessions. These individuals have their machines of choice and always perform the same workout, on the same machine, at the same intensity at the same time of day.Guess what happens as the body gets used to an activity? It gets more...

  I had another topic planned for today but someone asked if I would cover this one instead. Since more and more people have been asking me about cleanses lately I thought I might as well cover this topic now. But first I need to ask you a few questions. How you ever done a cleanse? What were your reasons for doing so?   Was it drop some weight quickly to get ready for a beach vacation?   To fit into an outfit?   To rid your body of toxins?     Because Oprah said so? (just kidding, I don't want to get sued by O)   You might laugh at the last one but it's unfortunate what our rationales are for doing a cleanse. And they are rarely due to the advice of a medical professional. Instead they seem to be based on the anecdotal evidence of friends and family. What do I mean by that?   Well the benefits of cleanses aren't front page news on the cover of JAMA or other medical journals. Instead it is usually a friend that has done this exact cleanse before, lost 7 lbs and feels great. And oh yeah, this friend is usually a distributor for a supplement you need to take during the cleanse.   (what a cynic I am, right?)   But seriously if weight loss is your goal, what would you expect to happen if you stopped eating food for a week or longer? Some cleanses last as long as 45 days.   And when you stop eating for this much time, what do you think happens to your metabolism? It comes to a screeching halt. And with a slower metabolism body fat will increase over time.   Doesn't seem worth it to me.   But what about the benefits of all the...