Beer or Bikini?
20 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
Beer or Bikini… because you can’t choose both! Can you?!
It’s hot outside, so what do you do? Do you head to the local drinking hole to sit out on the patio, guzzle a few pints and get one of those wicked half body tans? OR do you suggest that everyone slip into a bathing suit, slap on some sunscreen and head to the beach? A lot of personal trainers will tell you that if you want to lose weight, your alcohol consumption needs to be nill. I am here to separate fact from fiction and let you know that you can have your beer, and drink it too!
Ahhh, the infamous beer belly… I mean, sounds pretty straight forward right? But consuming copious amounts of beer will not cause you to grow a gut… or even gain any weight at all! But before you go running out to the keg with your funnel… there is some truth to this myth.
The key to weight loss, gain, and maintenance is calories in vs calories burned in a day. This includes calories that we drink of course, which people sometimes fail to take into account. As long as you sacrifice equivalent calories from food that day, you won’t gain any weight by sipping on some brewskies. But I’m not telling everyone to go out and drink their faces off…
So if drinking beer will not make me gain weight, what’s with the beer belly you ask? Well the problem is not the beer, it’s the alcohol. When we drink alcohol a few things happen in our bodies that can contribute to a less than flattering bikini bod:
#1 Alcohol increases your appetite… calories in vs out remember… and for some reason you never seem to crave a salad when you’ve been drinking. You grab that bag of chips and before you realize it… there is an entire bag of cheetos in your belly.
#2 Alcohol goes to your liver and gets turned into an energy source for your body, which is then used as your body’s fuel for the next 24 hours instead of burning… you guessed it… fat.
#3 Alcohol slows the rate at which fat is burned and conveniently stores it for you instead. You may not gain weight but you could very likely be gaining fat (which are completely different things). Where does it decide to deposit this fat? Well, that all depends on where your body tends to store fat and for some people that happens to be the… belly.
#4 Alcohol temporarily supresses testosterone production which can inhibit muscle gain and slow weight loss (that is after the initial surge in testosterone release which has been linked to feelings of the super-human sort).
The lesson here is ditch the patios, pack your bathing suit, some fruit and veggies to nibble on, a bottle of red… and head to the beach… all things in moderation 
I know this is only my second post… I am just getting into the swing of things, the weekly posts will be here soon! Let me know about any tips you may have on developing a good balance of fitness and fun in the summer!
Before We Start
01 Jul 2010 Leave a Comment
Every week I am going to be writing on topics designed to help you get fit, feel beautiful and look great in your clothes! What better way to start than by discussing gym apparel, no? It is a whole new world in the gym, one that comes with unwritten rules… one that requires sneakers. In a perfect world there would be gym police, there to serve (perhaps some more water please?)and protect (maybe from the two muscle heads fist fighting in the corner). But since they sadly don’t exist, I am here to help you avoid making the same mistakes that I have witnessed people making for years, mistakes that they should have done hard time for.
Lets start at the bottom and work our way up. Before your first day at the gym, please… please get yourself some new sneakers! Reason #1 being that it is an awesome way to rationalize the purchase of a new pair of shoes. Reason #2… you need them… to save face and feet! I have seen people go bare foot in the gym. By the way, there is actually a written rule against this because it is both dangerous and distasteful. Maybe getting athletes foot will somehow get you an extra few days vacation? If not, buy a good pair of running shoes if you are going to be running, cross-trainers will fit the bill for all other gym activities. I bought some lightweight Adidas shoes that you can literally feel the air passing through as you walk. Best decision I have ever made for weight-training apparel, my feet have thanked me ever since! As per my athlete’s foot comment (which is not the only thing you can catch)… buy some flip-flops to bring along and avoid letting your tender tootsies make any type of contact with the floor.
Bottoms Up! When choosing what to wear on your bottom half, you need to consider how often you will find yourself in the aforementioned position. If you are just going to be on the cardio machines then shorts are your best bet to remain cool, long… short… doesn’t matter, gravity is on your side! But for the times when it is not, you may want to opt for a longer option. For some unknown reason, there will always be that one guy at the gym who always seems to position himself right within your line of sight and seems to have missed the memo… short, loose shorts + lifting leg in air = nothing nice.
When it comes to tops again cardio machine rules can differ some from the weight room. When doing cardio it is generally more comfortable to wear sleeveless tops in fabrics with incredible moisture wicking abilities (i.e. you feel dry even though you are not). The less fabric available to be glued to your skin, the more comfortable you will be. Always keeping in mind what is appropriate of course, some gyms require full length t-shirts with sleeves, which is meant to avoid any of the issues that come with showing too much… we are here to work out people. But even in those gyms the rules are generally not applied to the cardio room, only the weight room. In the weight room I strongly suggest covering as much as possible, A. to avoid unwanted attention and B. because gyms are full of germs lurking on every surface. Don’t believe me? go to the washroom and see how many people head out without washing their hands. Do you think that exercise fanatics stay home every time they get a cold or flu?… don’t think so. Also, a very small proportion of people wipe down machines and even fewer to almost none wipe down free weights after they use them, can we say disinfectant wipes anyone?! If everyone kept their sweat to themselves it would be a much cleaner place, but until then… cover up and avoid a bad case of heebie jeebies at best.
People that I have seen miss the boat completely… and quite frankly made me question their sanity, earning a top spot on my never ever do this/what were you thinking list, include; a man who ALWAYS wears a pair of scrubs to work out… what?!… at least I managed to convince him one day that he definitely needed to put on some shoes and socks (in other words I asked a very tall… very muscular man to tell him for me). The other top spot goes to all people who exercise in their work suits, tie and all, and if I need to explain why this is wrong… it can only mean that you are one of them.
Accessorize! but fellas… leave your hats at home, honestly, bad hair days are universal at the gym. Hats only serve the purpose of making you look silly (especially touques…what is that about?) and not to mention they produce a lot of sweat and an unwelcome smell. Sweat bands and non-gang related bandanas are an acceptable alternative and generally keep you from touching your face, which is a good thing… remember what I mentioned about germs?… that is what you are washing your face with as you go to wipe the sweat off. I am a huge fan of using gloves while weight training because they keep you from developing calluses and prevent you from slipping off of the chin up bar or throwing the weights around the room, thus enhancing your performance. Grab a towel, fill up your water bottle, plug-in the iPod… trust me! and you are ready to go!
