Target Area Weight Loss: Is it Possible?

Beer belly, jumbo thighs, and a big butt are physical problems people possess. How do you fix these issues? Will working the abs get rid of your belly fat? Will completing leg and butt exercises slim that area down? There is a simple answer: no. Working certain areas will build muscle in that section, but if there is still fat there then the muscle won’t show. However, just wait, because the way you thought was best to lose body fat might not be the way I am about to explain. Learn how to work for the body you want.

Calories (unit of energy) are a key component of losing weight. Consuming the energy and releasing it is the essence of weight gain/loss. The average body burns 1400 calories a day (1000-1800 calories) just by functioning. Adding in physical activity and other tasks would probably put the body at burning 2000 calories a day. As I state in a prior blog post, a pound weighs 3500 calories. Now the way you want to go about losing this weight is up to you. You can either simply start cutting back on calories until you become slim, or you can go the quicker route of exercising while becoming toned.

Burning the Fat

What is the best way to go about burning fat? Answer: Building Muscle. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn, even when you’re not doing anything. This is because the metabolic rate is higher. Cardio is great for burning calories but it isn’t necessarily the best for building muscle, and in many cases weight lifting will actually burn more calories than cardio! This doesn’t mean just stick to weight lifting, but an equal balance would be best suited for those looking to lose fat.

Cardio doesn’t mean going for a jog or a pleasant bike ride. Focus on the intensity of the workout rather than how long you are doing them.  There is not one perfect routine or one exercise that will miraculously get you a six pack or the toned body you want in just four weeks like the gimmicks will tell you.  Make sure to exercise a healthy amount and do not overdue it! After working a specific muscle, always allow at least two full days of rest before training that area again. Those looking to be constantly working out should switch days up between weight lifting and cardio in order to maximize calories burned while still getting the rest needed.

Targeting an Area

Okay so now how do you get that six pack, toned butt, or ripped body that you wanted?  Continue to work out all the other muscles in order to build up the metabolic rate. However, when the day comes for you to work out your abs for example, don’t spend extra time on them, but rather focus on them more. Many people will believe a good 40 minute ab workout will help them. If you’re doing a 40 minute ab workout, I don’t know how you’re able to keep up the intensity. A solid 20, absolutely no more than  30 minute ab workout will get you the results you want. Same goes for all muscle groups. In order to pick up the intensity of the workout always strive to do better than you did your last workout. Constantly have the urge to push yourself and think “one more rep!”

A rookie mistake would be to workout this targeted area three times or more a week. The body DOES NOT build muscle while you are exercising. In fact the body is tearing away at the muscle. The muscle building starts in the recovery process which is why it is important to eat healthy and supply yourself with the nutrients your body needs. My “Discovering the Perfect Diet” (https://mroulic.wordpress.com/2013/09/10/discovering-the-perfect-diet/) article is a great reference for what foods you should be eating. Remember that resting and nutrition are key.

It is Possible

Working out an area will not make you lose weight in that area, but it is possible to lose the fat desired throughout the body and get the toned area of muscle you want. There are many ways to achieve it, but there is only one goal. The quickest way to achieve this goal is develop a balance of cardio and weight lifting, increase the intensity level of cardio exercises, and attack the area you desire to build upon on days you should.

A goal without pain is just a wish. Decide how you want your body to change and then do it. There are many people out there working at the same goal and there are many people that try and don’t believe it’s possible. Be better than them and achieve it. You’ll feel great, you’ll look great, and you’ll be a new and more confident person.

I appreciate all the recommendations for topics to write on and please, keep them coming! If you have any questions or comments make sure to check out the “About the Author” page for information on how to contact me.

-Michael Roulic

Exploding Out of the Weight Loss Slump

Everyone will hit a point in their training when they stop seeing results. This period of time is called a “plateau.” Plateaus can occur for muscle gains and mass gains, but a majority of the people are concerned with weight loss plateaus. Many are left pondering why they stopped seeing the drop in weight they have been accustomed to, while others are wondering why they can’t seem to get the dial spinning on their weight loss. Well, there is a reason, and no, it is not your genetics!

Reason #1: Your body is accustomed to the exercises it has been performing. Running for 40 minutes is great exercise, and you will lose weight doing this. However, the body will adapt to it and your weight loss path will end shortly. Think of it this way: If you teach a five-year old multiplication they would be considered very smart and it is healthy for the kid to know this skill. However, if this is all the kid is being taught and they don’t know how to divide, use fractions, or learn decimal points; then their multiplication skill decreases in its value. Relating this to health: By constantly performing the same exercises every single workout, you will get used to it and won’t receive the results you expected.

Reason #2: You wake up in the morning: Eat a bowl of cereal and grab your coffee; later for a snack have a granola bar; then lunch comes and you have your chicken salad; then for dinner that night you decide to have pasta and maybe something small for desert. This doesn’t appear to be that unhealthy and typically an average person would eat this. So what is wrong with this scenario? It is repetitive!!! Eating the same foods every day is exactly like performing the same workouts all the time. Eating healthy is great, but when it is the same routine over and over again, you’re not helping your cause.

Reason #3: Going to the gym 3 times a day will not help. Overworking the body will only cause it to start depleting muscle and wear out from exhaustion. Recovering from workouts is always a key stage in the muscle and weight loss development process.

How to Conquer this Weight Loss Slump!

Tip#1: Constantly change up the workout routine. If you have been only doing cardio, then add weights. If you have only been doing weights, then add cardio. Maybe you have been going on 40 minute runs at a good pace. Well try running for 30 minutes at a faster pace or 50 minutes at a slower pace. If you have been stuck on the elliptical for quite some time then try switching to the bicycle or vice versa. For people big on weight training, try to increase reps and lower weight or decrease reps and increase weight.

Changing the routine is also a very key factor. Don’t do the same workout every day 3 times a week. Come up with a 3 or 4 day plan and complete this each week for maybe 4-6 weeks then switch up the routine again.

Tip #2: Eat a variety of healthy foods. Incorporate many kinds of meats, whole grains, vegetables, and dairy products in your everyday diet. Although, it can always be hard to make these kinds of purchases and find time to cook this food, eating a variety can make a big difference. Try grilling your meats and preparing the vegetables on the weekend to have them ready for during the week.

Tip #3: Keep track of your activity. I’m not saying to count calories or keep a workout log, but if you aware of what your body is consuming and the energy being produced, then you might be a little more self-conscious about getting another helping of ice cream or skipping the gym. Try writing down what foods you eat and how long you exercise for. An example would be if for dinner you eat pasta and vegetables, then write down one helping of pasta and vegetables. You might be able to catch unhealthy habits you didn’t notice before.

Tip #4: Take time off. If you’re struggling to get the results you want, then take a week or two off to recover and rest up. This will help you become more energized and motivated to get back at it.

Everyone has a certain niche when talking about exercise and health. Some people love to run and that’s the only way they exercise while others will only have a bowl of cereal for breakfast and nothing else. Healthy habits are good to build, but changing up your daily routine will not only help your physical attributes, but it will keep you mentally energized as well.

There is nothing better than seeing results. Try not to get caught up in the number of pounds, and try caring of appearance only. Yes, the pounds are a great and easy way to track results, but remember that muscle weighs more than fat! You may not be losing weight, but you could be burning fat and you just don’t realize it. Pick a goal, tell people about it, and then accomplish it.

Thank you for reading and make sure to check the “About the Author” page for contact information. Please contact me with any advice on future articles as well as questions on prior ones!

-Michael Roulic

Sexual Release: Does it Help or Harm Competitiveness?

Both men and women have a competitive nature and a desire to complete a task. Whether it is to get a promotion, work harder and longer hours, or compete in an athletic event; this competitiveness relates to everyday activity. How much will and desire does one person have to compete and work hard? That is a different question. There are many factors that come into effect including sleep, eating patterns, and overall health. However, most people believe that love life and sexual release have an effect on competitive edge, whether it’s for the better or the worse. Now, the question is: does it have a positive, a negative, or no effect at all on competitiveness?

Having sex and having a girlfriend/wife are two completely different scenarios. Being in a relationship does not physically affect the body at all. It can affect your emotions at any time for the good or bad. This could cause stress on the mind which every person reacts to differently. Key things to consider are the fact that some of the biggest competitors in the world including Kobe Bryant, Tom Brady, and Derek Jeter have girlfriends or wives. Even other successful figures such as Mark Cuban or Bill Gates have families. Having a love life would not necessarily affect one’s competitive edge.

Muhammad Ali, arguably the most famous world-champion boxer, gave up sex before a fight because he believed it would snap his strength. Many other athletes would consider the same thing. Former Olympic distance runner of the 1960s, Marty Liquori, summed it up simply: “Sex makes you happy. Happy people don’t run a 3:47 mile.”

With these inputs, many scientists took it to the lab to study and come up with their own conclusion. Dr. Tommy Boone, a fellow with the American Society of Exercise Physiologists, conducted a study that found no difference in treadmill tests between men who had sex 12 hours earlier and those who didn’t. There have been many tests conducted on the correlation between sexual intercourse and performance. Neil Baum, M.D., an associate clinical professor at Tulane Medical School in Louisiana said that people would argue that sex decreases testosterone levels, a hormone that is released during athletic and competitive activity. “But I’ve never seen any evidence that proves sex has an impact on testosterone levels,” he says. By abstaining sex and refraining from it, this won’t cause the body to build up testosterone it can build up later.

Sex only burns about 250 calories an hour. Therefore it does not have much of any physical effect on the body. Whether it will help or hurt your performance is your own interpretation. For many people, sex will help distract the mind from competing which will help sweep away mental fatigue. Whether this is good or bad depends upon who you are.

For those wondering what is right for them, a suggestion would be to not try anything new before a big event. This could throw you off completely. Stick with what feels comfortable, but the correlation between sex and competition is an idea to consider.

Thank you for reading, and if you have any questions feel free to comment. Some of the next articles to come include: how to exercise while on a busy schedule and how to get out of your weight loss or plateau slump. Stay tuned for more to come!

Have any ideas for future blogs or want to learn about a certain topic? Feel free to let me know, and I will be happy to write a post. Also, interested in writing your own blog post? Become part of the Health Expo team and be a contributing author. Please contact me!

-Michael Roulic

Discovering the Perfect Diet

Working out is only half of the battle when it comes to staying healthy. Why is dieting so essential if you’re burning calories through exercise and still staying active? For one, a healthy diet means the body will function properly without the risk of heart failure or clogged arteries. However, many young adults don’t take this into concern when they think about dieting. Some people focus on shredding weight and fat, while others want to do the opposite and pack on weight while bulking up. This is all very understandable to the people that care about their appearance! People try all sorts of diets that they read about or the latest gimmick supplement given to them, but dieting has been around for centuries. Realize that sticking to the basics is what has been proven to work best. I won’t be giving anyone a meal plan, but I will try to guide people to the food sources that will give them the results they want. Here is how to shred weight, the healthy way:

Healthy Weight Loss

The perfect diet involves a variety of food. This means it is best not to eat the same food every day.  As I have previously stated in my earlier blog, (https://mroulic.wordpress.com/2013/08/27/5-daily-ways-to-cut-fat-and-lose-weight-without-exercising/) breakfast is key to boosting the metabolism. Within the first half hour of waking up, it is best to replenish the body of nutrients it has lost throughout sleep. Furthermore, eating about every 3 hours is essential in order to keep the metabolism high and the body functioning properly.

Quick Tips:

Drink 2 glasses of water upon waking up

Stay away from pre-packaged and processed food

Eat a piece of fruit before working out, and have a meal within an hour after

Now, what should you eat and when? A simple rule of thumb for people trying to lose weight is to have carbs during the day and eat protein at night. Whenever you’re hungry, snack on vegetables. Stay away from trans and saturated fats.

Your meal plan is as simple as that. Going into further detail, the body will be able to burn off the carbohydrates throughout the day. This will prevent the storage of fat while sleeping. What do healthy carbohydrates consist of? Whole grains, fruits, beans, and vegetables are great choices. Vegetables are low in calories and high in minerals, so even though they’re considered carbs, eating these at any time can only help the body (Green vegetables are the best vegetables. Red and yellow are good too). Fruit specifically act as a natural source of sugar and can give you a  boost of energy. Fruits should be eaten in abundance throughout the morning and afternoon. However, eating fruit in the evening/night is controversial because this could lead to the conversion of sugar to fat.

Quick Facts- Healthiest Foods: 

Avocados, raspberries, almonds, broccoli, spinach, and salmon

Protein consists of dairy, meat/poultry, and seafood. Keep in mind that the healthiest foods containing protein are seafood, chicken, turkey, and eggs. Red meat is okay to have once in a while, but it is very high in saturated fat. Meat that isn’t high in saturated fats are usually always a healthy choice. This doesn’t mean go overboard and eat too much meat, but the fat in your diet should originate from dairy products, meats, and omega-3 fatty acids.

Eating omega-3 fatty acids will actually help you burn fat! These acids are a key factor in the fat burning process. Another function of omega-3s includes prevention of internal diseases (e.g. heart failure, cancer, cardio vascular disease).  Now, where can someone get their daily value of omega-3 fatty acids? Well, oils, nuts and fish are all great sources. Olive oils and almonds are the best of their food group, while all sorts of fish contain healthy fats as well.

Quick Facts- Fat Burning Foods: 

Grapefruit, watermelon, berries, hot peppers, celery, greek yogurt, eggs, fish, green tea

All of the information I just stated may seem overwhelming. Don’t forget that dieting is just about the basics! The key points to be taken from this article:

-stay away from carbs at night

-have lots of vegetables to cure your hunger

-eat once every 3 hours to keep the metabolism high (including breakfast!)

-omega-3 fatty acids are a great source of fat intake

-Daily fats should come from natural substances

-variety is key!

A lasting note to make is never get discouraged. It takes 4 weeks for you to see results, 8 weeks for your friends to notice, and 12 weeks for everyone else. By working at your goal, you’ll feel great physically and mentally.

Thank you for reading, and if you have any questions, please feel free to comment.

-Michael Roulic

7 Workout/Health Myths…Busted!

People make many false assumptions when it comes to working out and keeping up their physical health. Here is the truth about the best ways to stay healthy

1. Myth: Cardio is the best fat burner

Cardio is not the best way to exercise when it comes to burning fat. In reality cardio only burns calories and in most cases, the heart doesn’t exceed a rate in which fat can be burned. Weight training is the best way to burn the most fat overall because fat continues to shred even after the workout is over. Circuit training is specifically a great way to burn fat by keeping the heart rate high and oxygen consumption maximized, resulting in the number of calories a person would burn throughout the day. Circuit training consists of choosing a set of exercises that would benefit the entire body, performing all of them in a row, rest, and repeat.

2. Myth: Diet drinks are healthier

In reality, diet soda is worse for you than regular soda. Why is this no calorie, sugar-free drink worse for your body? Well, it’s because your body doesn’t recognize the substances consumed and therefore it causes your digestive tract to dysfunction and be stored as fat instead of properly digested. Lesson is, if you must have a sugary drink; don’t try to cheat your way around it. Stick to the real thing!

3. Myth: The longer the workout, the better results

This is a common misconception among many people and gym rats. The best workout last between 30-45 minutes when not only is your body functioning at its best, but the mind is as well. The fact of the matter is that the body starts burning fat and calories as soon as you begin to exercise. Therefore, any exercise is better than no exercise! Furthermore, overworking your body can cause the depletion of muscle as well as causing the mind to not want to go through that kind of workout again. Make your workouts quick, but productive. Don’t waste time on your phone or talking to people, and you can complete the perfect workout in just 30 minutes!

4. Myth: You need a gym membership to get results

This is a completely false statement.  In fact, lifting body weight can be healthier in a lot of cases because it doesn’t cause any joint pains and reduces the risk of straining the muscles. There are a variety of pushups, squats, lunges, ab exercises, and even more to do. Click the link to find exercises that do not involve equipment http://www.ivillage.com/30-minutes-sleek-physique-no-equipment-workout-you-can-do-anywhere/4-b-296954#296955. For beginners, it would actually benefit working out at home at first and get comfortable with certain forms while building strength. Then, you would have the option of heading to the gym with confidence.

5. Myth: Eggs are bad for your heart

Eggs have been known to have high cholesterol, but this doesn’t mean it raises blood cholesterol. What really raises the blood cholesterol are saturated fats and trans fats. Eggs contain 2 grams of saturated fat and no trans-fat. Eating one egg a day would be an ideal amount for the perfect diet.

6. Myth: You can lose ten pounds in two weeks

You can probably lose ten pounds in two weeks if you fast a majority of days, but you’ll feel terrible and you will gain it all back when you start eating normally again. The fact of the matter is, to lose one pound, you need to eliminate 3500 calories (equivalent to a pound of fat). In order to lose one pound each week, the body must cut 500 calories out every single day. These 500 calories can be cut out through dieting and exercise.

7. Myth: You need recovery supplements

The only thing your body needs after a good workout is nutrition. People often take protein powder and other supplements after a workout, but these can be costly. It’s unnecessary to buy them and in certain cases they can even harm your body!  After working out, it’s important to consume protein and twice as many grams of carbs to recover. A lot of supplements are unhealthy to take in the long run so make sure to research what you’re taking before you consume it. Nothing is wrong with taking protein powder, but not taking it won’t be the reason you don’t see results. Supplements are not needed to reach your goals!!!

Many people will develop their own opinions when it comes to working out and what’s best for you. The best advice I have is to look it up yourself and make your own judgment.

If you have any questions or feedback on my article please feel free to comment or contact me.  Also, if there is any topic you are interested in learning more about please do the same and I will address it in my next post. Stay tuned for more health and workout information to come!

-Michael Roulic