Use coupon code JMU508 at checkout to save 5% off your order!
Following
7 Sep 10
Planet Fitness and their ridiculously low rates may be spreading faster than a Herpes outbreak (yea, I just said that), but seriously people, it’s not at all what it’s cracked up to be. Planet Fitness may call themselves the “Judgment Free Zone,” however, what does that have to do with setting goals, reaching those goals, and striving to better yourself?
Gyms like Armbrust Pro Gym in Colorado are a prime example of how a true gym should be. A bright, clean, well organized and maintained establishment full of an assortment of cardio equipment, upper and lower body machines, and free weights. A facility like Armbrust has such a diverse selection of machines, no matter who you are and what your body type is, you’re bound to find a piece of equipment that will feel comfortable to you. And no matter whether you’re 18, 38, or 68, man or woman, you get to work redesigning your body into the physique of your mind’s eye!
Planet Fitness may claim that lean, strong, muscular men and women intimidate members that are potentially overweight, out of shape, and new to the facility. What ever happened to seeing men and women in phenomenal shape, training hard, that sparked motivation to get after it in the gym? What ever happened to feeling inspired, to feeling enthusiastic, to feeling motivated to dedicate yourself to sculpting a new you? Well I can tell you what happened to it; it got shut down and disappeared when these bs playgrounds like Planet Fitness starting opening up all over the place, jamming independently owned facilities between a rock and hard place, making it nearly impossible for them to survive.
People thought that leaving a real gym for a cheap place like Planet Fitness would simply save them money. Later they find out they can barely get a serious workout in and are surrounded by people who simply don’t care. They’re just going through the motions hoping its enough, but will never make any real changes. To me, that sounds like the uninspired lazy zone. That sounds like a place for me to go take a nap. It sounds like a joke!
The point to my rant here is everyone starts off as a smaller, weaker, overweight, out of shape version of what they want to become. Though with the right gym, anyone can get after achieving their goals. And rather than letting in shape men and women intimidate, look at them as an example of people who have been there and done that and learned what works. Watch what they do and how they do it, and maybe even pick their brains from time to time. You’ll be amazed at what one could learn and how much you could benefit from a few tips from the right person!
After reading Dr. William Davis’s most recent blog entitled “Men’s lingerie is on the second floor,” I decided everyone should be aware of what visceral fat is and why it’s something you DO NOT want in your body!
According to Dr. Davis, “Visceral fat means you have fat kidneys, fat intestines, fat pancreas, and fat liver, all causing the belly to protrude in the familiar way we’ve all come to recognize.”
“Visceral fat is special fat. Unlike the fat in the backside, thighs, or arms, visceral fat triggers inflammatory responses that are evident in such measures as tumor necrosis factor, interleukins, and leptin, as well as drops in the protective hormone, adiponectin.”
“Visceral fat also, oddly, triggers estrogen release. Estrogen triggers growth of breast tissue. That’s why females with wheat bellies have up to four-fold (400%) greater likelihood of breast cancer.”
So what can you do to avoid visceral fat build up? Exactly what you do to maintain health and weight in the first place…..diet and exercise! Most importantly though, you want to stop taxing your pancreas with the over eating of carbohydrates.
Remember, carbohydrates will become glucose in the body. That glucose elevates in the blood, triggering insulin production to dispose of that glucose by delivering it to the liver and muscle to store it as glycogen. If glycogen stores are already abundant, the glucose has to go somewhere, so it’s gonna get stored as fat, plain and simple. And once the body has enough subcutaneous fat, it’s gonna move inward and start packing in around the organs. Once it’s packing in around there, it’s only going to get more severe. Every single time you eat carbohydrates, insulin’s gonna speed that glucose directly to the fat stores and make them larger and larger. At this point, you’re caught in a downward spiral that’s going to be difficult to get out of unless you come up with a game plan and stick to it.
You must learn to embrace proteins, prioritizing them in each of your meals and snacks. Sources include chicken, lean beef, salmon, turkey, omega-3 eggs, and low lactose/lactose free protein powders. Complement those proteins with healthy sources of fat, from almonds, cashews, macadamias, pistachios, avocados, and dietary oils (fish, flax, extra virgin olive, macadamia, etc.) while making sure not to over eat them, as fats are calorically dense. Try to add in green, leafy vegetables to each meal, such as green beans, asparagus, broccoli, spinach, etc.
Around periods of physical activity and exercise, this would be the time to consume carbohydrates. Consume carbohydrates along with protein, while keeping the fat as minimal as possible. Try to focus on potato, brown rice, quinoa, oats, and sprouted grain bread as carb sources. Eat these just before and just after your activity, as these will act as a source of energy and a source to replenish glycogen stores depleted from the activity. You’ll be giving your body what it needs, only around the time that it needs it.
A plan like this may take time to adjust to and may even need to be done in stages. Though if you stick with it, you’ll be amazed at the results, both in how you feel, as well as how you look. Overtime, that big protruding belly of visceral fat will be a distant memory!
I seriously can not say enough great things about this blog. I’ve been following it for a couple years now and continue to learn more and more from Dr. Davis all the time. If you have an interest in heart disease, which you should considering it’s the number 1 killer of men and women in the U.S., you should be reading this blog weekly.
Ok, so I know not all of my content is related, though a solid 75% or more is in the realm of health, fitness, wellness, bodybuilding, and supplementation! So if you like the things I post, recommend my blog for the health & fitness directory by clicking the link below. Thanks!
“Author Jonny Bowden looks at what he calls “The Four Horsemen of Aging”—free radicals, inflammation, glycation, and stress—and shows how they can harm your health and shorten your life. Bowden then unveils an arsenal of anti-aging strategies culled from cutting edge research and lessons learned from the longest lived people on the planet. He examines how the major organs, such as the heart and the brain, age and how you can prevent damage to these vital parts of the body. In total, readers learn what they can eat, do, and take to feel great, avoid illness, and live a long life.” - Amazon.com
