Loose Skin

As we go down that road to better health on the Keys2Fitness Express, naturally we are going to lose weight and with that in some cases is loose skin. Not too worry bloggers, i don't have a Hollywood address and looking to do some expensive surgery on the side lol, so here is some far cheaper ways that might help. 
A) First, think about how long it took to put on the extra poundage? .... give it up to 2yrs you reach your target weight and for the skin to go back where it once was. B) Exfoliate your skin daily to remove dead cells and to stimulate circulation, that will help tighten up your skin. C) Once a week have a bath with a 1/2 lb of pure sea salt ( allow it to dissolve) as this draws out your toxins in your skin. D) Use aloe vera/yeast extract or soy protein to improve your skins elasticity. E) Eating raw cucumbers, tomatoes, olives or coconuts will again improve your skins elasticity. F) Hyaluronic Acid is a natural fluid found in our body's tissues but it leaves us in time.....so to replace it, you can take a magnesium supplement. G) Finally, maybe that loose skin could be just more fat to exercise off?...if so, keep on training and replace it with muscle.

Understanding Calories

As we get more in tune with our bodies through exercise and what we think is replenishing "our machine" with the proper nutrition, how many of you followers actually know what a calorie is?  Its everywhere from your cardio machines (how many you burn) to your food packaging that's listed when you buy it....well here is your Calorie 101 lesson. A calorie is a unit measurement of heat required to raise 1 kilogram of water to 1 degree Celsius. So same idea with our food, its how much heat is needed to burn off that particular substance....4 calories for carbs/protein and 9 calories for fat. You can see why fat usually wins out the
arms race within your body lol as its last to go, but with some Keys2Fitness tips the advantage will be on our side, read on. You think with that info on how calories work/burn up, that training and exercising would expend the most calories.....sitting down? Maybe 30% of your daily intake !! Tip#1;  always do weight bearing exercises first to deplete the body of its 1st energy source, glucose (carbs), then do cardio to use your secondary fuel, which is fat!! So then the other 60% is used for daily living and keeping your motor running  (all your internal organs, replacing cells, transporting oxygen etc), this is why you must bring in a certain amount of calories to maintain or the brain will ramp down and hold onto all you eat as it doesn't care what your doing, it wants to live!! How much?....usually around 10 calories per ideal bodyweight. ie. 200lb man= 2000 calories per day Tip#2;  "X" Factor, for every lb of muscle that you keep and maintain an additional 50c is needed, see why i preach the importance of weight bearing exercises? Its to stoke the internal fires and to keep the body humming along. Tip#3 ; the last 10% of the equation is digestion so eating the proper foods is important, for example the efficiently rate is different for each group....carbs and fat use under 10 calories for breaking down itself where protein needs 20-30 calories, so numbers don't lie, if you want to lose lbs have protein with every meal, plus it helps grow and repair your muscles. Tip#4; carbs look for fibrous (fruit/veggies) as they don't breakdown as quickly into glucose also (veggies/whole grains) tends to block the absorption of other calories. Tip#5;

goes without saying but worth repeating, avoid the low calorie processed foods as people have a tendency to overeat just because the package says sugar free lol, meanwhile they are loading up on the sucrose/aspartame of the world and will lead to obesity

More Muscle Magic!!

Lets see...... muscle burns fat, revs your metabolism, increases your testosterone levels (which keeps you younger and stokes your sex drive), protects you from heart disease, back pain, arthritis and depression! what isn't there to like? (lol)  First let me explain what this word metabolism is (Greek for change/transformation)... its the amount of energy or
calories your body burns to maintain vital functions 24/7 ( sleeping, at work, exercising etc) so its constantly using what you feed it for fuel and repair. So without saying more muscle the better, hence why i preach weightlifting to everyone. Research shows one training session can raise your calorie burn up to 35+ hrs after you lift and not even counting the energy you use during that exercise. Also the more muscle you have the better the body uses the nutrients you eat and less likely to be stored as fat.....i will explain. Your muscles store calories (energy) in the form of glycogen, when you workout your muscle uses that fuel for training, after you exercise any carbs you eat will replenish that open/empty store and not to your fat cells. Bonus time folks!! if you train hard enough, your body will use for hours afterward your fat for energy to keep all the vital organs going as it wont touch the muscle stored glycogen.....sweet music! The breakdown for metabolism is as follows....60-75% resting rate ( what is burned for your heart, lungs, cells dividing etc) 10% digestive (breaking up your food- carbs to sugar and protein to amino acids) 15-30% any form of exercise. So no more excuses peeps, see you in the weight room!

Gluten....The Facts

Here is a reality check for you followers, you can train all you want but if your putting the wrong food/fuel back into your body your just wasting your time. Think of your car and filling it up with the wrong gasoline as it sputters down the highway, so one of those irritants could be gluten ( Latin meaning glue and is the protein found in wheat, barley, triticale (cross of wheat/rye) and rye) as it has been linked to over 55 diseases, some of that list includes; Celiac disease (autoimmune disorder) this being the most extreme, also leads to poor nutrient absorption,  you hold water which in turn makes you not drink any, your tired all the time, ( no wonder....no fuel, no energy)  hormone imbalance, (think weight gain here!) migraines, mood swings etc. But also bloggers in your grocery store, wheat is under numerous other names as its added to many products so when shopping  do look for these on the labels;  Bulgur, Durum Flour, Fatina, Graham Flour, Kamut, Semolina and Spelt. My answer to the problem?....avoid most of the middle aisles of the supermarket and look for the naturally gluten-free foods such as beans, seeds/nuts, (natural unprocessed form) fresh eggs, meat, poultry, (goes without saying...not breaded, batter coated or marinated) most dairy products and also the ever expanding gluten-free list of foods available now. So in my humble opinion i think everyone should avoid gluten as you can see why and how it can effect not only your training but health, so be diligent in what goes into your body and it will reward you as the mirror doesn't lie

Improve Strength/Size of Chest

Ok from our previous blog we had how to improve our flat bench technique which intern shapes our chest. I remember back in the day playing pickup basketball and if chosen for the skins side, would suddenly develop an illness or injury as i was scared about being teased about my chest or lack there of lol. So guys, try this routine and be proud to go topless whenever the occasion arises!  Start by knowing what your max weight you can lift 6x.....then do this 5 set routine, resting 2 mins between sets. A) Set 1;  10 reps of half your max weight. B) Set 2;  repeat Set1  C) Set 3;  6 reps of 75% of your max weight   D) Set 4; as many reps that you can lift with your max weight   E) Set 5;  depending of how many reps you completed during Set4.....if 5-7 reps, then repeat Set4 max weight, if only 0-2 reps, decrease 10% and do as many reps as possible, if 8-12 reps increase the weight by 10% and do as many reps as you can.  For the next chest day  (at least 3 days rest) whatever the weight was for the 5th set....this will be your new/old max weight to start of with during Set
1.

Core Strengthening

Sticking Point Solutions For Bench & Squat