Counting Macros

Hello,
Welcome back and thanks for reading my post this week, since we have covered , the physical activity part of lifting , and some good nutrition info and recipe, its time to talk about breaking down the nutrition. Did you know it's 80%nutrition and 20% working out? You can workout all you want , but if you don't have a balanced diet you will never get the results you are looking for. This is my favorite quote and try to live by it.

Knowing what to eat and how much to eat can be very overwhelming. I have struggled myself with how many calories to eat , and of what kind. Sure you can count calories, but you need to dig deeper than that. Knowing how many carbs , fats and protein to eat in a day can also be very overwhelming. There are a lot of websites that help you calculate your macros. Not only do you have to figure out what macros to eat you need to know what fits in what categories. How to calculate macros check out this website its super helpful.

So what are Macros you ask? Macros is Fat , Protein, and Carbs. So in other words they are macronutirents that our bodies use that create energy for themselves. These can be found in all foods however they vary in amounts. They are measured out in grams on labels, fat 9  calories per gram , protein 4 calories per gram and carbohydrates are 4 calories per gram. It's not always about counting calories , it's about counting the right kind of calories. If you eat less, and burn more calories than you eat then yes you are bound to loose weight.

There are a lot of companies that you can purchase pre-made food delivered right to your door. Here is an example of Macro Plate dish that they offer. Check out their website for some amazing combinations.

Here are a couple images that may help, the first is from Macro Plate which gives you a good idea on what type of meals they prepare, the second is a good go to for what foods fit into each category, I found this on styafitmom.com

So many people get caught up on all fats are bad , this is so untrue. There are a lot of healthy fats , such as avocados, nuts , oils , and nut butters that are very good for you in limited amounts. A lot of people don't think of vegetables as carbs, but depending on what you are eating some can be very high in carbs and starches. Protein comes in so many forms , so even if you are not a meat eater , anyone can find something that is for them. I have ate Paleo for almost 3 years. I now think I want to see how the Keto diet treats me, if it's just as good or better than Paleo than count me in!!!! 

Thanks for reading this week!

Hello,

Now that we have talked about all the exercise and lifting weights, we need to talk about the first and most important thing to support the functions of those muscles- NUTRITION.

Did you know that it's 80% diet and 20% physical activity? You can simply loose weight just by eating the right amount of macros and eating a healthy balanced diet. There are a few series of videos I feel are very educational about your muscles, and how to feed them and keep that oh so important muscle mass. Sitting can reek havoc on your body , it's important if you have a job that keeps you stationary that you are doing things throughout the day to lessen that time sitting if possible.

There are so many fad diets out there and it can be overwhelming where to start or what program you want to go with. In the Crossfit world , the most common way of eating is Paleo. I myself ate Paleo for about 2 years and felt the best I ever have. I fell off track when I got pregnant and now am struggling to get back on it. It can take a lot of discipline, but once you get used to it , it becomes a part of your daily routine and becomes easier and easier.

The Paleo diet is pretty simple, it a nutshell eat like the cavemen did.

It was nice since I was NEVER hungry , I actually found it hard to eat as much as I was suppose to on a daily basis. There are several cookbooks , recipes that make it fun and exciting to eat each meal. It can get expense when you first start, but you learn as time goes how to utilize everything well.


The other most popular diet  is the Keto diet, what this means is a high fat, low carb diet. Your body burns carbs , when it does not have carbs to burn it attacks the fat. This is when you put your body into ketosis and can make you even feel ill. This is also an ideal way to eat. Once your body is aware of what it's trying to burn you will feel amazing because you are fueling your body with all the proper nutrients and having your food do the work for you.

While there are several way to eat , vegan , vegetarian etc.. there are so many options. Do what works best for you and your body. Not everyone is going to have the same results and not every one can eat in these fashions. These two diets are similar in they way the exclude bread, pasta , sugar , milk , rice, corn and some beans. I feel in both these ways of eating are both beneficial and could clear up so many health issues so many of us face today. Americans eat so much processed sugars and grains , its what makes us so obese. You can do all the exercise in the world, but if you have a crappy diet nothing is going to change that. Now I am not saying to every indulge , by all means. However, your main focus should be on what you put in your body and how it will affect your mental , physical and emotional well being.

It takes a lot of effort each day to make sure you are doing good to your body, not only how physical you are each day , it's what you put into your body as well. Nutrition , rest and exercise are the 3 most important and beneficial things you can do for yourself everyday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkXwfTsqQgQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGMD-ih-dVI

Lifting Basics

Hello,

I hope you all enjoyed the last post and video so that you get a good idea of what I am trying to accomplish here. There are several benefits to lifting , not only physical but mental and neurological as well.


This week I would like to go over some of the basic lifts. These are used in the cross-fit community , and are the basic lifts for Olympic Lifting. The three basic lifts are the clean, snatch and dead lift , however there variations of each of these lifts. I fell in love with the snatch lift, its very technical lift and the hardest for me to pull the most weight. This makes it even more challenging for me and pushes me to practice hours on end to get it right or hit a new weight that I have not yet hit. So lets go over these lifts , I have attached videos as well so you are able to see what they entail.

The clean is a very technical lift as well, when you do it right you can feel the amount of power that you can pull , it can be very complex to learn. It's very important that you keep form and pay attention to what your body is telling you. If you pull the movement wrong you can do a lot of damage.  One important thing to remember is being able to keep your elbows up as much as you can so that when you receive the weight you are not falling forward , and the second is being able to get good extension , shown on movement 2 below. The clean starts from the floor then is moved to what is called a rack position that is positioned across the  deltoids, that ends up resting partially on the clavicles. In the middle of this lift you are also completing a full squat. There is also the power clean ,which is not a full squat, the clean and jerk , clean and split jerk , and hang power clean. Each depends where the lift starts, on the floor, just above the knee, or how its being received. The image below breaks down the 4 basic movements of the clean and what it looks like. 

Next movement is the snatch , my absolute FAVORITE. This movement also has different variations , such as power snatch, and hang power snatch. You utilize several muscles in this movement that includes, traps, shoulders, hamstrings, quads , glutes, abs and total body. This movement too is also complex and requires a multi joint movement that allows you to build speed , strength and explosive power while being able to help you coordinate with heavy weight above your head while building core strength. I try to have some variation of this lift in every one of my workouts. I have issues with mobility getting the weight above my head when it gets too heavy. The power snatch differs from the snatch in that the lifter meets the barbell in a quarter to half squat position (anything above parallel squat), minimizing downward motion into the squat while receiving the barbell. This is a lift I need to perform often with just the bar since there is so many movements all at once. Although it may look like 4 simple movements , there are several things to do and think about during each and every step. 

The last lift we are going to learn about is the deadlift, and yes there are variations of this lift as well. The deadlift is going to be the heavies of loads, the 3 major parts to this is the setup , the drive , then the lockout. There are several muscles used in this movement as well , the legs ,  back , traps abs  and arms. It is a very good exercise for your back, form is very important in this movement so that you help and not hurt your back. It's very important to focus on your form and what your back is doing , making sure you don't have a rounded back during this lift. 

As always with any lift you want to make sure that you have proper form. Also very important to have a coach that knows movements well so that you are trained properly and are not going to injure yourself. There are also different grips (hand position) depending on what movement you are doing , and this is very important as well. 

Intro to Blog

Hello,

I hope you are all as excited as I am to learn more about different lifts , but how satisfying they can be.  I have been lifting for about 3 years and have fell in love at first lift :) I will be posting helpful tips on not only lifting , but nutrition as well.  The first and most important thing to know before you start lifting , is how to lift properly. Anyone can pick up a bar and just lift some weight. Remember always hearing lift with your legs not your back? It's so true. I will be able to post some videos with helpful tips as well. You want to make sure that you have a proper form before anything. The better the form and movement, it is just that much easier to lift more weight than you would ever seem possible. I will never forget working with my coach Pete that stressed this so much. I would practice hours on end with a empty bar just to make sure the movement was correct. I was so shocked when I loaded the bar and the pulled the weight I never thought I would hit.

Nutrition plays a big roll is lifting as well. If you are not getting the right nutrients and not feeding your muscles with good clean food , not only do you hurt your lifts  , you can hurt your body as well. Recovery is a must and essential to build your muscles , recovery can be anything from eating proteins right after a session, or finding a good recovery shake that assist with recovery period.

I love to learn as much as I can , so any feedback is much appreciated. Please feel free to ask me questions , as I just might have some for you as well. Cross-fit and Olympic lifting is like having a family we are all here to support and encourage , and cheer you on!

Please take some time to check out this Youtube video click the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RP85w6g7jPU