LEGIT!

I AM LEGIT!  That's right, as of May 26th I am a NCSF Certified Personal Trainer. Because of that, the vast majority of my time this week was spent studying to take my Certification Exam. Luckily I'm through with studying but ever since then I’ve had facts, numbers, stats, calories, exercises, etc… whirling around in my brain. It seems I overdosed on all the information and now I’m detoxing from it :-)
Actually it’s a good thing, because now I get to pass on some of that information. Here's a few facts that have been on the hamster wheel in my brain.

1. After the age of 35, females lose as much as 1% of bone mineral density a year. 40% of women over the age of 50 develop Osteoporosis because of that. The good news is that adequate nutrition and strength training can significantly reduce bone density loss and the risk of developing Osteoporosis.

2. It is estimated that a person’s genetics can determine up to 40% of uncontrolled factors that affect physical fitness. That being said there is 60% of controllable factors that can be manipulated or improved. That means you don’t have to “become your family” you can excel beyond that if you work at it.

3. When you are under constant stress, the hormone Cortisol is continually produced. This leads to significant muscle wasting in the body. High levels of Cortisol in the body can also suppress the immune system and make a person more susceptible to infection.

4. Adaptations to stress only take place when the stress is eliminated. That means that after a workout (which stresses the body) you need adequate rest so that your body can make the positive adaptations you are working towards.

5. If you don’t have time to fit in a 30 minute workout, exercising for 10 minutes 3x’s during the day will be equally beneficial.

6. When you hold onto a machine or lean on a machine while you are exercising you burn 30% fewer calories than if you didn’t hold on. So, let go and stand up – even if you have to slow your pace some.

7. If you gain 2 lbs of muscle and lose and equal amount of fat you will be smaller even though you weigh the same amount. So don’t fully rely on the scale, notice how your jeans fit or take some measurements.

8. You are more likely to become dehydrated when you exercise in high humidity rather than in dry climates. The reason is that the body cools itself by the evaporation of sweat. When the humidity is high the air around you is so moist that it makes it almost impossible for your sweat to evaporate. Therefore your body keeps producing sweat in an attempt to “cool you” and so you lose far more water.

9. The perfect ratio of nutrition is: 55% Carbohydrates (grains, beans, vegetables, fruits) 30% Fats (healthy fats: nuts, avocado, vegetable oils – NOT ANIMAL FATS OR PROCESSED FATS) 15% Protein (meat, beans, nuts).

10. Water plays a major role in fat metabolism so make sure and drink LOTS of water. Active males should drink at least 3 liters per day (100 ounces or 12 cups) and active females should drink at least 2.5 liters per day (84 ounces or 10 cups).