Category Archives: Figure Competition

The Stress and Relaxation Response and How Belly Fat Is Made

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The “fight or flight response” is our body’s primitive, automatic, inborn response that prepares the body to “fight” or “flee” from perceived attack, harm or threat to our survival. When we experience excessive stress, whether from internal worry or external circumstance this bodily reaction is also triggered. Originally discovered by the great Harvard physiologist Walter Cannon, this response is hard-wired into our brains and represents a genetic wisdom designed to protect us from bodily harm. This response actually corresponds to an area of our brain called the hypothalamus, which—when stimulated—initiates a sequence of nerve cell firing and chemical release that prepares our body for running or fighting.

After studying the physiological effects of the ‘flight or fight’ stress response, Cardiologist Herbert Benson discovered that by eliciting the ‘relaxation response’ the opposite was also true (1996). This physiologic state of calm is an equally essential survival mechanism, providing us with the ability to heal and rejuvenate our bodies. Today, the relaxation response is crucial when considering how often the fight or flight response is triggered inappropriately.

When our minds become focused through deep breathing, meditation, repetitive prayer, or mantras, the body responds with dramatic affects. There is a decrease in heart rate, blood pressure and metabolic rate (Benson, 1996).

Under stress, the potential to store belly fat is much higher.  This is caused by certain hormone receptor sites in the abdominal region or center region of the body.

How does it get there? It’s absorbed via the intestines. But the key player is the omentum (the abdominal fat storage facility).  It’s the pouch you carry on your belly. The belly pouch!

So your omentum clears the cortisol steroids because it has receptors that bind to them and can suck them out of the bloodstream (unfortunately, this doesn’t necessarily reduce the stress level that you feel). The steroids turbo-charge the ability of omentum to store fat, so your belly fat (and subsequent waist size) become the best surrogate indicator of how well you are really coping with stress (despite what your brain might be claiming). That uptake of steroids throws your body in metabolic disarray by:

Making your omentum resistant to insulin so sugar floats around without being absorbed and used appropriately by needy cells, and this:

  1. Chronically raises your blood sugar, which damages our tissues;
  2. Super-charging your omentum with inflammatory chemicals that destabilize the delicate equilibrium of your hormones;
  3. Forcing your omentum to pump high-octane fat directly into your liver—causing your liver to make even more inflammatory chemicals.

Here is the bottom line, the human body will always function in a way that ensures survival for evolution. A lot of times this means the body will resist the changes we are trying to induce. When you are stressed out the last thing the body is likely to do is lose weight, specifically fat mass. I have found with a lot of clients that progress will come to a screeching halt due to excessive stress in their lives. Focus on decreasing your stress, creating a planned safe approach to exercise, getting in the right type of nutrition for your goals and which compliment your exercise and everything in life will become easier and more manageable!

Q&A What is core exercise?

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Core exercise are exercises that focus on either the stabilzation, endurance or strengthening of the core muscles. Core exercises focus on the abdomen, the lower abdomen and hips, the obliques, stabilizing muslces, the spine and the back muslces, as well as the butt. Core exercises train these muscles to work together properly to maintain proper balance, agility, posture and movement to help the body move efficiently as well as preventing injury.

Some examples of core exercises are the plank hold, side plank, floor bridge, bicycle crunches, reach throughs, push ups, back extensions and a number other exercises that focus on the trunk of the body.

The point of core exercises is to train the many large and small muscles that help control and stabilize the spinal column and pelvis to build endurance and strength and be better able to control the spine and pelvis when forces are applied to it during daily activities and physical activities. Core exercises can and should be incorporated into every workout you perform each time you exercise. This can be accomplished by performing as many exercises as possible while having your spine and pelvis unsupported by a bench or seat. This will require the core muscles to engage to stabilize the body.

Q&A What type of exercise training program do you recommend?

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I recommend a training program, that includes both a custom diet and
customer exercise workout. The diet is specific to your body type
which can be classified by your skeletal frame, lean muscle and age
and sometimes even specific to your geno-type, which can be
classified by your blood group. No exercise training program is ever
complete without healthy nutrition that is well rounded and custom
for you. The exercise program would target your weak areas first,
which help you build a stronger foundation and would include cardio,
flexibility, balance, core and resistance training with weights.
The exercise program, would take you through phases of training.
These phases of training are specifically designed to follow
biomechancial, physiological and functional principles of the kinetic
chain. They provide systematic progression that minimizes injury and
maximizes results. There are many different variables used when
creating a training program and they are specific to the client’s
weakness, strengths and goals. Once the body starts adapting in a
productive way, after a planned time period, these variables change.

31 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Exercise

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The hardest part for most people is to stay motivated with diet and
exercise. Here are 31 ways I suggest that you keep your motivation.
Get motivated. Build the Passion. Keep it for good! 2011 is going to
be a super exciting year! Are you pumped ?

  1. Find a training partner or even better, a coach and commit to a
    schedule.
  2. Buy a dog and take it for a long walk everyday. The fresh air
    and sunshine can give you more energy. You also have a chance to
    clear negative thoughts and focus on your goals.
  3. Don’t think about exercising or diet, just do it. If it’s already
    on paper, your a step away from doing it.
  4. Get out of bed early, have a tall glass of water and use a cardio
    machine in your home.
  5. Buy a cardio machine for your home, if you don’t have one, then see 4.
  6. Eat to live life with the right amount of energy and transform
    your body. Don’t live to eat, especially when you eat junk. Garbage
    in = Garbage out. Your body should be a temple, not a tent.
  7. Never miss 2 workouts in a row.
  8. Give away 1 or 2 articles of your fat clothing each week.
  9. Buy 1 or 2 articles of clothing which are tight fighting and
    show off your body each week, If you still look fat in them, keep
    them around and focus on diet and exercise to start looking better in
    them.
  10. Once 9 is fine, then start socializing more. At night on the
    town, does wonders to keep your motivation high. You’ll realize fast
    where you stand and where you need to go with your image.
  11. Choose friends that will take you higher and higher. Friends
    that have similar interests. Just because you’ve been friends with
    someone for 20 years and they don’t share your view or don’t want you
    to succeed for some reason, doesn’t mean you have to hang around them
    all the time and influence you to make poor decisions. Find new
    friends.
  12. Reward yourself. Reward yourself. Reward Yourself. Every time
    you noticeably start looking better and feeling better, give yourself
    positive verbal pep talk, then go shopping for something nice !
  13. Get a tan. You’ll notice so much more changes in your physique
    as the tan will accentuate your cuts.
  14. Walk into an old age home and take a look around. You’ll find
    that some are in their 60s. Prevention is key. When I’m 60, I’ll be
    in my own Rambo movie, doing my own stunts.
  15. Whoever says “Working out is not everything in life.” is right.
    It’s not everything, but that session that you dedicate makes you
    move ahead 100 times more than the person that complains about it.
    Keep a balance, but never neglect your right to a better life.
  16. Make it your goal to get a professional photo shoot done.
  17. Write down your intentions for the month which lead to your
    goals. The more details the better.
  18. Plan things that are fun, like a vacation, a photo shoot, play a
    sport or take your kids to disneyland for 3 days, (alot of walking..)
    so you have a reason to motivate yourself to exercise.
  19. Plan to go to a concert and meet the band !
  20. Watch an inspiring movie, like href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b1GKGWJbE8">“The Secret” or
    “Never Back
    Down”     or “No
    Retreat, No Surrender”
  21. Make an example of what you will accomplish, so that others can
    follow and be inspired by you.
  22. Blog your complete body transformation experience, like my client
    Rosy did, who lost 150 lbs in 1 year.
  23. Take body part circumference measurements every 2 weeks. Log as a
    measurement of your transformation.
  24. Take a front, back and side photo of yourself every 2 weeks. Log
    as a measurement of your transformation.
  25. Make a Pros and Cons list about exercise and eating healthy.
    Make Pros and Cons list about not exercising and not eating healthy.
    Why would you not want to feel and look better on a consistent
    basis?
  26. Write down 1 thing each day that is going to move your life
    forward. Would you not want to increase your longevity and enjoy a
    better life ? What you write down is completely realistic.
  27. Create in your mind what you want. Believe you deserve what you
    create. Accept the things that will help you move forward toward your
    creation.
  28. Avoid distractions. A distraction could be a person or event,
    that pulls you temporarily away from your goals or creations. The
    best way to avoid them is to ignore or move away from them.
  29. Meditate which clears and refreshes your mind and allows you to
    continue to focus on your goals.
  30. Plan to get naked more often. Seeing yourself naked can surely
    motivate yourself to get in shape faster and stay in shape. Don’t be
    afraid of your skin !
  31. Don’t think of the problem for too long. Thinking of the problem
    wastes time. You should be thinking of the solution and benefits that
    it will bring into your life. Make a decision to act on your
    solution.

Do Better

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The first step is to believe that you can do it and set your
goals.

Write down why you really want to change and want you want to truly
accomplish for yourself. Use short term goals, weekly to monthly and
long-term goals. Go ahead and be surreal, you deserve to surpass your
expectations.

Visualize how you want to look and feel for at least 1 minute, several
times throughout the day. Associate physical activity with your mental
image. Don’t worry about what you look like now. Instead reach beyond
your current mental state and enhance yourself.

You can put mini visual reminders in key spots around your home, work
and car. A couple of years before I first competed in bodybuilding, my
wall at home was completely covered in inspiring photos. It was like
a shrine. I also had motivational phrases posted on the wall.

An example would be; “Vision without action is a daydream. Action
without vision is a nightmare.” – Japanese Proverb

The second step is to see your doctor.

Your doctor can keep track of your general health and check for any
concerns. Doctors play a vital role in your overall health assessment
and can also give you their opinion on ways to change your lifestyle
to lead a healthier life.

The third step is to get a fitness assessment.

Have a qualified health and fitness professional perform an evaluation
which is commonly called a fitness assessment to look at your
strengths and weaknesses and create a plan. The more detailed the
assessment, the better the trainer gets to customize the plan for
you.

In today’s population, there is an increase in work related stress and
postural imbalances. All which affect your breathing pattern. It is
important to take the time to inhale deeply and exhale slowly 10 times
in a row and repeat throughout the day. Even problems with your core
has a direct effect on your breathing and on your all the muscles
involved in your breathing.

The trainer can see if you have muscle imbalances. If you sit all day
or do something that is repetitive throughout the day, chances are
that you have muscle imbalances. These imbalances affect your kinetic
chain. You want to correct kinetic problems before they get worse.

As an example, repetitive injury is very common in the workplace. A
good fitness program is used to correct muscle imbalances and improve
flexibility that will rehabilitate the problem.

The fourth step is to put healthy food in your body.

Imagine your body as highly priced automobile, like a Bugati Veyron
(my favourite). You put low grade fuel, you get low grade performance
which can result in breakdown.

Food for fuel directly affects your body’s metabolism. Most people
that have been on low grade foods, don’t notice the continued negative
effects such as lethargy, brain fog, stress, high blood pressure, high
sugar, high fat cravings and less than optimum hormone production.
They don’t know what’s it like to have that high end metabolism.
Little by little it becomes worse, until you have an habituated
lifestyle.

Start eating whole natural foods, which are unprocessed, and contain
macro and micro nutrients that your body needs to run on and repair
itself.

Healthy food doesn’t have to taste like cardboard. Be creative.

Evaluate what’s in your fridge and cupboards. Most people know which
foods are good and which are bad. Take the bad foods and remove them
from your home. If you need extra help, consult with a dietitian.

The fifth step is to incorporate your support network.

Call, e-mail, share with friends, family, peers. Create a blog,
discuss your lifestyle change and what your going through with your
friends and family. This allows people to become actively involved in
supporting you.

Change some activities you do with your friends.

Remember that in all you do, you should praise yourself. Reward
yourself for your small step accomplishments. This doesn’t mean
breaking the principles, this means using them to make you even
happier about your choices. As an example, you lose 15 pounds, give
yourself a cut and style at your favourite salon or you did not miss a
workout for 2 weeks straight, give yourself time to enjoy a relaxing
bath with colour and aromatherapy.

“The beauty of tomorrow is that you have today to create it.” –Timon
(Efthymios) Roussis