Be Aware of Calories: Don't Count Them

Please, I urge you: Just say "no" to calorie counting. For one thing, you might drive yourself mad tallying numbers that are often inaccurate and/or estimated. For another, you may start destroying any positive associations (i.e. enjoyment - yes, you are supposed to like eating) you have with food by assigning a number to every blueberry and grain of rice that goes into your mouth. I have yet to meet any calorie-counters with the ability to enjoy eating and healthfully negotiating their weight management efforts. A better idea is to develop a concept of how weight loss/gain occurs in general, and how your particular caloric intake (what you eat) and output (what you do for physical acitivity) patterns are affecting your results.

There are 3,500 calories in one pound of body weight. In order to lose one pound, you must expend, or burn, 3,500 calories. If you consume 3,500 calories in excess of your body's requirements, you will gain one pound.

Most people require about 2,000 calories each day to sustain vital organ function and carry out daily activities like washing dishes, brushing hair, driving, etc. If you are a person requiring 2,000 calories per day and consume 2,000 calories per day, your weight will remain steady. No rocket science there.

Unfortunately, anything that you take in over 2,000 calories will be stored by the body as fat - whether that calorie came from protein, carbs, or fat. So if you've been eating an average of 2,500 calories each day, you will gain one pound over the course of a week: 500 calories/day x 7 days = 3,500 calories = 1 pound. On the flip side, by reducing your caloric intake under 2,000 per day, you can start to lose weight. A daily caloric intake of 1,500 would yield one pound of weight loss over a week's time.

Now on to applying the science of calories without carrying a calculator around...

Consider this common scenario: A woman (or a man) says to me, "Lindsey, I don't understand...I'm working out during the week every day and I watch what I eat. Sometimes I cheat on the weekends when I go out, but overall, I'm working really hard and I'm trying. I've been trying to lose 15 pounds for months and months, but my weight just stays the same."

The first question that arises is:

How do you cheat and to what extent?

This woman may be working very hard the majority of the week but not realize the profound caloric consequences of her cheating patterns. Let's say she goes out every Friday with her friends for Margaritas, and usually has about 3 drinks. Then Sunday she hits a BBQ and has 3 beers. Margaritas run about 350 calories each, beers 200. So she could easily (we all know how easily the drinks go down...) take in over 1,500 calories over the weekend. Assuming her other eating habits stay the same, two weekends of this activity would account for nearly one pound, one month of it for two pounds. I speak with people quite frequently who are eating in a manner that supports weight loss/maintenance most of the time, not realizing how insidious and detrimental their indulgences - even when they are sporadic - may be.

So the second pertinent question is:

How hard do you exercise and does it offset the effects of your cheating?

If this woman is taking in an excess of 1,500 calories per week, she needs to expend that additional 1,500 through exercise to maintain her weight and expend even more if she wishes to lose the 15 pounds. Let's say her workout schedule entails five workouts per week - 2 Elliptical sessions, 2 body sculpting classes, and one yoga class. From the details she offers me, I estimate that she burns about 300 calories/workout, putting her at about 1,500 calories each week. This expenditure would effectively cancel out her calorie consumption from alcohol on the weekends, but it would not be enough to fuel her weight loss efforts.

This is a classic example of the manner by which people tend to underestimate the calories they consume and overestimate the calories they expend. It is not necessarily sound logic to say, "Well, I can have this ice cream because I worked out." You have to ask the questions and be honest with yourself about the answers: How are you cheating and to what extent? How much ice cream are you having - a scoop? A pint? You have no idea? Can these calories likely to be incorporated into your body's daily caloric needs? Or have you worked hard enough through exercise to offset the effect of eating the scoop or pint?

There is no need to account for every calorie you eat each day, but having an educated and honest awareness about your body's energy balance may lead to significant improvement in the decisions you make regarding food and exercise. As my friend and yoga teacher, Corina, frequently reminds us in class, "You can have anything you want; but you can't have everything you want." You can have chocolate, Margaritas, and french fries...but you also have to find balance and moderation in order to comingle these yummy foods with fitness goals. Talk to a trainer or nutritionist who can help you understand more about the calories in your particular food/beverage indulgences, and to what extent they are conflicting with your goals.

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Summer Smoothies

Don't chuck your nearly-rotten fruit. If you can get to it before the fruit flies do, fill a sandwich bag with fruit that you would otherwise toss - browning bananas, the mango you've been too lazy to cut up all week, blueberries that will mold in your fridge when you head to the beach for the weekend, etc. 

On mornings when you're in a rush, throw a bag into the blender with some OJ and maybe a scoop of yogurt and - Voila! Breakfast is served. 

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Exercise Common Sense in the Heat

The short-lived season Philadelphians call "Spring" appears to be over. Tomorrow, it's official: summer, with its stagnant humidity and oppressive heat, is here to stay. The high temperatures will certainly have an effect on your body - and will probably slow you down, but they don't have to stop you from exercising outside altogether. Understanding the physiological changes your body undergoes when working out in the heat can help you make smarter and safer decisions about continuing to do it.

When its ultra hot, your body's main concern is cooling itself down, which is does through perspiring. As sweat evaporates from the skin, it cools the body. (Think of the way rubbing alcohol feels cold on the skin as it quickly vaporizes.) Sweat's downside is that it reduces overall blood volume, forcing your heart to pick up its pace in order to do the same amount of work. On a hot day, you might feel your heart rate sky-rocketing for a task that normally feels easy. 

A second method of regulating body temperature lies in blood redistribution. Your body directs more blood to the skin to dissipate heat (this is why your face gets so red), therefore less is available to the working muscles/organs. Reduced blood flow to exercising muscles is another reason why your normal workout intensity may feel compromised. 

That's the nerdy scientific background on exercising in the heat - even Temple couldn't take the geek out me - but here is a user-friendly and practical checklist for how to handle these effects:

• Realize that you are not going to set any records in the heat. If you typically run a 9 minute mile with ease, don't be surprised when it feels nearly impossible on a hot day. Slow down. Respect that your body has a tremendous responsibility to regulate its temperature - your brain doesn't function at 105 degrees!
  
• Avoid exercising when the sun is higher in the sky, between 10am and 4pm. 
  
• Wear synthetic clothing that wicks away sweat. Remember, sweat has to evaporate off of the body in order to cool it. Cotton clothing will soak up sweat and cling to you, leaving no room for this process.
  
• Wear light-colored clothing. White = good. Black and navy = bad.
  
• Stay hydrated. Plan your route around water fountains or carry a water bottle.
  
• Try to stay in shady areas.
  
• Don't be afraid to take breaks!
  

Air Conditioner Deadlift

Ok, ok...I know I'm getting a little carried away here with this whole no-gym-needed concept, but rest assured, I am not suggesting that you do 3 sets of 12 deadlifts with your window unit. It occurred to me though, hauling the A/C upstairs this morning, that it would be pretty easy to injure yourself lifting one of these monsters improperly - or not being strong enough to lift one in the first place. 

So, if you know this job would be better left to someone a little bit burlier, invite said friend over and offer him/her a cocktail in exchange for the lifting and installation. If you are going about this yourself, keep a few things in mind for your own safety:

• Clear the path from the A/C to the window before you pick up the unit.
  
• Squat down to pick up the A/C, keeping your back flat.
  
• Come to a stand the same way you squatted down, with a flat back.
  
• As you come to a stand, keep your abdomen very tight to stabilize your spine. 
  
• Lift with your legs, not your back. The joint angle will change at your knees and hips, but your spine should stay extended throughout the movement. 
  
• Make sure you have someone to help you secure the A/C within the window. 
  

Bar Calisthenics

Muscle Group attendee recently spotted performing late-night couch dips at Pub on Passyunk East. Other possible calisthenic bar adaptations include:

• Bar stool squat jumps
  
• Dart board to pool table shuffle
  
• Break-the-seal squats
  
• Counter top planks
  

3 Breakfast Ideas

Several of my clients have mentioned to me that they either skip breakfast, skimp on it, or eat something that more closely resembles dessert (fyi, you put icing on a muffin and it becomes a cupcake). In each case, it seems that they are not eating enough food to supply adequate energy to the body until lunch time. If you are starving at your desk by 10AM, it's a good sign that you need to reconsider the morning oatmeal packet as a wholesome meal. Here are the main problems I see with what people are eating for breakfast:

• Not eating enough food. A single packet of flavored Quaker Oatmeal has about 140 calories. If you are someone who should be eating 1800 or so calories per day, you're not even eating 10% of the calories you need. 
  
• Lack of Fruits and Vegetables. It is actually possible to diversify your breakfast fruit menu beyond bananas. I promise.
  
• Not enough fat/protein. Fat and protein take longer to digest than carbohydrates (especially simple carbohydrates) so they keep you feeling full longer. 

To address these problems, here are three simple breakfast ideas. Bear in mind here, I am not a nutritionist. I'd be ok with swallowing any of this advice should a more qualified professional challenge any of it. But most of what I'm offering is pretty practical and widely available information. 

1. As pictured, half a bagel (or a slice of toast) with peanut butter and a handful of strawberries. You could substitute any piece of fruit but berries are coming into season:) If you are a more active person, the whole bagel might be more appropriate.
   
2. A 2-egg omelette with spinach and a sprinkle of cheddar, and a piece of toast. Again, you could substitute a different vegetable in the omelette like peppers.
   
3. A smoothie with vanilla yogurt, orange juice and berries/banana. Toss all the ingredients in a blender and pour this in your own to-go cup. I would recommend using a yogurt that is NOT fat-free because this breakfast has no other fat source. Many will contest this I'm sure, but again, you want something that will keep you feeling full until lunch.