Wednesday 29 September 2010

Active people eat more healthily...apparently

A study by the University of Leeds, and recently presented at the recent British Association of Sport & Exercise Sciences Annual Conference, showed that people who engage in regular exercise are more likely to regulate their fat intake and avoid high-risk diet. 

The findings show that obese people initially demonstrated a control of eating which was based on the weight of food eaten, not the amount of calories contained in that food. During a 12 week supervised exercise programme, however, the obese individuals demonstrated a progressive reduction in self-selected high fat food. 
 
Exercise therefore seems to have a beneficial effect on dietary behaviour by helping people reduce the intake of high risk, bodyweight-increasing foods.When people engage in regular exercise fat intake is better regulated and consequently these people move towards a healthier diet.

Tuesday 14 September 2010

What is a training plateau?

This occurs when your progress comes to a standstill, and can be described as not making any "gains" (such as improving your fitness level or losing weight), but not necessarily moving backwards (losing endurance or gaining weight). 
If you've been exercising and cutting calories for several weeks, and you're no longer seeing the same results that you experienced in the beginning, then you've probably hit a plateau.
Because every individual is unique, there's no way to actually predict when a plateau might happen. However, the principles of nutrition, rest, and variation will jump start your body, mind, and metabolism. 
Contact us at www.nrgize.me.uk to find out how we can help you climb out of that plateau.

Wednesday 8 September 2010

What is Lean Muscle Mass?

Lean Mass is everything else that makes up your weight (besides fat). It includes muscle, bones, organs, water, and all non-fatty tissues.
There is a gender difference in lean mass levels. Thanks to much higher levels of testosterone, men have a greater amount of muscle mass than women. 
Muscle also weighs more than fat, but it takes up much less space. For example, one pound of muscle is much smaller than one pound of fat. So, as you exercise consistently and build up strength, your total body weight may actually increase. This can be confusing (and sometimes scary), but you are gaining muscle, while maintaining or even losing fat.

Look for gains: Your lean mass can be calculated by subtracting your total fat (as a percentage or in actual pounds) from your total weight. This number will probably be relatively stable, or increase over time, as long as you are exercising. Gains in muscle mass will increase your metabolism, thus enabling you to burn more calories during every activity--even sitting! So, while you do want to lose fat, setting a goal of increasing your muscle mass will help you get there.

Body Benefit: Muscle increases boost your metabolism and fitness levels