There isn’t a day go by at the studio that questions aren’t being asked. And, it seems the same questions are on the minds of a lot of people. So, I thought I would share just two of the very common questions that get asked.
Is breakfast important?
Yes, breakfast is important. In fact it is the most important meal of you day. As you sleep at night, your body is in a fasting state taking in nutrition. Depending on how long you sleep, and when you would normally take in your first meal, you could be in a fasting state from 6-12 hours. For example if you normally got to bed at 11 at night, get up in the morning and head to work, your first meal may be coffee break or lunch the next day. That is far too long without food.
If you think of a furnace requiring fuel or wood to burn, your metabolism is no different. Without fuel a furnace will not operate. The same holds true for your metabolism. Without food or fuel, your metabolism will not burn. The best way to kick start a slow metabolism is by feeding it. If weight loss or weight control is your objective, then it is imperative that you keep your furnace or metabolism burning. The best way to stall your weight loss efforts is to skip meals and the best way to halt any weight loss is to not eat breakfast. This most important meal does not have to be a large meal as I realize that some people do not have an appetite first thing. A couple of suggestions for breakfast would be:
1) Smoothie or Shake: Mix 1-2 scoops protein powder with 8 -12 oz skim milk or water. Add fresh or frozen berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries). Add 2 tbsp flax seeds, ice and put all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.
2) Omelet – Beat together 1 whole egg plus 3 egg whites (or 1/2 cup egg white from carton). Cook the egg mixture in a skillet. Add handful of fresh spinach or about 1/3 cup frozen spinach, chopped onion and 1 slice fat free cheese. Enjoy.
Is stretching important and when should I stretch – before or after?
The question of when to stretch comes up time and time again. In fact how often do you see people outside stretching before they go for their run? It is important to stretch but there is a best time to stretch and it is not before you exercise or before a run. The purpose of stretching is to return muscles to their resting length following exercise. There are times when we will stretch prior to exercise. For example, hip flexors and hamstrings are often quite tight on most people. Prior to a dynamic warm up in our strength workouts, a stretch of the hip flexors and hamstrings are done.
hamstrings are dynamically stretched using a Romanian deadlift with a light weight. These dynamic stretches are used prior to the strength portion of a workout to increase range of motion through specific muscles groups.
Stretches of the body as a whole, is always done following exercise for two reasons. One reason is that the body is now adequately warmed up and muscles are more pliable and apt to stretch when they are warm. Secondly, stretching after exercise is to help return muscles to their resting length following a term of intense muscle contractions required during the strength workout.
I hope this has answered a couple of the more common questions that come up. Please feel free to leave me a comment or a question you would like answered.
Till next time,
Narina
