Metabolism and B-Vitamins

Why do weightlifters eat so much meat, when protein does not provide energy for their heavy workouts?

There are many pathways for producing energy (ATP), the ones that yield the most immediate and useful ATP are glycolytic and oxidative pathways. During glycolysis (anaerobic pathway—doesn’t use oxygen) glucose or other forms of sugar go through a series of reactions to transform glucose into pyruvate. Many reduction reactions are taking place and electrons are being transferred to an intermediate: NAD+, this intermediate is what drives rapid glycolysis and provides the electrons to the electron transport chain in order to produce ATP. Another important intermediate used during oxidative metabolism is FAD+- used during the Krebs cycle. NAD+ is composed of Niacin (a Bi-vitamin) and FAD+ is composed of riboflavin (a B-vitamin). Without proper intake of these vitamins oxidative and non-oxidative metabolism will be inhibited, and the formation of ATP will slow down. Without enough ATP to drive important physiological functions such as muscle contractions, the body will fatigue at a faster rate. Therefore it is important to consume proper amounts of B-vitamins

Vitamin B is found in high quantities in animal products—namely salmon and other fish. This is the reason for weightlifters eating all the meat! But, vitamin B is also found in dark leafy greens, legumes (peanuts), and wheat. Most red meats, along with being a complete essential protein and containing vitamin B, are high in cholesterol and hormones. So, with everything there is a good and bad. Choosing to eat a vegetarian diet would mean consuming more dark greens and specific combinations of vegetables, bean, and wheat products—which can be difficult to accommodate when your lifting weights all day at the gym. So, while eating a big steak after that workout remember that there are other ways to get your nutrients without increasing your risk of a heart attack

Rest! Rest! Rest!

With exercise the rest period is just as important as the physical intensity. Rest plays a crucial role in cognitive and skeletal muscle fiber production. The recommended amount of rest varies on the type of exercise. Rest includes: sleeping, relaxing in between sessions, and rest periods in between trials.

A good nights rest after an intense workout is necessary for muscle repair. During a heavy muscle contractions fibers are breaking down at a fast rate in order to provide energy demands for the workout. Not only are muscles breaking down, but lactic acid is building up and sleep allows the body to recuperate. Rest is important aspect of cognitive operations as well, as muscles are becoming trained the memory processes are taking place in order to remember proper coordination and stimuli. Long term memory systems require adequate sleep and rest in order to transpose symbols and thoughts into the long term memory making future workouts more beneficial. Rest periods are also important in between sets, especially during strength/power training. When we use a large amount of energy (ATP) the metabolic pathway is non-oxidative, therefore building up with lactic acid. Rest periods allow for the clearance of lactic acid and the reproduction of glucose—for the next trial.

So, next time you sleep in late, you can say that it is apart of your exercise routine!

Childhood Obesity

A reoccurring topic on obesity, is related to childhood obesity. The government has begun formulating policies to encourage children to eat healthy.

The New Hampshire Commission on Prevention of Childhood Obesity has outlined 14 policies to ensure obesity prevention. Some of these recommendations include:

• Department of Education writing rules for selling healthy foods at school
• Medicaid including nutritional counseling as a benefit for overweight children
• Fitness activities in day care, preschools, and public schools
• Children’s BMI should be measured at schools

When reading these recommendations, I’m reminiscing on my childhood and how most of these policies were in action. I don’t remember buying sodas and taco bell at school, and I remember going through the presidential fitness test every year, and my weight and height being measured often. So, when did these things begin to dissapate? At point did the school systems disregard physical education, and what was the purpose?

Perhaps in the midst of stressing out for college at 10 years old, these children and families are neglecting the development healthy lifestyles. It seems that as a society we are so eager to get ahead that we don’t take into consideration negative outcomes. And, so we end up with extreme imbalances in childhood development. Hopefully it is not too late to encourage the healthy progression of these children.

Muscle Makes You Thin

Earlier this summer I hooked my face up to a large tube and face mask and sat down for 15 minutes. This was done to examine my resting metabolic rate—how many Calories I burn at rest. The general rule of thumb is that most people expend 2,000 Cal/day, and so I thought that I would find myself in this general range. This was not the case, according to my reading I spend 1,400 Cal/day at rest, and according to another test—during my usually exercise I usually spend about 300 Cal/day, which amounts to 1,700 Cal/day (+ additional cost for the thermic effect of food). If I were to be eating 2,000 Cal/day I would gain a pound every 2 weeks. How could this be when I was at normal weight for my age and body type?

Muscle mass directly relates to your resting/basal metabolic rate. The more muscle mass the more Calories you burn just by sitting. Exemplified in the following equation:

BMR/RMR (kcal/day)= (Fat free mass in kg) x 30 kcals/kg FFM/day

So, although my weight was at normal range, because I was about 25% fat, I wasn’t burning as many Calories at rest. Over the summer I began training with a weight lifter to increase my lean muscle mass. After 3 months of weight lifting I had decreased my fat mass (to about 22%) and increased my fat free mass. Last week I took another resting metabolic rate reading and was happy to report that my reading increased to 1,598 Cal/day at rest. Now I can sleep more and not feel guilty about working out every second of the day!

I Feel Your Pain...

What is the deal with the incongruence of exercise and weight loss? After 4 months of training as a spin and yoga instructor I’m left feeling dissatisfied with the number on the scale. It keeps going up! How could this be when I’m working out so much?

I’m sure this has happened to many of you trying desperately to loose weight via excessive exercise. The problem here is that exercise isn’t the key to weight loss, counting Calories are. When I had begun training I began eating more, thinking “well if I’m burning more Calories then I can eat more.” Generally this is correct, if you don’t want to loose any weight. But, in order to have a negative net Caloric intake at the end of the day you still have to eat less. Also, it is important to note that with intense exercise muscles are going to have a lot of damage, and without proper rest periods for muscles to rebuild the body begins retaining water and desiring more food (especially high in fat) to maintain energy needs.

Currently I’m in the process of trying to consume less calories while exercising, which feels like death. So, what is to be done? My professor suggests eating much more fruits and vegetables. These kinds of foods are bulky, and therefore filling, without adding additional fat to your midsection. Although, this sounds like the perfect solution I’m currently dying for a large steak!

The Dual Training Experience

The new gym emergence in Los Angeles has transitioned from fully equipped 3 level gyms to single or double room dual-training systems. With each new system promising that their combination of strength training and endurance provides all the elements of a total workout. Some popular combinations include:

• Tredmill running and weight lifting (Barry’s Bootcamp)
• Pilates and Spinning (Pilates Plus)
• Yoga and Spinning (YAS)

Having tried all above combinations, I have to admit that I’m a converted dual-trainer! I began with Barry’s Bootcamp in 2007, after being coerced by Brittany Carson (a trainer at Barry’s). My first response was “you want me to pay $15 to run on a tredmill and lift weights which I can do at the gym…?” But after just a 1-hour session, the benefits of working out in a class setting with a trainer exceeded any 1-hour session at Bally’s. I began going about 4 to 5 times a week, and was noticing changes in just 1 month. Not only was I working harder in each class with the aide of the trainer, I was more compelled to go to class because of the familiar faces, and the commitment I had made to specific trainers. I thought this was all I needed. But, after about 4-5 months boredom started to creep in, and I was yearning for something more exciting. So, I tried Pilates Plus, and then YAS. My favorite combo is Yoga and Spin, at YAS I have found “my place” it’s a perfect balance for me, and over the last year it is the one combo that has kept me stimulated.

The Magic of Interval Training

Training programs should be specific to an individuals goals, needs, and preference. Otherwise the trainee could be left feeling unsatisfied and bored. One of the biggest reasons for dropping a new exercise regime is due to the inability to motivate oneself to endure the same old routine. For this reason, I recommend interval training.

Interval training has many models, which can be demonstrated during a single session or a weekly cycle. I find that when I use interval training with in sessions I am able to maintain persistency. For instance: I’m not much of a runner, and I often get bored jogging at the same speed for a long duration. So I end up quitting after about 15-20min. But, when I add in short sprints and up-hill running I’m able to sustain my cardio workout for up to an hour. How does this work? (book) explains the benefits of interval training—by giving the person many small attainable goals rather than one large goal. This way the performer can focus on reaching one goal at a time, and the success of each goal motivates the performer to excel at the next task. To relate this to my jogging example: the success of finishing a sprint compels me to complete the up-hill running which then motivates me to complete the next mile and so on. Whereas with straight-forward-flat-surface jogging, my goal is too long and I have nothing to motivate my completion.

Another important aspect of interval training is intensity. General guidelines assist in designing the intensity program specific for the individual, these guidelines are based on heart rate. Measuring predicted max heart rate is quite simple:

HR_max=220-age

Using this formula you can figure out your max heart rate then base your intensity by your heart rate. With endurance training, you would want your heart rate high (about 70-85% max) and with fat burning you would want your heart rate slower (50-60%). Intensity is used in order to determine cardio training and metabolic pathways. The level of intensity is the signal for determining how much energy is needed: with high levels of exertion more ATP is needed and thus the body will take the metabolic pathway that will create the most ATP in the shortest amount of time (glycolytic pathways). As oppose to low intensity workout, where a smaller amount of ATP is needed, so the body will use the pathway that creates enough ATP without having to go as rapid (beta oxidation: fat metabolism). So, if you want to burn carbohydrates it’s best to go with a high intensity endurance workout, and if you want to burn fat low intensity endurance workout is best.

Why is it important to understand metabolic pathways, and how is this relevant to interval training?

Well, much like most of you I want to burn fat and carbohydrates without having to walk for 4 hours or sprint for 3 miles. Interval training allows you to get the best of both worlds. So, with the exercise program I designed above allows me to not only sustain the workout, but I’m using both carbohydrates and fats as a source of energy—and burning them away!