We have a wonderful summer here in Philadelphia and every year around this time I am starting up running again.

I have not been running for at least a year due to time commitment and lack of interest. 
I started with a short run of 20 min. once a week. Once I felt stronger I increased the running time to 30 min. every other day. Now I am running almost every day for at least 35 min. and I feel tired, moody, exhausted and I actually gained few pounds.

Today I like to talk about weight gain due to extreme cardio training.
We all know people who lost weight due to starting up a running program. But what happened to them after years of keeping up an extreme running schedule. They all started to plateau and actually age faster. 

Let's just assume that each person who follows an extreme running schedule eats a strict diet, no junk food and no overeating. How can a person gain weight by following a program like this. 
Here is my answer "STRESS HORMONES".  High cortisol levels make it impossible for the body to burn fat!
Stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline are permanently increased if you happen to have a very stressful job, an extreme daily workout routine, and a diet that is low in vitamins and minerals. 
Once your stress hormones are increased your body goes into a survival mode, which means that from now on the body will slow down its metabolism to be able to survive its extreme situation. A slow metabolism means all our body's chemical enzyme functions slow down like nutrient absorption, combating free radicals, digestion, liver detoxification.

I have had numerous clients who come and ask me for advice to help them loose that extra 4 pounds by adjusting their diets and exercise programs.
Instead of adding more cardiovascular training I advice them to stop their cardio training  and  have them focus on Mind-Body exercises like meditation or yang yoga (breathing, chanting).
I also have them start juicing.  By drinking at least 16oz of raw vegetable/fruit juice daily, their bodies get flooded by pure vitamins and minerals and hydration.  After 2 weeks I have them go back to their cardiovascular training but with the information of only doing short intense intervals no longer than 20 min. a day.


There have been numerous studies that our bodies are actually not meant to run continuously for hours instead our bodies are made for short, intense runs going back to our ancestors hunting and gathering times.
All of my clients have lost at least 5 pounds and gained back their life without feeling hijacked to their workout routine. 

As you can see the believe of more is better, is not always true. There are lots of new books out there, that can confirm my own experiences, that hours of running, biking and swimming can actually harm us, make us more vulnerable to disease and weight gain. Here is one  book that I like to recommend The Cardio-free Diet from Jim Karas.

Enjoy your summer and remember don't wast your summer evenings with long exhausting and non-productive Cardio routines :)!!

Birgit your Herbalist


 

I just came back from a Fitness Conference in Philadelphia. Every year I participate as a staff member at an annual
fitness convention. Hundreds of fitness and yoga instructors from the Eastcoast meet to learn about the newest hottest fitness trends and moves. 

I have been an instructor for almost 25 years now (yes that's true I started to teach Jane Fonda style at the age of 15)!
I consider myself as a veteran in the fitness world. I have seen it all, classes with steps, balls, slides, tubes, minibars, kettleballs, boxing gloves, hand weights, ankle weights, spinning bikes, jumping ropes, gliders.
You probably don't know half of the equipment but regardless of that,  there is more to come from the Fitness Experts like   "Bad Kitty Sassy Fitness, Flirty Girl Fitness, Piloxing (Pilates and Boxing), Real Rider (spinning bike that can move from side to side), muscle bars (bar with attached tubing), Exercise Ball with sand .... and each one promises to get you in the best shape of your life!!!

 Nothing really has changed in that perspective except that nowadays if somebody promotes a new product, it has to be advertised with a nutritional diet plan! That makes me questioning the need for the new products, do we really need more stuff or should we just try to educate ourselves about nutrition?

Since I work as a stuff at this event I had plenty of time to observe the body's and shapes from all the instructors and what struck me most was the realization that the instructors are not getting any fitter, actually more the opposite compared to 10 years ago. Yes, they are more physical fit, some girls could exercise for 6 hours straight through without showing any signs of fatigue, but they do not look any more in shape as a person who goes to the gym maybe once or twice a week.  
I know what you are thinking now, oh well I might as well stop my membership at the club if the instructors can't even get in shape. But wait before you do so, I want to talk about something like too much exercise.  Lots of instructors make there living by teaching classes, they need to teach at least 15 classes (somebody told me at the convention that she teaches 30 classes a week) Once you are exercising too much, you have to be very accurate with your nutritional intake. The body gets very acidic during excessive exercising, to balance a too high acidic environment, you need to nourish the body with the right amount of minerals and vitamins or you end up with a higher body fat percentage.

 Postexercise nutrition is as important as the workout itself. If the body does not get adequate amount of food within the first hour after an intense workout like Bootcamp the body will cannibalise its own muscle tissue to convert glycogen into glucose. The only fuel for the brain is glucose! The end result will be a slower metabolism. You probably wondering now, why the body would not use its own fat storages, but here is the thing, the body can only burn fat with the help of glucose. If one of the instructors would immediately drink a Smoothie made with almond milk, some blueberries, a little bit flaxseed for some Omega 3s, and Hemp seed Protein Powder (or any other protein powder except soy and wheat) this process of cannibalism (eating up your own muscle mass) would not happen. 

Moderation is the big thing. You do not need to run a marathon, or teach 3 classes back to back to stay healthy and slim.
Instead of running everyday, run 3-4 times a week and use your spare time to educate yourself about nutrition. 
If you want to know more about a holistic lifestyle, follow my blog or email me. I am always happy to give you my scoop about it.

Have fun exercising but don't overdue it. Use your food as your primary guidance to stay slim and trim. 


Birgit your Herbalist