June 2010 Summary

June was a good month! In total I formally exercised on 22 days of the month and burnt 13,077 kcals on the cardio machines. In addition the hulas, sits ups and strength training picked up although I'm still awaiting delivery of the G4i Home Gym to take the strength training up a notch.

June saw some travel to India and UK, and during the June days I kept the exercise going (not true for the beginning of July which means I'm now playing catch up...)

While I didn't have the opportunity for an official weigh in for the end of June my weight/body fat have continued to decrease although a little slower due to some 'flexibility' on the food while on vacation. note: Official weigh ins need to be on my own scales at home and also at a consistent time of day.

The two highlights must be the continued success/progress on making time to exercise and also the first ever successful hula!

I'm looking forward to July and getting back into the rhythm. An unofficial weigh in this morning is showing me around 78.x kg and 21.x % body fat. I'll complete an official weigh in after a couple of days of adjusting back to the US timezones so I'm able to have a more consistent comparison.

Month Summary
Starting stats: 83.0kg, 23.0% body fat
End stats: 78.9kg, 21.5% body fat
Weight lost: 4.1kg
Body fat lost: 1.5%

Days exercised during Month: 22
Elliptical calories burnt: 9480
Recumbent bike calories burnt: 3597
Total calories burnt: 13077

Year to Date Summary
Weight lost: 6.6kg
Body fat lost: 3.9%
 
Days exercised during Year: 61
Elliptical calories burnt: 21884
Recumbent bike calories burnt: 10375
Total calories burnt: 32259

As a final summary I am seeing and noticing the difference in my fitness, stamina, strength and posture.

Thanks (as ever) to my wife for helping me feel motivated!

June 23rd->28th Daily Updates

Spent last week in Mumbai and then Trivandrum and as ever the India experience is fantastic. Managed to keep to my new regime fairly well with no alcohol and also going to the gym at least a few times. Now in the UK where the local gym to the hotel has quite restricted opening hours (weekends are 9:30->17:30) which provides some additional barriers. In addition to the exercise below the weekend just passed involved many miles of walking around London.

Exercise on all days has been 20-30 minutes on the elliptical trainer. Have struggled to get a long and hard workout due to competing priorities.

24th June: 250 calories burnt on the machines today (12,482 month to date)
26th June: 293 calories burnt on the machines today (12,775 month to date)
28th June: 302 calories burnt on the machines today (13,077 month to date)

I've broken the 13k barrier for the month although 14k is looking a little too far away for June.

June 22nd 2010 Daily Update

No loud music to keep me awake last night so slept from just after 11pm through to just after 4am. Dozed for an hour and then went to the gym and broke the 12k barrier for the month.

Morning

20 minutes Interval Training on the elliptical trainer
20 minutes medium cycle on the recumbent

Afternoon

hopeful to get another 20 mins in however let's wait and see

371 calories burnt on the machines today (12,232 month to date).

June 21st 2010 Daily Update

After a 15 hour direct flight landing Sunday evening I'm sitting in the Grand Hyatt. There was a wedding reception in the hotel last night which was very impressive with the number of people, the food etc, I took a look on my way to checking out the health club just after I checked in yesterday. The down side is the thumping music permeated through to my hotel room and continued on till 2am or just after. That together with jet lag meaning I was awake at 4:30am will result in today (Monday) feeling like a very long day!

The hotel fitness centre is pretty good, 12+ strength machines, plenty of free weights, 6+ treadmills plus sufficient other cardio equipment to make for a good workout this morning followed by 10 minutes in the sauna. I'm awake, however I need some coffee!



I lost most of Sunday sitting in the airplane so no cardio to report on for Sunday. If I am back from today's meetings and dinner with the vendor in time I'll do another short (20 min) cardio this evening.


Monday Morning

weights
20 minutes interval training on the elliptical trainer

Monday Afternoon/evening (updated)

I'd hoped to find 20 minutes after work however returned to hotel for 45 mins between workshops and vendor dinner which ended up as a 25 minute power nap sleep as struggling to stay awake. Returned back from dinner at 11pm and went straight to bed.

215 calories burnt on the machines today (11,861 month to date).

Travel: Airline Experience - Qantas

I should start this post by saying I've been spoilt on my long haul flights. I've flown on the Airbus A380 super jumbo 7 or 8 times now and each time it reminds me of how great the plane is. Prior to the A380 I would typically try to ensure I had a seat on the top deck of a Boeing 747, now however given the choice I'd always fly the A380. It will be interesting to see what the Boeing 787 Dreamliner will be like.

Qantas

For the 4 years I lived in Australia I (almost) exclusively flew on Qantas and overall found the service, aircraft and staff to be pretty good on the International flights. The aircraft fleet are fairly young and their new business class Cocoon seats are pretty comfortable. On the aircraft other than the A380 they were not the fully lay flat, however the A380 did have the full lay flat beds.

The Video on Demand in Qantas business class international flights was intuitive and easy to use with a reasonably broad choice of music, tv and movies. There were some glitches on the A380 which meant the video on demand would reset once or twice during a flight however I believe this has now been resolved.

The business class menu provides a good selection and the food is pretty good. The wine and drink list was reasonable.

As with any airline, there are good and and bad flight experiences however I would say overall I recommend them as an airline particularly if you get the chance to fly on the Airbus A380.

On the occasions that the flight was delayed the pilot and staff would always apologise. These may just be words but it does help. I've noticed that on all the US airlines that I've flown they do not apologise when the flights are delayed. I'm unsure if this is across all US airlines however it does make me not feel valued as a customer.

Overall Experience 7/10  (9/10 for the A380)

Travel: Airport Experience - Newark Liberty

Over the last 10 years I've travelled on a regular basis for work or please. During my time of living in Europe I was a frequent traveller for a while to Sweden, I went for holidays on the continent and also travelled further afield on occasion. The usual airlines I frequent where SAS, Ryan Air and Emirates with the occasional British Airways airline. Typically I'd fly from Stanstead or London Heathrow.


My move to Australia saw me travel more frequently on International long haul flights. Over the 4 years I was in Australia I travelled sufficiently with Qantas to become Platinum on their frequent flyer scheme. This allowed me to use the Qantas first class lounge which remains one of my favourite airline lounges. The service, the food, the view and the atmosphere was sufficient that I'd arrive at the airport early to ensure I could relax in the lounge for a few hours.

Now I'm in the USA I typically fly with Continental and occasionally with Virgin. New Liberty airport is very convenient to travel from however the experience always leaves me wishing I was back in Sydney airport. I'll post later on the experience in the air however this is my summary of the Airport, check-in and Elite Access lounge.

Check-In

Continental are trying to cut costs and have moved to an almost exclusive self-service kiosk operation. I don't mind the self-service kiosks as they can be useful when travelling light, however Continental have taken the kiosk philosophy too far. I typically check-in on-line and Continental allow this, however for countries where I need a visa I still need to go to the check-in desk to show my documents.

Today there wasn't a queue at check-in, however even in the Elite Access area the check-in is via kiosks, there are very few staff so when the check-in responds to wait for a representative you're left to wait, and wait. There is no friendly face to great you at check-in and check that everything is fine like you typically find with Virgin, Qantas and other airlines I've flown. The representative who came to check my passport didn't seem to confident on what to check for. Considering I'm flying BusinessFirst with Continental it just starts the journey on a low note.

The other advantage of having staff at the check-in desks is they are more likely to notice odd behaviour which in the security conscious world we find ourselves in at present would probably be a good thing.

My plea to Continental is please don't cut service quality when you're cutting costs. I understand the airline industry, particularly in the USA, is struggling however the experience in the airport and the plane is important if you want to keep your customers on the routes where there is a choice.

Experience 3/10.

Suggestion to improve experience: Have staff at each check-in desk (at least for Business/First class) like the good old days. Improve the attitude and training of some of the staff so it comes across as if the customer is important to the airline.

Security Check

These days Security Checks at the airports are a necessary thing. So while it may be frustrating to go through the process it does hopefully save lives. I'm unsure whether there are any accurate statistics available to the public as to the number of weapons, individuals that are found during the security checks however I'm assuming that they do work. I've never seen anyone arrested or airport security swarm around in all the years I have travelled. I'm hoping that this is because the security checks do work as a deterrent in the majority of situations.

So how does the Newark (and other USA airports) experience compare. The first difference you notice in the USA is that you have to remove your shoes and put them through the x-ray machine. This is a real inconvenience however considering the bomb attempts with bombs hidden in shoes I'm happy to have this experience if it makes the flight safer. What is frustrating however is the lack of places to sit straight after security in order to put your shoes back on. I'm fairly fit and young so I can manage, however I'd prefer a seat.. however what about all the unfit and older people who travel?

There's not much else to comment on the security checks, it's much of a muchness. They do a more thorough check of the passport and boarding pass, at least they scribble over the boarding pass and do some basic checks on the passport to validate it is real.

Lounge

When flying domestic business class I've always found I can use an airport lounge and the lounges are reasonable e.g. Sydney/Melbourne which was one of my more frequent domestic routes. My experience so far from the USA is that for domestic there are no business class lounges. If you have a sufficiently high frequent flier tier then you can use the lounge otherwise it is a $40-$50 charge. This just seems odd however from what I can tell is common practice in the USA. If the European or Asian airlines set up here and brought the level of service they provide back home to the USA I think the US airline industry would be in for a big surprise.

When flying International you can use the lounges. At Newark Liberty I've used both the Virgin lounge and the Continental Lounge.

The Virgin lounge is ok, not great, however it is positioned prior to the security check-in which is a real pain. This means you can't go straight from the lounge to the gate when the flight is boarding, instead you need to go through the security check, x-ray etc. I'm assuming that Virgin's lounge is located here due to space issues, however it is a detractor and doesn't help start a long haul flight in the right frame of mind.

If you compare this Virgin lounge to the one in Heathrow then there is no comparison. The Heathrow Virgin lounge gets a 9/10 score and is well worth going to.

Suggestion to improve experience: Move lounge to be after the security checks. Appreciate this may be difficult. Try to add some of the experience/ambiance from the Heathrow lounge.

Experience 5/10

The Continental lounge is after the security check-in however. It has a reasonable amount of seating so I've always been able to find a seat. There is a bar and if you want premium wines you need to pay. The wi-fi is free. There seems limited food and overall it is in the lower end of the primary business class lounges. By primary I mean one of the main lounges for a main airline rather than a small satellite lounge in a small airport. I would prefer the lounge more if they had more self-service food available.

On the plus side the cleaning staff were frequently walking around while I was in the airport and taking away the used plates, cups etc.

Suggestion to improve experience: More self-serve food available. Fresh sliced fruit (more than just apples), self serve fruit juice, beer etc

Experience 5/10

Summary

Compared to Dubai (UAE), Sydney (Australia), and the Virgin terminal in Heathrow the Newark Experience can best be rated as average (5/10). One big difference I notice between the staff in the USA and elsewhere is that the staff in Sydney, Dubai and other locations come across as more friendly and willing to help. An interesting observation perhaps...

Movie: Prince of Persia

Saw Prince of Persia:Sands of Time a couple of weeks ago. Played the original computer game 20+ years ago. Enjoyable film, good casting. A couple of bits a little silly but worth going to see!

Movie: Toy Story 3D

My wife and I saw Toy Story 3 in 3d today. Have to say it was enjoyable and both my wife and I may have had a little moisture under our eyes at times.

Well worth watching, I won't spoil the story. The ending was appropriate.

Exercise and Travelling

I travel fairly often on business and pleasure both within the USA and overseas. This presents a number of challenges in keeping a consistent fitness, weight loss and health regime.

The challenges of exercising and staying healthy while travelling are numerous:

• Access to gym facilities
• Jet lag, time zone differences and general tiredness
• Client or business dinners and receptions
• Early morning starts 
• Breaking the consistency of your existing exercise regime (e.g. time of day, equipment used, facilities etc)
• Actual travel - i.e. exercising during a 15 hours flight when 30,000 feet in the air on a plane is not easy...

It is possible to overcome at least some of the above and continue an exercise regime while travelling. It may not always be easy, however if you are determined then you'll find a way.

The biggest challenge I find is where the business trip is to a time zone that is 5-10 hours different and I arrive late on a Sunday evening, have an 8am meeting on the Monday and then workshops through to 18:30 and then dinner with the client at 19:30 and then the same again on the Tuesday, including dinner, before flying to another location early Wednesday morning to repeat. This really stresses the body and the jet lag drains me of energy such that even if there was time to exercise it can be a real challenge to have the motivation.

Travel Kit

When travelling I'll take a few items with me:

• Gym Kit and trainers
• Empty bottle - useful for water if the gym does not provide water in the gym. Exercising without taking in fluids will make an inefficient workout and you won't be giving your best
• Jump Rope - easy to carry with you and provides a cardio work out with limited space needed.
• Meal Bars - just in case the food doesn't provide you with the nutrition you need, a handful of high fibre/protein meal bars will help and are easy to eat. It also allows you to have the mid morning/afternoon snack to keep the metabolism going
• Tuna - I go for the plastic packaged tuna rather than the tins. They don't have the water content of the tins, are easier to carry and easy to open. You may not need them, however if you're concerned on protein intake then having one of these a day will help.

For my strength training I'll use the hotel gym where possible, otherwise squats, calf rises, push ups, lunges etc are all easy to do in your room to help keep the muscles working.

Hotel Gyms

Most hotel gyms from a Hampton Inn to a Hilton have a small fitness centre or gym on their premises. These may be a small room measuring 20 ft by 10 ft to something much grander.

If you're an avid jogger (I'm not) then the choice is a little easier as you can put on your gear and, weather permitting, go for a jog outdoors. This is a great and easy way for many people assuming you don't get lost on the route! For me, jogging is not an enjoyable exercise. I'm unsure if this is mental or physiological and perhaps is a topic for another post.

If you opt for the indoor option then typically the hotel will have a minimum of 2-3 treadmills, 1-2 stationary bikes and if you're lucky 1-2 elliptical trainers. If you're lucky then they may have a much more comprehensive suite of equipment including weight machines and free weights, cable TV, towels and more.

The most disappointing hotel gym to-date has been at the Hilton in Niagara Falls. The equipment was very old, the elliptical trainer was broken and set for a maximum duration of 10 minutes, the TV was archaic and couldn't be seen from most of the machines and the room was generally small, grotty and didn't really give a nice environment for working out. I'm assuming the gym will be updated before too long and let's hope it matches or surpasses my experiences of other Hilton hotels which have been pretty good.

The best hotel gym I've used has been the Westin in Bellevue, Washington state. This was a large, modern, well equipped gym that had TV screens on most of the cardio machines. Thumbs up to Westin!

Some hotel's will have a true fitness centre beside them that guests are allowed to use. While I didn't make the opportunity to use it, a recent stay at a Hilton hotel in Washington DC included free use of the adjacent fitness centre that was a proper gym/health club.

However you look at it, staying at hotels is a good opportunity for an early morning or late afternoon/evening work out!

I now take my gym kit with me when I'm travelling to ensure I make the effort to exercise.

Train and Air travel

It's pretty difficult to exercise while on a train or a plane and the journeys often last 2 to 15 hours (or more) unless your travel is just a local commute.

Maybe in the future train companies will create a carriage with exercise equipment and a shower that people can pay a premium to use. I would probably pay to use such a gym if my train journey was 2 hours or more, so health and safety issues aside maybe this is something the rail companies could investigate. The exercise carriages don't need to actually be accessible from the platform so adding a couple of carriages to the train may be less of an issue?

Whether on the train or plane trying to exercise is difficult. You can't jog, jump rope or do weight training. If you try to do push ups I'm sure the air-stewards would ask you to stop. Pretty much your only option is a few stretches to keep the circulation going.

If you have any other suggestions then post away, I'm keen to hear what you do to help if on a long-haul flight.

Business Dinners

These used to be the bane of my life. I would end up having some beer and/or wine, I would not make the best choices on the menu, and after some bread, an appetiser, main course and desert I'd probably take in or more likely exceed my day's calorie limit in one meal.

These days I am much better with the business dinners. As part of my getting healthy I've given up drinking alcohol.... completely! It was easier to make the tee-total decision (for now) then to say some drinking is fine and then find that I've not kept to a self-imposed limit. So for these dinners I drink sparkling water.

For the meal I typically limit myself to only a small amount of bread, and then I'll only go for an appetizer if there is one that is on the healthy side. So maybe a salad (without the calorie laden dressings), or some seafood (crab, salmon). The main meal is typically fish (Salmon, Tilapia, Sea Bass) which is blackened/grilled rather than covered in a sauce and for a side, plenty of steamed vegetables without the butter. Depending on what else has been eaten during the day I may also take in some additional carbohydrates via some potato, however typically not. Deserts are typically skipped unless there is something which is healthy!

My colleagues will encourage me to try some wine or have a beer, they may joke about the water, however that is part of life and I've not been seduced to the dark side :-)

Jet Lag and Time Zones

My preferred option is to try and arrive at my location at least a full day before the meetings, e.g. arrive on a Saturday if my meetings are on a Monday. This not only gives me some time to adjust, but also the Sunday to really get some exercise in at the hotel gym. I find this can help adapt to a different time zone quickly. The down side is that it usually means more time away from home and the wife.

My alternate approach is to begin to adjust my internal body clock for the week approaching the flight. e.g. I may start getting up an hour earlier each day and going to be an hour earlier. so 7am, 6am, 5am, 4am, 3am as the week progresses. This can work quite well although it does disturb those you live with (a big thank you for to my wife for being so supportive on this!). As I have a home gym it is easy for me to get up at 4am, have a work out and feel energised for the day.

The final part of the puzzle for me is to try to adapt my sleep pattern during the flight to force me closer to the destination time zone. This may mean forcing myself to stay awake for as long as possible, or going straight to sleep.

I haven't tried the various anti-jet lag pills/medicines that are advertised and available in stores, if you've tried these then feel free to post your experiences.



In summary, whatever your approach.. travel and exercise/fitness/health takes an extra commitment to keep on track.

June 19th 2010 Daily Update

Early start this morning as a busy weekend ahead. Broke the 11,000kcals barrier for this month... YEAH!

Morning

weights
hula hoop - actually able to hope for several minutes now!
20 minutes Sprint 8 on the elliptical trainer
30 minutes fast cycle on the recumbent

Afternoon

20 minutes Sprint 8 on the elliptical trainer

707 calories burnt on the machines today (11,646 month to date).

June 18th 2010 Daily Update

Afternoon exercise today as had an early start in the office.

Evening workout
20 minutes Sprint 8 on the elliptical trainer
30 minutes fast cycle on the recumbent

471 calories burnt on the machines today (10,939 month to date).



Almost at the 11,000 cals for the month.. tomorrow will see it reached!

Celebrated getting below the 80kg barrier with my wife and I having dinner at our local Italian restaurant. Rather than blow my hard work ended up passing on the steak and going for Blackened Tilapia, steamed spinach and steamed mixed vegetables. Liquid refreshment was sparkling water.

A great week!

Travels - Niagara Falls part 2

We also took the Maid of the Mist boat ride which takes you inside the basin of Horseshoe Falls. Great fun but very wet.

Some dude looking cool...

In the mist

The view of another boat as it heads back

Some more general shots of the Falls

The rapids that are nearby

At night they light the Falls. Looks a little tacky but a typical tourist sight

Travels - Niagara Falls part 1

During May my wife and I took a few days break and went to Canada. First stop was Niagara Falls. First time for me and I have to say it was pretty spectacular. Around a 7 hour easy drive. Looked at America Falls (US side) then drove over the border to the Horse Shoe Falls (Canadian Side). The two water falls are separated by Goat Island.

For anyone who makes the trip I strongly encourage you to go over to the Canadian side. The view is much better!

 

We stayed at the Hilton Hotel in Niagara Falls. Hotel itself was pretty good and we had a special mid week deal. Our room was on the 31st floor and overlooked both sides of the water falls so the view was fantastic. On the fitness side I managed to get to the hotel gym each day although it was the worst hotel gym I've encountered so far within the Americas. Very limited equipment and the elliptical trainer didn't work properly. Quite annoying to not being able to use the elliptical and then also be limited to 10 minutes before the machine reset. The gym was the only disappointment of the trip.

View from the Hotel room

 

View of America's Falls. The noise and power of the water was amazing and doesn't really come across in the photos that well. I may post a couple of video shots.

 

Another view of America Falls. This time you can see Goat Island in the background and the spray from the Horseshoe Falls.

Looking at America Falls from Goat Island

Looking down at the Cave of Winds walk which takes you to the base of Americas Falls. We did this and got very wet! Ponchos are provided and it was great fun.

Some dude on the Cave of Winds.. I wonder who he was...

A better photo to see the scale of the falls. Once again taken at the base while walking the Cave of Winds trail

Weigh In - 18th June 2010: 79.9kg; 22.5%bf

For the first time in ~2.5 years I'm below 80kg. This morning's weigh in was 79.9kg....

Only another 9.9kg to go! The Body Fat % is still too high (22.5%), however I'm dehydrated when weighing in the morning so the hydrated Body Fat % is more like 21%. However still a long way to go to get to 14%.

I am happy though with progress!

June 17th 2010 - Daily Update

Another morning exercise.. Up at 5:30am as I'm adjusting myself to another timezone for a forth coming business trip :-(

Morning workout
Warm up with the jump rope
Weights
20 minutes Sprint 8 on the elliptical trainer

Evening workout
20 minutes Sprint 8 on the elliptical trainer
30 minutes slow cycle on the recumbent

637 calories burnt on the machines today(10,468 month to date).

The wife said I looked much slimmer last night... always helps to have some positive acknowledgement :-)

June 14th->16th 2010 Daily Update

Monday was an exercise-free day. The body needed a chance to recover from 10 straight days of exercise. Ended up going for a walk along the river with my wife. One of the best chats we've had in a while as no iPhones, BlackBerries, Computers, TVs or other distractions :-) What did we discuss? Life, the universe and everything!

Tuesday and Wednesday have both been early morning starts (5:45am) on the elliptical trainer as I am on a AAA driver safety training course these two evenings to try and reduce car insurance premiums. I don't have points, I'm just considered a new driver in this country as I have only recently moved here.

20 minutes Sprint 8 on the elliptical trainer and a few minutes on the jump rope for both days:

204 calories burnt on the machines Tuesday (9614 month to date).
217 calories burnt on the machines Wednesday (9831 month to date).

My aim is to hit 11,000 calories for the weekend which will put me in a good spot for having a record month (May was a total of 11,009 cals)

June 13th 2010 Daily & Weekly Update

Medium level cardio today to finish up the week. I'll be having at least a couple of days away from exercise the week after next which will give my body a chance to rest and recover.


626 calories burnt on the machines today (9410 month to date).

This week has been a good success overall, some form of exercise on each day to total 5136 cals. Also used the jump rope today and managed to do pretty well. The loss of 5kg makes a big difference! Add to that the success with the hula hoop and breaking the 81kg barrier. I'm happy to judge this week as a success!

I've now exercised on 49 days since the 7th March and burnt a total of 28592 calories.

To round the week of my wife has cooked one of my favourites, sweet potato soup, will be my dinner for the next few days and I'm looking forward to it. Thanks wife! I'll start posting the recipes before too long. The soup tastes great and is healthy.

Fitness and Weight Loss Supplements

Open any health and fitness magazine and you'll be bombarded with pictures of athletic models and body builders and the health supplements (drugs!) they take.

Do we really need to take these? How many of us trying to get fit, or staying fit are really looking for such an extreme physique. If you are someone who is then I'm guessing you don't have a normal 9am-5pm job since these models and athletes spend much more of their time working out then many of us can commit time to.

Thermogenic weight loss products

For many years products such as Hydroxycut Ultra and Xenadrine Ultra have promised to remove the fat and make our muscles more visible. So how do they work and what is in them? They're classed as thermogenic products, they increase your metabolism/heart rate and you'll end up with a warmer body and depending on the side effects and your tolerance probably you'll feel more nervous/skittish, may have trouble sleeping, become more irritable etc. Similar to a coffee overdose, which is not unexpected since the chemicals in these products often include caffeine, green tea extract and other products. Some users have experienced more extreme side effects including liver related problems.

The older versions of these products often contained an ingredient called Ephedra. This comes from the plant Ephedra sinica and is also known as ma huang. These compounds stimulate the brain, increase heart rate, constrict blood vessels (increasing blood pressure), and expand bronchial tubes (making breathing easier). Their thermogenic properties cause an increase in metabolism, evidenced by an increase in body heat.

Ephedra containing supplements have since been banned in many countries including the USA due to a statistically high rate of serious side effects and even some deaths. The latest products have replaced Ephedra with other ingredients including bitter orange.

I would encourage you not to use these products. For the vast majority of us these products are unnecessary. They may play a part if you're looking to reduce your body fat from 10% to 6% however there are risks and such a low body fat percentage is not healthy for the body.

Ephedra used to be used by some people for weight loss in combination with aspirin  and caffeine  (known as an ECA stack). Some studies have shown that this can be effective for marginal short-term weight loss (0.9 kg/month more than the placebo), although it is unclear whether such weight loss is maintained. More importantly side effects of ephedra may include severe skin reactions, hypertension, irritability, nervousness, dizziness, trembling, headache, insomnia, profuse perspiration, dehydration, itchy scalp and skin, vomiting, hyperthermia, irregular heartbeat, seizures, heart attack, stroke, or death

If you're overweight and looking to use these products you're wasting your money and risking your health in using these products. Please leave them out of your shopping trolley. My personal view is that many are overpriced.

verdict: not needed

Vitamins

With the amount of processed food and the poor nutrition many of us have these days there is a place in our diet for some supplements. While the research is mixed as to whether vitamin tablets really are effective and absorbed by the human body I'd still suggest a daily multi-vitamin as beneficial. It shouldn't replace eating fruit and vegetables.

verdict: a general daily multi-vitamin is likely to be useful

Omega-3 Fish Oil

Unless you eat a lot of fish (and not the deep fried kind) then have an Omega-3 fish oil supplement can be beneficial. A bit of quick research shows that there is at least some evidence for the benefits of this supplement.

verdict: useful unless you;'re already eating a lot of fish

Whey - Protein

If your doing strength training (weights) or eat limited amounts of protein then there is also benefit in having additional protein in the form of whey/casein. For most of us we don't need the most expensive products being advertised, however some additional protein to have in a smoothie/shake or just mixed with water can help with the goal of losing weight and building muscle. I'll cover this more in a general nutrition article in the near future.

verdict: useful to help ensure you have sufficient protein for building muscle

Other supplements

For most of us we do not need any other supplements, if you're thinking of taking them then consult with your doctor or physician. Many products claim to help weight loss either by providing fiber and hence making you feel more full, or by suppressing your appetite. So unless your doctor is prescribing other supplements I'd recommend you save your money and improve the nutrition from your meals.

verdict: not needed

Obesity

I've recently moved to New Jersey, USA from Sydney, Australia and prior to that I lived and worked in the UK. While I'm sure I'm unfairly stereotyping the USA the obesity issue here is significant.

On one hand I struggle to understand how people can allow themselves to get so obese. I fully understand that people put on weight gradually over time, I've done the same.. increasing by 15kg / 33 lbs over 4 years however we're talking about something much much more than this. Typically 100s of pounds in extra body weight. On the other hand I see a significant amount of 'victim' mentality. The advertising in shops and on TV is only going to result in an increasing level of obesity and it is here that the governments world wide need to consider the future cost to the world of treating obesity.

My local Walmart may not be the best place to see a representation of the population however it is shocking. Here we have many people who weigh 250lbs and more and it is not muscle. Looking at the contents of the shopping trolleys shows colas, crisps and many other sugar, fat and calorie laden foods and then popping to the in store McDonalds for who knows how many burgers, fries and colas.

So my question is.. why? Surely these people know that they're killing themselves and that their life expectancy is severely shortened and they run the risk of type 2 diabetes, other health issues and a life on drugs? Do they not want to see their children grow up. Probably what saddens me more is then seeing children who are between 6 and 12 years old who are already obese. It's easy to blame fast food joints, computers, televisions and many other influences, however for the kids the 'blame' and responsibility must surely lie directly with the parents and not looking after their children. Maybe I'm speaking out of turn, I'm not a parent however the information on nutrition etc is readily accessible and obesity is a known issue.

I don't have any statistics to hand, however I'm certain that less than 1% of obese people are obese as a result of genetics rather than eating too much and exercising too little. To this point the graph below is from 2003 courtesy of Wikipedia and the World Resource Institute.  It shows the average calorie intake in kcals/person/day per country between 2001 to 2003. The world average was 2800 kcals/person/day. Now compare the countries and even the 2800kcal world average to the standard recommendation of 2000 to 2500 kcals a day. We have a problem.... now look at the USA, an average > 3600 kcals per person! We have an even bigger challenge!

Now compare the above to how it looked back in 1961.. much fewer calories, the average back then was 2253 kcals/person/day.

I plan to write a separate blog entry on advertising and fast food, however to pre-empt this let's just say that my experience of the USA advertising on television is that there are far more TV adverts for fast food and also for medication... interesting?

Now the obesity issue isn't limited to the USA, many other countries including the UK and Australia are fast catching up. However in all of these countries the obesity is more focused to certain locations and demographics of people. For example in the USA I've visited both Washington DC and parts of California where I noticed very few obese people. In Australia if you go to Manly, Bondi Beach or other similar locations then once again there are few obese people.

I read on the news a few weeks back that stated the average cost to treat an obese person in the UK. While I don't recall the exact figure it was large due to surgery (bypass and stapling), the drugs/medication and ongoing monitoring required. The cost is then burdened to the tax payer. We must surely be able to come up with a better plan, maybe we can't offer free gym memberships to all the population but I'm sure there are other ways to use the billions of dollars/pounds more effectively? Or maybe some form of gym subsidy to help those who are making the effort?

A quick Internet search indicates (in the USA) that in 2006 the average medical care costs per year paid by the patient was 42% more for people who were obese. i.e. they needed more medical care. In 2006 the direct and indirect costs of obesity in the USA for the year was around $147 billion. A staggering amount that is increasing each year!

In the news this week is that more than half of adults in most EU countries are overweight or obese according to the European Commission.As a result they're looking to change food labeling to spell out more clearly exactly what's contained inside. I have to say I'm not sure this will work, in my experience food labels are already pretty clear as to what is in the food, it's just people don't care or bother to read them.

So my plea to humanity is to take responsibility for yourself, don't become a victim, start looking after your own body and send the message to the corporations that sell and advertise drugs/medication and unhealthy food that we're not interested in their products! So let's think about what we buy at the super markets, let's go for less processed food that is full of fat, sugar, salt and calories and invest in one of the most important things we have... our health...

Safe Weight Loss

"Lose 14lbs in 14 days"
"The physique that's right for you in 6 weeks"

These are two of the statements on the front of this month's Men's Fitness magazine. They're little different to other headlines or statements in many other magazines and books covering fitness, health, weight loss and dieting.

For the vast majority of us these are misleading, dangerous or plain incorrect statements and promises. So why is this and what can we expect for safe weight loss. It is not such an easy answer as we're all different, as are our goals.

Safe weight loss is typically around 1 to 2lbs (~0.5 to 1kg) a week, anything above that and you increase the risk of having health issues, breaking down muscle rather than fat or just regaining the weight again.

If you're overweight and trying to loose body fat while putting on some muscle then losing 1 lbs-2 lbs a week in weight is a more usual target. This can still be 50 to 100 lbs of weight loss in a year! Muscle is more dense than fat however so your results will vary. Remember that some patience is required, most of us spent many years gaining the weight we have, trying to lose it all in a few weeks or months is unrealistic and dangerous. If you see books, magazines or people promising they can help you shed weight quicker then I'd suggest you walk past them, it's not worth the risk to your health...

If you're obese you may be able to have higher weight loss at first, if you're already very lean or with muscle then you may lose weight slower.

The body has evolved over thousands of years and the pace of technology and the world around us has changed quicker than the body can evolve. If we go on a crash diet then we may lose some weight however the body goes into starvation and survival mode, not realising that there is plenty of food available, and tries to store as much as it can and you'll end up losing muscle rather than fat.

Many diets promise amazing results in the first 2-4 weeks and this is often down to 'water loss'. The vast majority of us do not drink sufficient water and hence our bodies are constantly dehydrated. Check when you go to the toilet, if your urine is yellow then this is a reasonable indication that you are dehydrated although watch out for drinks such as alcohol and caffeine that act as diuretics which results in the body losing more water than normal and you may therefore pass the 'bathroom test' but still be dehydrated.

Once you start drinking more water your body begins storing less as it realises there is a regular intake and then you'll find you've lost a few lbs in weight just due to this phenomena. This is fine for the first 2-4 weeks but then this 'amazing weight loss' slows down and you'll have to work to lose any further weight.

Typical research suggests drinking 8 glasses of water a day, if it is ice-cold then it can help to burn some more calories, however don't replace the water with soda and other liquids. The body needs the fluids, drink green tea and other beverages however still aim for the 8 glasses of water as your body will thank you for it.

Enjoy the journey ahead of you, we're looking for sustainable weight loss that we still have in 2, 5 and 10 years time. We're not looking for the yo-yo effect where we lose weight now, only to put it back on in 3,6,12 months time and then have to start all over again. So get to know your body, understand what it is telling you, the aches, the pains, the urine, the hunger, these are all ways the body uses to talk to you if you're willing to listen and understand.

Interval or High Intensity Training (HIT)

Exercising is good for you.. It burns calories, it releases hormones and other chemicals into your blood stream that are good for your physiology, it can result it higher self-esteem and confidence, the list goes on...

If you're exercising to loose weight then there are some simple tricks and tips that can push you to the next level and result in significant improvements in progress.

Let's assume you're undertaking your cardio/aerobic exercise 3-5 times a week. Maybe it is cycling, jogging, elliptical training, it doesn't matter too much. Let's also assume you're keeping tracking of your calories being burnt. If your technique is primarily using the cardio equipment at a set level of resistance then you're in luck, there is another way! If you're at a commercial gym, look around, you'll see plenty of people on the gym machines spending 30 minutes at the same level of resistance, whether it is 2, 5, 8 or some other.

The concept of interval or high intensity training (HIT) is quite different. It works on the basis of a short duration of very intense exercise followed by a longer duration of lower intensity, and then repeats, and repeats, and repeats. The net result is to push your body, significantly elevate your heart rate, oxygen intake and increase your fitness. While the number of calories being burnt may be the same, or similar to the standard approach, the improvements to the body are more dramatic. It can strip away body fat quicker, the body continues to have an elevated heart rate and burn calories for longer after the exercise has finished.

The diagram below shows 90 second compartments of time, with the first x seconds being high intensity, and then the remainder of the 90 seconds being lower intensity.

If you're using gym cardio equipment then look at the programs available and see if there is one called 'Interval'. On Vision Fitness equipment, many of them come with 'Interval' but also 'Sprint 8' which is a similar concept. I encourage you to try it for a month and see the results!

The body's muscles get used to a training regime, and if your approach is 30 minutes at level 4 then you'll not be achieving the results that you could. The benefit of interval training is that it works the body much more, you can then adapt the interval training, for example increasing the 'high intensity' resistance level as your muscles strengthen and also the ratio of high intensity time to recovery time. e.g. from 30:90 seconds to 45:75 seconds.

If you have a heart rate monitor then these can help with monitoring how you're doing. Depending on your level of fitness you may target 70-85% of your max  heart rate at the high intensity going down to 55-65% during the low intensity.

If you jog outside then the same concept applies, increase you're pace for 30 seconds or 2 minutes, then lower your pace for some time, then repeat.

The two pictures below are from our Vision Fitness 6200HRT elliptical trainer. The first one shows the 'Interval' program:

And this second one shows the 'Sprint 8' program

Both of these programs have a similar approach, the main difference being that the Sprint 8 is pre-set to a 20 minute duration that can't be changed. Only the level can be changed.

You'll also see various weight loss and fat burning programs on cardio equipment. I typically wouldn't use these. They will work you at a lower intensity level than HIT and are based around the premise that at the lower intensity level the body burns a higher percentage of fat:carbohydrates per calorie being burnt. That may be true but the total calories burnt is less and the HIT will provide greater results assuming your nutrition is appropriate.

Our Home Gym

So what does our home gym look like and what equipment do we use. Apart from the Vision 6200 HRT Elliptical Trainer , Stamina Ab / Hyper Bench and Schwinn 240 Recumbent Exercise Bike we've invested in a number of pieces of equipment, mostly low cost. We've also ordered a Body-Solid G4I ISO-Flex Home Gym home gym although we've paid far less than the MSRP for it.

Our gym is on the ground floor of the house where it stays a little cooler. We have cable TV so we can watch movies, TV shows (e.g. NCIS) or fitness on-demand programs. Ideally I'd like a larger room however this is more than sufficient to start with.

The mirror is for checking technique, mirrored walls would be better however it works well enough. You can see the recumbent bike and elliptical trainer to the left. The Stamina ab bench in the middle and the dumb bells to the right.

Hula Hoops

The hula hoops are not in the above pictue however as you can see we've collected a few.

• small green/blue hoops to the left are Arm Hoops. Useful for working the arms and shoulders although my co-ordination isn't good enough to use both at the same time irrespective of whether I'm spinning them in the same or opposite direction. The hoop on my left arm seems to have a habit of launching into space without warning to those around me!
• The next hoop is a light weight hoop we bought at Sports Authority or Toys r' Us quite a while ago. It is very light. I found it is too small for me to hoop with although my wife has no problems with it.
• The next hoop is smaller the smallest of the body hoops. Once again bought at Sports Authority or Toys r' Us. It does have some weight, maybe 0.5 to 1lbs. It is too small for me again.
• The larger yellow and blue hoop is called a Trip Hoop. It weighs in at 3.6 lbs and is large - around 40.5" diameter. This is the hoop I am using to learn with. In hindsight I perhaps should have gone for a hoop that was 2lbs in weight as I was struggling to hoop, however looks like I'm now progressing so perhaps I made the right choice.
• The last hoop (pink/red/purple) is the Power Hoop. This comes in at a heavy 5lbs (2.2kg) and has a wavy/rippled interior. It is for advanced users. My wife has no problems using it, however I'm not yet ready for it.

So why hula hoops? Aren't they a little 'girly'... Well the reviews on these are very good and they seem to work on toning the abdomen and building core strength. They are quiet, cheap and simple to use (once you've learnt how to hoop). I also admit to enjoying watching my wife hula hoop while I gym.. but enough on that!

On a purchasing note. I usually buy from Amazon as the prices are competitive and the products are reviewed by many people. For the hoops, while Amazon does sell them, I purchase them from Sports-Hoop. No real reason, hopefully the purchase will help keep the smaller stores and retailers in business and the prices were about the same.

Other Equipment


Balance Board - Useful for building core and leg/ankle strength. Once you find it easy to use ont he carpet, put it on a hard floor (e.g. wood/tile) and it becomes more interesting!

Foam roller - great for stretching calf muscles and also for some deep tissue massage therapy for those hard to reach muscles. Highly recommended!

Not sure what to call these other than 'hand squeezers!'. I used to have plastic ones with foam covering however the foam disintegrated. These ones are wooden, much harder on the hands however better durability.

Wrist and ankle weights (wrist weights shown below). Useful to wear for some exercises. e.g. if hula hooping can wear the wrist weights to also exercise the arms and shoulders.

The last piece of equipment are the Perfect Pushup V2 . I bought mine in Sports Authority however they're available from numerous places on-line. In my late teens I could give 100 push ups without too much trouble, nowadays I'm lucky to be able to give 5.... I bought the Perfect Pushup V2 to help incentivise myself to exercise with pushups and also I've found they really work the body that bit more.

Not showing in the photos are jump ropes/skipping ropes. I have a couple of these and while not being used much at the moment, they are going to form part of my exercise routine.


So that's our home gym.

My moment of triumph...

I tried to hula again this morning expecting my usual feeble attempt. I find that after a couple of spins of the hoops I end up slowly crouching down more and more with my legs until I resemble the stereotypical Russian dancer pose... not very comfortable but at least the hoop keeps spinning.

The first attempt was the same as usual, my wife was providing some morale support and tips before heading back upstairs. My second attempt was better, almost standing up and hooping for a couple of minutes. The third attempt was nirvana... my moment of triumph... I was hula hooping standing up. It's a shame that my wife wasn't there to share the moment with me... it was a personal triumph as for nearly 40 years I've never been able to hula hoop and every attempt has been an embarrassing disaster.

My technique is still far from perfect, I was standing up however the hoop spins at a noticeable angle from horizontal and on the front of my body sits above my belly and below my chest, so it is a little high. Looks like I have a few more bruises however I have succeeded in crossing one of my barriers.. the ability to hoop.

Let's hope my next attempt continues to progress rather than regress, however now I've managed it once I know I can do it, so the mental barrier is gone. I just have to improve my technique which I hope my wife will be able to help me with considering her expertise at hula hooping.

Weighing Method & Tanita Body Fat scales

When tracking my weight and body fat I have an official weigh-in once a week at home in the morning. I'd suggest either a Sunday or a Monday to ensure consistent results. As I'm not out on the town partying on Saturday nights I'm not seeing significant variations between Sundays and Mondays.

I'll sometime weigh myself morning and evening over a few days just to see how my measurements fluctuate. This is more for me to get to know my own body then for any official measurements. I'd typically caution about daily weighing as you'll not necessarily see a daily decrease in weight and this can be demotivating. What I've noticed is that my weight will vary by 0.5kg to 1.5kg from morning to evening. A fair bit of this increase will be water as I'm dehydrated in the morning and super saturated in the evening. My body fat measurement varies the opposite way, typically decreasing by 1-2% from the morning to the evening as I have more water in my body, the electrical pulses travel easier and hence my body fat reading is lower.


I suggest taking official measurements in the morning as it is typically going to produce more consistent results to compare. You've not eaten in a while, most people get out of bed at a similar time each week etc. For me the ritual is: get up, a trip to the bathroom and then time to weigh.


I have a Tanita body fat scales which I bought over 6 years ago. They work well for me, and based on providing gender and height will use electrical impulses to measure body fat percentage. From comparing the measurements with other means (calipers etc) I've found that for me they do present a pretty accurate assessment.

It's worth a warning here though.. My brother bought a different (more expensive) set of Tanita scales about 2 years after me and his ones always provided a ~4% lower body far reading. So don't take the reading as correct unless you've been able to validate it by other means. Now whether the readings are always higher or lower than the true value, it is the trend that is important i.e. month by month is the body fat % reducing as you journey towards your target.

The scales work by sending an electrical impulse up through one leg, across and then down the other leg. Now depending on where about on your body you store your body fat you may or may not find the readings are accurate. All I can say is the scales I have work well for me as an individual.

If you're looking to buy body fat scales then I'd recommend researching specific models, Amazon is always a good place. There are many manufacturers and models these days, some will be suitable for you, others may not. If you're able to then try and get your body fat measurement measured at a gym or by a doctor and then find a store that sells the scales and see if you can try them there, or try at home and return if they're not accurate.

Weigh In - 13th June 2010: 80.7kg; 22.5%bf

My weight back in March when I started was around 85.5kg with my body fat around 25%. I haven't consistently weighed myself over the last 2-3 months however from the last week onwards I will aim to post an official weigh in 2-4 times a month.


My measurement at 09:00 Sunday is 80.7kg; 22.5% body fat

I've been weighing myself most mornings and evenings this week out of interest. The last 3 days have floated in at 81.0kg each day so it's good to finally break into the 80.xkgs!

I'm noticeably thinner than I was back in March, however still have plenty of body fat around my waist and chest to lose.

Movie: A-Team

Went to the cinema and watched the A-Team today. Watched the TV series when I was younger so was looking forward to it. Came away from the movie a little disappointed, pretty poor story and the usual Hollywood wanted to change the story. They could easily have kept it in Vietnam, no need to modernise everything! Overall though it was enjoyable and evoked a number of laughs.. which is why I saw it.

There were a couple of cameos at the end by the original Face and Murdoch. Jessica Biel was pleasing to the eye (don't tell the wife!). Liam Neeson is as usual enjoyable to watch but the gold star goes to Sharlto Copley (famous from District 9) who was pretty funny as Murdoch, even if the accent seemed a little too South African at times! BA Baracus was pretty well cast as well.

Anyway, worth watching if you have fond memories of the TV series. Looks like we're in for some good movies this year. Avatar is still the most visually stunning and enjoyable film I've seen since Lord of the Rings.

June 12th 2010 Daily Update

Spent the day at the cinema and shopping so didn't start exercising until far later in the day than expected. Still managed to do a reasonable work out and weights today.

Lunch was some noodles and vegetables. First time in a few weeks my lunch has left me hungry! Could be that I missed my mid morning snack due to cinema and shops.. I have some almonds now I'll carry around with me. Otherwise may have been lack of protein with lunch, either way, wasn't so good.

Strength exercises where the usual.. back, ab crunches, push ups, dumb bells, etc. Will push it up a notch once the home gym arrives. My sit ups and push ups are pretty weak...

Hula hooping today has given me a bruise on the side of my waist. My wife makes it looks so easy, guess I'll get the hang of it at some point!

20 minutes interval training on the elliptical
30 minutes interval training on the recumbent bike
40 minutes gentle training on the elliptical

stretching calf muscles on the foam roller really helps, no soreness in them now.

734 calories burnt on the machines (8784 month to date). Felt a little fatigued today, may have been the eating getting out of sync. Dinner was lentil soup and wholemeal bread plus grapefruit juice.

What limits us?

So why the blog title... and will I share (my view!) on the answer...

I'm a firm believer that it is not what happens to us that defines who we are but the way we act (or react) to the things that have occurred. If we purely go by what happens to us we run the risk of perceiving ourselves as 'victims of circumstance/environment' and this empowers our environment to control us. If we however accept what has happened and then choose how we act (or react), we then take control and empower ourselves. These are just words that are easy to write, the proof is in living them. This is not to say we should not empathise with people when 'bad' things happen, we are human. Open any newspaper and you'll read stories about war, rape, murder.. you'll also read stories on heroics, whether it is someone wrestling down a gun man, or someone's own conquering of a fear, illness or other misfortune. I'd also suggest not reading the stories about the celebrity gossip and scandal... there are better ways to spend your time, such as focusing on your own life rather than theirs...

Therefore the answer to the question as to what limits us... it is ourselves...

My experiences have so far shown me that whether we look at the work environment or the personal environment the barriers we usually say prevent us from doing things are those we create ourselves. All of these are excuses.. let's be clear on that.

On the personal side people will often say:

• 'I don't have the time'. We all have the same amount of time.. 24 hours a day! It is how we choose to use it that counts... It is not about having the time, it is about making the time.
• 'I don't have the money'. Perhaps a trickier one, but whether it is getting fit, spending time with the family, having a holiday... these things can be done on a budget. How much do many people spend on alcohol, cigarettes, pizza and fast food, smart phones, designer clothes etc a year.. add it up.. it is a lot. Yes there are many families who live below the poverty line, let's acknowledge that, money can make things easier (or harder) however it isn't the barrier people make it into being.
• 'I don't know where to begin'. With the access to Internet, free public libraries there is a wealth of information out there. To get a successful result takes planning and time, so do some research. It stimulates the mind, it empowers you to make your own decisions and be in charge of your own destiny rather than just be a victim and do what you're told.
• 'I'll do it tomorrow, next week etc'. back to time again.. most likely the number 1 excuse!

On the work side my experience has shown people can be fixated with rank, grade, job titles, job descriptions, roles & responsibilities and use this as reasons not to do things. I've also done this.. most of us have, however over the last 10 years I've also pushed at my own barriers and taken action, made decisions, acted at a level above my own rank, job title and found that people will follow and not question so long as you act with confidence, integrity and at least a modicum of knowledge! The people who are successful CEOs were not born to being a CEO, many of them started as cashiers and other roles, however the successful people excel at stepping outside the boundaries of their current roles and demonstrating that they can work at the next level. An interesting thought there... just don't get too carried away!

I've been gifted, some would say lucky, over the last few years of my career to be at the right time and the right place.. luck does play a part. The result is a rapid move up the corporate ladder. I had a choice in January 2007 of joining one of two companies, a small consultancy (which is my career background), or taking a change and leading a small internal application development team of ~10 staff. I chose the latter option because it was different, a new experience, and I wanted to see if I could do it.

Now 3-4 years on, whether through hard work, luck, talent, timing and likely all of these and more, I find myself running a global team of ~600 staff for the same organisation. I'd never have guessed or hoped this would have happened. I'm learning a lot about myself, my strengths and my growth areas each day. Am I qualified to do this role, do I have the experience... does it matter? To me no it does not, so long as I am not sinking beneath the waves and I am using the opportunity to learn and grow then this is an opportunity not to throw away. Do I have fears? are there times I think I can't do it? when I make my own self-imposed barriers.. of course there are.. Do my team see this, perhaps, perhaps not.. However by reviewing my perspective I (almost!) always find that the things that I believe are limiting me are just in my mind. By changing the angle with which I am viewing the situation I can find a way to move forward...

So my message to anyone who reads this blog, is not to choose to be a 'victim' but instead to 'choose' how you act to the circumstances around you. Stop making excuses that you know, deep down, are excuses that you can overcome, and instead take control, take control of your lives, your surroundings, help those around you to step up or..... if necessary, if those around you are holding you back, change who you associate with, or at least take a break from some of those that have a negative influence on you.

We each have two destinies... the one we are living, and the one we choose...

I ask you to choose...

And acknowledgment and thanks to my wife for being so supportive during the last few years. The career journey mentioned above coincided with meeting my (now) wife. Maybe she is my good luck charm! Irrespective, she has supported me and helped me to demonstrate I have the 'courage to lead'. To my wife, thank you for sharing this journey!

Calories, body fat, weight, BMI and other ramblings

A quick surf of the internet or review of fitness books will provide a wealth of information on calories, fat, BMI, losing weight, building muscle and other perspectives. Often it is confusing, contradictory or useless for the average person.

My philosophy is to use the information as a guide and determine what works for yourself. If necessary consult a physician or other trained professional however your body belongs to you and you therefore need to be the one making the decisions and taking responsibility...

Measuring Calories being burnt with exercise

While I measure the calories I burn during cardio exercises on the gym machines this is purely as a way of gaining some form of comparison for each of my work outs. Just spending 20 minutes on a machine is not going to help with measuring progress if that is all you measure. One day you may use level 5, the next level 1 yet you'll have no way of remembering or improving. While not perfect, and also flawed, I try to use calories as the basic measure I use on gym cardio equipment.

A 20 minute high intensity workout that burns 400 calories will still be 'better' for you than a 30-40 minute gentle workout that burns 400 or 500 calories. The aim is to get the heart beating, work the muscles and the lungs, get sweating and push yourself. However this is harder to measure, so I typically keep the machine on the 20 minute interval/high intensity work out and try and push myself that bit harder to burn more calories (as measured by the machine) each day. This shows some degree of progress.

I'm now averaging between 500-1000 calories a day (depending whether a week day or a weekend) on the cardio equipment. That's useful however is it possible to convert that into more meaningful information, such as how much weight I will loose? Some people and books will say yes, others no.. The basic fact is that the calories being burnt will help, however there are plenty of other factors...

The typical view is that there are 3500 calories per pound of body fat. In order to lose just one pound of stored fat we need to burn off 3500 extra calories. Unsure if body fat differs per person but this is a good view. So if I burn around 3500 calories on the machines each week I should be able to burn a pound of fat a week... right? wrong?...

Wrong.. It depends on how much you are eating, your muscle mass and many other factors... This brings me to my next point... I'd recommend not to be fixated on calories. It is a useful guide but also flawed and open to misinterpretation...

Measuring Calories being taken in with food and liquid

It is pretty difficult to measure every calorie that you ingest accurately, it is not worth trying. However a a broad guideline the typical human (if one exists) should take in between 2000 and 2500 calories a day. Typically women will have the lower end of the scale and men the upper end.

However there are a number of modifications to consider:

• If you do very little exercise then you probably want to be reducing your calorie intake a little
• If you do a lot of exercise you want to be increasing your calorie intake
• If you're trying to lose weight (i.e. fat) then aim to have a 500 calorie deficit a day between what you intake and the exercise you do. Trying to do a crash weight loss rarely works in the long term.

There are many websites available which have calorie calculators. They're a useful guide.. but only a guide...
Weight

I'm aiming to be 70kg / 154lbs... except I'm not.. I'm actually targeting to be around 14% body fat, down from my current 21%. I just happen to know that unless I try and really bulk up my body like a body builder (not interested!) that at 14% body fat I will weigh around 70kg. Hence for me, measuring my weight is a useful guide on progress, however it is not my real target. I know this from past experience of what I weighed when I was at 14%.

Why is measuring weight flawed? Well fat is less dense than muscle. That means that I could have a higher weight than expected if I build more muscle and lose far. i.e. my weight could conceivably increase even though I am losing fat... Hence weight alone is flawed.

BMI

BMI, or Body Mass Index was invented between 1830 and 1850 by a Belgian called Adolphe Quetelet. It was seen as a useful mechanism for judging whether someone was Underweight, Normal, Overweight or Obese.

BMI is flawed but can be used as a guide. BMI doesn't measure your fitness and some people find it easier to stay light, even if they are very unfit (i.e. walk up a slight hill and they'll be breathing heavily). The two main challenges with BMI often mentioned are:

• The average human is statistically in 2010 than they were in 1830 and hence the formula needs to be adjusted
• BMI doesn't distinguish weight due to fat and weight due to lean muscle. With muscle being more dense than fat many sports athletes would be rated as Obese by BMI even though they have very low body fat.
  

For the average person BMI can still be useful. Just consider other ways to measure if and when you reach the fitness of an athlete!

Body Fat Percentage

So this is why I use body fat percentage as my main goal. There is plenty of information on the internet available to read however a typical range is shown below from the American Council.

Description	Women	Men
Essential fat	10-13%	2-5%
Athletes	14–20%	6-13%
Fitness	21–24%	14–17%
Acceptable	25–31%	18–24%
Obese	32%+	25%+

There are other tables and charts available on the internet which also vary by age and other factors. Body fat percentage also has issues and flaws, ultimately I'm not just looking to weigh 70kg, have 14% body fat.. I'm also look to be 'fit', have stamina and be able to jog a brisk 5-10 miles without suffering a heart attack.

As ever, whatever method you utilise, it should still be considered purely a guide. Everyone is different! There are plenty of other factors and measurements that can be used however no one method is perfect! Body Fat, BMI, Weight etc are not measurements of fitness, you can have acceptable measurements in these and still be out of breath after a half mile jog...