As I am browsing on Bodybuilding.com, I come across a 12 week Live Fit Program that my favorite fitness model, Jamie Eason, is running. This program is set in three phases and it will defiantly work your strength and determination. I am currently in week two.
You start out with weight training to help tighten and tone your body. When you add more lean muscle to your frame, your metabolism
increases even more. That means you'll burn more body fat, even while at
rest. You wont be doing any cardio the first four weeks. That's right NO CARDIO! Free pass. This'll ensure your body is adding
the muscle you want, and not using up too many calories for immediate
fuel rather than muscle building.
Speaking of fuel, you should also intake a nutrient based meal every 2-3 hours. Eating this way will supply your body with a steady flow of nutrients,
boosting your metabolism too. Your body will begin to release its stored
body fat as fuel. The net result will be sustainable weight loss!
For the first two weeks I have been getting use to eating a certain way and time and training my muscles for optimum growth for the following weeks. The intensity level is about 60% of what you can lift and a higher amount of reps. In weeks 3 and 4 the intensity increases to 80% and your reps decrease, i.e. 12reps to 10 reps. As I progress through the program, I'll be applying techniques to
increase strength and promote hypertrophy (muscle building). The workouts for Weeks 1 and 2 required 4 days of training. During Weeks 3
and 4, the split increases to 5 days.
I will keep you posted as I progress. I have lost over 5lbs since starting this program. I am finishing off a bootcamp class going into my third week and I have signed up for an 8K road race in October, which means I need to start training for that as well. So in order for me not to lose any muscle mass, I need to take in a bit more protein into my diet. It truly is an art, figuring out what your body stores, releases and needs to get for optimum growth.
One tip that I may add when trying any fitness program, try not to depend on the scale, but more so on your inches and over all energy levels. Your weight in general has nothing to do with how healthy you are.
Here is a tasty recipe I got from Jamie, which I make every Sunday, two batches. Gets me through the week as well as my partner. Regular protein bars, have a lot of processed ingredients in them and at times are good for on the run, but I find that these bars that Jamie invents are even better and healthier. Give it a try! I bet the kids would even love them!
Pumpkin Protein Bars
1/2 Cup Xylitol Brown Sugar Blend
2 cup of Oat Flour
2 scoops of whey vanilla protein powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground clove
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 oz of unsweetened apple sauce or 1 jar of baby food applesauce
1/2 cup almond milk
4 large egg whites
2 tsp. vanilla extract
15oz. can of raw pumpkin
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350degC. Mix all the dry ingredients and separately mix the wet ingredients. Then mix the two well together. Spray a 9 x 13 pan or Pyrex dish with non stick spray. Pour the batter in the dish and bake for 25-30 mins.
Makes 24 squares.
Nutrition value without walnuts: 1 square = 47 calories., 0.7g fat., 8g carbs., 3.7g protein
Nutrition value with walnuts: 1 square = 63 calories., 2.3 fat., 8g carbs., 4g protein.
Yummy Yummy! Thanks Jamie!
-----buzzing off
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