Stay in Shape!

As I promised, in this post I am going to talk about how to stay healthy and in good shape.

First of all, it’s critical to point out two necessities for every individual trying to stay in shape. Eat well most of the times, and sleep well most of the nights.

Here is why.

The first thing you’ve got to know is that an extra cookie will not add to your loathsome belly fat, if you are willing to renounce eating that serving of broccoli that you craved so much (haha). What?! Seriously. Every day you get fatter or thinner based on your calorie intake. You take in calories by eating food and drinking the gallons of coffee you secretly chug every morning, and you burn calories by being alive (breathing, thinking, talking, moving…) and working ou
t. If your calorie intake is less than what your metabolism burns in a day— no matter if the calories came from cookies or from veggies—, part of the energy not supplied by calories will be taken from your fat reserves, ergo you're loosing fat. Good job!
Careful though: cookies (and fat foods in general) are packed with calories, so if you eat a little you will intake a lot of calories but you will not be full… That’s why you should eat cookies moderately!

Second, please believe me when I say that sleeping is fundamental if you're trying to build muscle, lose fat, or generally get more in shape. When you hit the gym, your muscles are not growing… They are actually tearing up… Exercising “breaks” the fibers in your muscle, so that when you go to sleep, your body has a chance to create new cells to fill up the “cracks” in your muscle. That’s when your muscle is growing.
 

You wanna look like this? :D

Ok, but if you're trying to get fit, you will agree that exercising is of fundamental importance! Sure, you could go to the gym, but that has some drawbacks. It is expensive, it takes up big chunks of time, and the benefits are mostly temporary: eventually you'll get tired of it, and two or three months after quitting you’ll have lost all your progress. Also, do realize that since they provide your momentum and absorb your body weight, machines like treadmills and exercise bikes burn very little calories, and while targeted lifting is perfect for making your muscles bigger, it won't help your metabolism that much, so it won’t get you fit or shredded, just bigger.

If you are a girl and do mostly cardio at the gym, or if you are a guy and you are just trying to gain mass, then lifting is good for you. Eat a lot of food and exercise to keep your body on tone. (If you're a girl and trying to gain mass, please stop immediately! ;). If you're trying to get the best shape, however, be mindful. When you exercise, you will start eating more food, and if your metabolism isn't working at 100% of its potential, you will gain muscular mass AND fat. That’s why is is very important that you do the right type of exercises. If you still want to lift, good for you. But for optimal results… you might wanna check out the advice in my next post!

A presto,

- Fede