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What is Fasted Cardio and Does it work?

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What is Fasted Cardio and Does it work?

Simply put, this involves getting your heart rate up without eating anything prior. A true fasted state starts at about 8-12 hours after your last meal. However it can happen for some people if its been 3-6 hours, but most people do fasted cardio in the morning to ensure their body is in a completely fasted state.

According to science, there can be some benefits! You can burn up to 20% more body fat by exercising in the morning on an empty stomach according to one study published in British Journal of Nutrition. Another study from University of Scranton revealed it may lead to a reduced calorie consumption in the next 24 hours that follow the fasted workout.

The idea that exercising in a fasted state burns stored energy (fat and glycogen) versus energy that you have just consumed.

What’s important to keep in mind, the intensity of the exercise should be low. Think jogging instead of a hard run or a sprint. Or slow climbing on the stair master, not attempting your Orange theory workouts.

Fasted cardio not only burns stored fat and carbs but it can also burn stored protein in the form of lean muscle–which is NOT desirable. Sipping on our amazing Recover BCAA product can alleviate some of this breakdown.

BOTTOM LINE: Fasting primes your body to take in nutrients once the effort is over, which means you should look for protein and carbohydrates to help refuel your muscles. The International Society of Sports Medicine recommends consuming .14-.23g of protein per pound of body weight very soon after a workout. That’s 20 g of protein for a 140 woman.

GOOD NEWS: There is room to experiment, feel out the right approach for you, whether or not fasting is pat of the equation.

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How to cut calories without starving yourself👇

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Your best bet for fat-loss success is to create a modest caloric deficit and make smart food choices so you feel satisfied — not starved. One of the most common mistakes I see is athletes that are under-eating. If they aren’t seeing results, they think it means eat less. Instead of MORE! If you are wondering how much you should be eating for your goals–REACH OUT TO ME!

Cutting a ton of calories at once actually slows the metabolism and can cause the body to not want to let go of the fat stores because it believes to be in a ‘starvation state’.

Plus, it’s hard to maintain a severe caloric deficit, if you aren’t getting the energy needed to function, your body spikes your hunger hormones, causing you to seek food.

This is why fad diets and uneducated diet approaches don’t work. You are underfed and undernourished.

Three Tips for cutting calories without starving:

1) CUT GARBAGE CALORIES
A lot of today’s grab-n-go convenience foods provide very little to NO nutritional value and a ton of calories. Cut out the Alcohol, candy, soda, junk food and baked goods. Once a month, sure have an indulgence, but daily consumption is not recommended.

2)USE VEGGIES TO FILL YOU UP
“Volume foods” are a saving grace for those folks in a calorie deficit. Veggies like kale, spinach, bok choy, zucchini, cabbage, onions can help you feel full, your plate look full and provide lots of nourishment without the calories.

3)SWAP LOW-FIBER FOODS for HIGH-FIBER FOODS
If you have had a hard time adhering to more complicated diet regimens, research shows that boosting your daily fiber intake may be an effective weight-loss strategy. Foods high in fiber (apples, oats, green beans, cauliflower) tend to be fewer calories for the same volume of food and digest more slowly than low-fiber foods.

fiber

Runners-Don’t fear carbs!

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Runners, Don’t Be Afraid of High Carbs!!
🍠🥔🥕🍞
For endurance athletes, carbohydrate is the main fuel source and continues to be used by the best in the world for better performance.

Studies in endurance cycling and running have repeatedly demonstrated that carbohydrate feeding during exercise can provide extra fuel and enhance performance.

Recommendations generally state that for exercise that lasts two to three hours, carb intake should be around 60 grams per hour. For exercise lasting over two and half hours, athletes are recommended up to 90 grams per hour.

In a recent study from our nutrition company the researchers found that the runners who took the carb gels were on average of 4.7 percent faster than those who ran with a self-selected intake and consumed significantly less carbohydrate. This was equated to about an 11-minute difference—which as any marathon runner knows is a big improvement!

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#carbsarefuel
#ampedline
#informedsportscertified

Does Sugar Belong in a Healthy Diet?

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Short answer: in controlled amounts, yes. When many people think of “sugar,” they often think of added sugar found in processed junk foods and desserts. However, simple sugars and other carbohydrates are naturally found in many nourishing foods that are important to a healthy diet like fruits, vegetables, dairy, legumes, and whole grains.

Working to reduce the amount of added sugar you consume each day is a worthy goal, especially because many common foods and beverages provide extra sugar and calories but very little of the quality nutrition our bodies need.

On its own, sugar isn’t necessarily good or bad. It becomes a concern when you consume foods that are high in calories and added sugar but low in essential nutrients like protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Many everyday foods, beverages, and condiments contain a surprising amount of added sugar without contributing much nutritional value. Cutting back on these sources of excess sugar is a good idea for both your well-being and your waistline.

But, there is no need to eliminate sugar completely, especially if you want to eat in a way that supports your health and wellness goals. Sugar and other carbohydrates are essential nutrients that play a vital role in many bodily functions, including in the nervous system and immune system. Not to mention that naturally occurring sugar is present in many of the delicious, nourishing foods we should enjoy every day.

 

SOURCE:

How Much Sugar Is in the Food We Eat?

My top 3 willpower tips!

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According to the American Psychological Association- American’s name “lack of willpower” as the #1 reason they struggle to meet their goals.
Many feel guilty about letting themselves and others down, others, feel at the mercy of their thoughts, emotions and cravings.

Here are my top 3 #willpower tips:

1.Everyone struggles with in some way temptation, addiction, distraction and procrastination. These are not individual weakness, these are universal experiences and part of the human condition. Practicing self compassion and acceptance will help you break the self sabotage cycle and allow for you to take your moments of weakness and turn them into strategies for success.

2. Before you can change something, you need to see it for how it actually is. Example: When are you most likely to give into temptation? How does hunger influence your spending? How do you talk to yourself about your willpower challenges? How do you judge your own willpower failures and successes?

3. Choose your willpower challenge. Let’s pick the #1 challenge you want to focus on this week. Comment your answers below!

“I WILL” power challenge- what is something you want to do more of? or stop putting off?

“I WON’T” power challenge-What is the stickiest habit in your life? What would you like to give up or do less of because its undermining your health or success?

“I WANT” power challenge-What is the most important long term goal you’d like to focus your energy on? What immediate want is most likely to tempt or distract you from this goal?

#onlinepersonaltrainer
#mindset
#youcanyouwill

Do you struggle with cravings?

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😨🙅🏻‍♀️Cravings 😬😳
We all have them-its normal.

mindfuleating

 

My top tip?!
Outsmart your Cravings🤓

Some research suggests that trying to eliminate favorite foods from your diet can lead to increased cravings, particularly cravings for the foods you are trying to avoid. But other studies demonstrate that with sensible portions, commonly craved foods can be part of a healthful diet to support weight loss.

Based on the research, a trick to outsmarting cravings may be to enjoy your favorite indulgent foods in a way that is consistent with your health and weight loss goals. The following tips can help you create your own plan to outsmart cravings and enjoy your favorite foods in moderation.

1. Make it an occasion. 15% FUN 🎉

Save your favorite indulgent treats for a special occasion. For example, if you crave ice cream, go out with friends for an ice cream cone instead of keeping a gallon of ice cream in your freezer. When you decide to indulge, you’ll be sure to enjoy your craved foods to the fullest while avoiding constant temptation of these foods in your home.

2. Plan for a smart portion.

One concern with craving is that they often lead us to eat more than intended. Outsmart your cravings by planning for portion control. Whether you are craving something savory and crunchy or something decadently sweet, choosing an individually packaged, portion-controlled option can help you satisfy cravings without the guilt.

3. Balance indulgent foods with healthful options.

Including your favorite, most craved foods in a way that still supports your health and weight loss goals means making balanced choices. One way you can find balance is to include a sensible portion of craved foods as part of a healthful meal. Imagine you are craving pizza. Instead of eating only pizza, plan a more balanced meal that includes one or two slices of your favorite pie along with a large, crisp salad. Balancing indulgent foods with healthful options is likely to leave you feeling more satisfied and can help you consume fewer calories overall.

Choosing a more balanced, sensible approach to indulgent foods can help you conquer your cravings for weight loss success. Remember, attempting to cut out your favorite foods from your diet is not only unnecessary, but might be counterproductive for achieving your health and weight loss goals.

Second tip: Identifying WHY you have these cravings, is another strategy-maybe your body communicating with you and could be indicating you need a specific nutrient.

🍪 🍰Cookies,Cake 🍭
Needing quick calories, energy boost, minerals
Try to eat an Isalean Shake, rice, sweet potatoes, potassium packed produce like bananas and avocados.

Chocolate 🍫 often indicate that your body is deficient in magnesium, which is a common deficiency. Dark green leafy veggies are a great source!

Read more: https://www.isagenixhealth.net/conquer-cravings-weight-loss/

Stopping Self Destructive Behavior- Visualize your day of Success!

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Listening to this amazing podcast with Dr. Glenn Livingston about Self-destructive behavior and I wanted to share this information with you.  

As a Health and Wellness practitioner I am consistently analyzing clients and my own behavior in regards to self sabotage. The power of the MIND and its capability to achieve great tasks and how its influenced by emotional state is becoming more and more of an explored topic.

What would you consider a healthy start to your day? What would that be? Walk yourself through your day. Bit by bit. When are you working? How are you working? Who are you working with? What are you working on? How are you protecting yourself from interruptions? What are your accomplishments? What was the environment like when you accomplished your tasks? Picture colors around you, smells, feelings. What was dinner like? What are your evening activities like? What is your sleep routine like? How to you wind down? How do you create ease and quite the mind from the day?

As you map this out, you can see the structure needed to create and facilitate your ideal days. Write this down in crystal clear detail. You can now begin to write down rules that will build your habits to support your ideal day of success. The mind needs targets to work towards.  Start to implement them one by one.

“I will always journal the first 10 min after I wake up”

“I will start my day with a healthy protein smoothie.”

What happens if you slip up and make a mistake on your “perfect day”? 

Refuse to yell at yourself when you mess up. Focus on the present moment and move forward. Watch your terminology around starting something new and sticking to a program. “I try” means I’ll do it until I don’t feel like it any more. “I will” The essence of a vow=to be 100% committed, even though we are not 100% perfect.

“I always use the present moment to be healthy”

We go to the gym and understand there is a purpose to feel the physical pain. To grow muscles, improve cardiovascular health.

The purpose of mental pain-shame and guilt- to alert you to a problem in the environment. You don’t want to get involved with the negative emotions, once you know about it- the awareness is 80% of the change, let it go.

 

visualize-what-you-want-quote

 

 

 

 

Coaching with Meganmefit

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Mission:

To provide my clients with education on key topics like hormones, metabolism adaptations, the benefits of integrative performance training, basic nutrition, and sports nutrition, while providing the support and accountability necessary to achieve their goals. Together, we create optimal health and wellness through mindset coaching, individualized fitness and balanced nutrition programs.
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ONLINE  Foundation program NOW ENROLLING!

In this 8 week program we go through all core elements that create the solid foundation necessary for your health and wellness goals.

Personalized Assessment

During this phase, we’ll go over your past and current fitness and nutrition, establish habit foundations: goals, mindset, strengths, and weaknesses. This allows us to develop an individualized program, effectively identifying the possible areas of muscular imbalance, old or current injuries, self-sabotaging behaviors, etc. We will establish a baseline so we can track progress along all the areas of wellness.

GMT Protocols

Ground, Multiple-joint and Three Dimensional Movements

Mobility and flexibility training are important to reduce muscle stiffness and increase joint range of motion. These exercises will improve your overall ability to move while reducing the risk for injury.

Specialized Strength Training

Strength training with free weights using a variety of exercises, planes of motion, and intensities; this evidence based approach will provide the most efficient and effective workouts possible.

Flexible Dieting

Proper nutrition strategies will boost your energy and performance, so you are always at the top of your game. My philosophy will provide you with a sense of freedom from restricted dieting, while experiencing fat loss, and increased muscle definition.

Superior Supplementation

Together we discuss your current supplement regimen and re-evaluate which products are actually worth your money.

Now, let’s get to the nitty gritty. I offer three 8 week foundation program options that vary based on your desired level of coaching and features.

Intensive Foundation Program $650 PIF (pay in full) or $330 each month (click link to enroll)

-Video Personal Training, 50 min session, weekly.

-Video/phone coaching, 30 min session, weekly.

-On-demand MeganmeFitFam video workouts

-Fundamental training components: individualized fitness and nutritional programming, habit coaching, weekly check-ins, and daily support through Trainerize app.

Optimal Foundation Program– $340 PIF or $175 each month (Click link to enroll)

-Phone call coaching session, 30 min, weekly.

–Video Personal Training, 50 min session, monthly.

-On-demand MeganmeFitFam video workouts

-Fundamental training components: individualized fitness and nutritional programming, habit coaching, weekly check-ins, and daily support through Trainerize app.

Fundamental Foundation Program– $300 PIF or $155 each month (click to enroll)

-Fundamental training components: individualized fitness and nutritional programming, habit coaching, weekly check-ins, and daily support through Trainerize app.

-On-demand MeganmeFitFam video workouts

After completion of any 8 week foundation program, most clients chose the continuation training option which is subscription based, $155/month to month.

 

Prefer to keep it simple? You can join the MeganmeFitFAM for just $49/month. This includes monthly workout program tailored to your needs, monthly check-in through email, and unlimited on-demand streaming of a variety of workouts from Strength, Cardio Conditioning, Active Recovery, Flexibility, Hoop dance, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

-The Importance of Music during a Workout-

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MUSIC (1)

Since aerobic dance was introduced in the early 70’s, it has been thought that exercise accompanied with music can enhance your overall workout experience. Listening to music while you exercise may improve your fitness, commitment, and enjoyment.

According to doctors and researchers, you can increase your motivation and concentration and decrease your conscious effort when you exercise by simply adding great music to your work out. Studies have shown that listening to music during exercise can improve results, both in terms of being a motivator (people exercise longer and more vigorously to music) and as a distraction from negatives like fatigue. Researches revealed that more positive affect of a workout is observed during the music condition in comparison to the ‘no music’ condition. Here are some benefits of playing music while working out:

  • Music diverts a person’s attention in repetitive exercises thus the feeling of fatigue, exhaustion and boredom are evaded.
  • Music can reduce the factors contributing to pain, tension, anxiety and discomfort.
  • Music can act as a stimulant which can increase your performance. Respiration and cardiac rate is increased from music. This can help you intensify your workout.
  • The body movement to rhythm of music increases levels of output.
  • The rhythmical qualities can follow the physical skills and can improve motor skills. Swimming and gymnastics are good examples of this.
  • Physical strength can also be attributed with type of music. Sedative music decreases muscular potential training ability. Fast stimulating music can increase in muscle tension.
  • It promotes a positive mood and avoids any kind of negative thoughts.
  • It can make a workout fun, interesting and something to look forward too.

Match your workout intensity with beats per minute!

Pace Running/Cardio/

Conditioning

 Walking Stretching/

Cool Down
Slower 140-150 BPM 100-110 BPM 80-100 BPM
Moderate 150-160 BPM 110-125 BPM 100-110 BPM
Fast 160-175 BPM 125-135 BPM 110-125 BPM

 Here is my Spotify playlist! 

Sources:

http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/musicexercise.html

Jane Schwartz Harrison, RD, Staff Nutritionist, myOptumHealth

LifeMojo Team / March 14, 2009