Rey Allen’s inside notes from his last trip to Viva Mayr. Definitely worth the read.
Lesson 1: We struggle with our weight because we don’t chew, take enough time or stay calm during our meals. This bears repeating because it is the most important thing to get into our heads.
The part of our brain that relays back to us the message that we are full does not measure how much we actually have eaten but rather for how long we’ve been eating. This means if you have 2 lbs. of potato salad in front of you, you have a choice of how much you want in your belly by the time the 30 minute bell rings. Do you want 2 lbs. or maybe 0.5 lbs. of potato salad, because the feeling is going to be all the same in 30 minutes.
So, if we take our time eating, chewing our food as slowly as possible, buying our time, all we have to worry about is getting to that 30 minute mark. Then the brain says, “Arghh, I’m full you fool, and if you keep stuffing your face you’re going to regret it”.
The other very important reason for chewing 30-40 times per bite is that the first necessary phase of digestion takes place in the mouth, not because of breaking the food apart through chewing but because the excretion of the necessary enzymes for the digestion process is activated through the act of chewing. Phase 2: Stomach. If we are inhaling our bites then the food doesn’t break down well enough, causing unassimilated food to enter into our digestive system causing our bile, pancreatic juices, small and large intestines to strain to process. Not a good thing in the long haul. Your intestines will be in knots in 15-20 years.
Lesson 2: Burning Fat
Due to the complexity of the metabolism, this is the the short of it.
To actually burn fat from exercise you must avoid eating before or after your workout. You want to begin your workout with your blood sugar on the low. I know what you are thinking, you need stored energy to not pass-out on the treadmill. This is a myth. Yes you will feel low on juice but trust yourself and start-a kickin. If you are trying to burn fat then exercise on the stored energy (fat) you already have.
Second, don’t eat for 60 minutes after working out. You see, you don’t actually burn fat during the time you are sweating like a pig while running your ass off, but only after you have stopped. For some strange reason or sick joke nature has played on us we burn fat during the 60 min after we stopped our workout. Sadly, this is the fact about our metabolism. If you make the mistake and go for a beer with your gym buddies or grab a bite to eat right afterwards then you actually interrupt the fat-burn metabolic process and all your efforts will have been for naught. Again, when you eat right after your workout the body no longer needs to take energy from the fat you already have stored but will just take it from the newly ingested energy. This means no protein shakes or power bars. So the moral of the story is you have a very delicate window of opportunity to burn fat so don’t go throwing a ham sandwich through it.
Lesson 3: When Exercising
Our breathing rate, heart beat, and walking or running pace all have a rhythm that will fall in line together. For example: if you walk at a brisk pace you might take 3 steps for every breath, if you jog slowly you will then take 2 steps for every breath, and when sprinting you will take a breath for every step you take. That said, you don’t want to interrupt this rhythm as this is the coordinated process behind your metabolism.
Note: If you’re planning to hydrate while you are working-out it is suggested that you take 1 sip (swallow) of water every 5 minutes so to not interrupt our body’s coordination. Don’t on the other hand take in 3 sips back to back when walking or running. This will cause your breathing to pause to swallow resulting in an increase in heart rate. As a result, you will produce more lactic acid faster, causing your legs to feel heavier and slow you down. If you do take more then 1 sip then it must take another 5 min for your system to settle down, slowing your aerobic state (fat burning process). So, keeping your pace and the coordination of your breath and heart rate are essential for keeping the metabolism efficient.
Now, there is also the important information about exercising at your ‘maximum target heart rate’, you can only find this out through a fitness test. It has to do with your anaerobic vs. aerobic rates and how you burn through your glucose and oxygen, which depends on your current fitness level. It would be wise to know this information about yourself to track your progress and know how hard to push yourself.
Lesson 4: Cravings
When we pass by a hamburger stand or ice-cream shop our body is not craving what it wants but what it needs. There is a difference. Our body is craving that supply of energy or food because we don’t have it and our body feels that it needs it. If there are 700 calories in that ice-cream cone, your craving is to acquire 700 calories your body feels that it needs. Same goes with a snack, your body needs 200 calories. This is all because we don’t have the energy to begin with. This will always be the case when we don’t have sustained energy due to our out-of-shape-selves. So, if you aren’t feeling or looking your best then just remember this, your body is playing games with you!
