Hello, My name is Daniel, and I am a Qualified Health and Fitness professional. I love my job, If you can call it a job. I spend my paid working hours training and educating hundreds of clients towards a healthier lifestyle through adequate exercise and nutrition. Now those two topics “Exercise” and “Nutrition” I have broken down into smaller sections for you to understand and the majority of the specific information will be in separate articles. It will become evident as I explain in basic terms the reasons and benefits of each section. Starting with basic introductions to:
-ENERGY CONSUMPTION: How many calories are you using each day on average
-METABOLIC RATE: how your lifestyle affects your metabolic rate
-NUTRITION: what, how much and when to eat!
-THE HEART: how it is influenced and affected by the specific diet and lifestyle you live.
1. ENERGY: Your body burns a significant amount of energy on a daily basis. An average measurement of this is:
for Males: between 1500 – 2000 calories per day.
For Females: between 1200-1500 calories per day.
The energy consumption and usage should be dependent on the individuals daily activities, which I will explain later. This measurement: 1 calorie is equal to 4.2 kilojoules; can be calculated in this form for every different food source. This energy comes in different forms from sugars, fats, carbohydrates and proteins.
YOUR METABOLISM is measured in a “timeline graph” wave which rises and falls depending on many factors including the specific energy (Food) intake and adequate usage. Dependent on the amount of energy you are using (activities/exercise/movement) as well as the amount of energy you are consuming (eating/drinking) your metabolism needs to maintain a regular even flow. The body stores unused energy as fats. If you do not utilise (Burn) the energy (Food) you are consuming (Eating/Drinking) your body keeps it as stored energy (Fat).
NUTRITION Now to eat a correct (healthy) nutrition means to be regularly feeding the body the energy it requires (and no more) to sustain it through whatever activities lie ahead. The body does not need copious amounts of foods at one time to sustain it for 2-3 hours and it is highly recommended that you eat every 2-3 hours during the day to maintain a healthy appetite (your metabolism). At night time you should be sleeping, it is also recommended that a regular pattern of 8hrs is sufficient to sustain a healthy lifestyle.
The specific NUTRITION we eat is going to depict the amount of energy we have and the time in which we have to use it. Certain foods give us longer lasting energy which can be measured by the Glycemic Index (GI) within the food. This type of accurate measurement can help those who are diabetic or conscious of their weight and watching their waistline. Low Glycemic Index (GI) foods in medium sized portions eg. pasta earlier in the day are recommended for slow release energy and stamina, whilst High GI foods eg. Fudge in very small portions are recommended for faster shorter bursts of energy, however not recommended for diabetics or those with hypertention (High Blood Pressure).
REGULAR EATING is encouraged to obtain and maintain a healthy lifestyle, we all need to remember that it is a LIFESTYLE and it is all inclusive. Eating at regular intervals (every 2-3hrs) will keep your metabolism ticking over and maintain a safe blood sugar level. Drinking alcohol and other high GI energy sources (not necessarily food) will decrease your health. So stay HYDRATED if your going to party on, just drink some water during and after you’ve retired for the night take a vitamin C Tablet to build your immune system back up. These type of social activities cause stress and strain on the body. For you youngsters who believe you are invincable take note… we all were young once. Your not the first to do an all-nighter!. Listen to your body. By all means have fun and do what you do, just recognise how much that will effect you tomorrow and even 10 and 20 years later.
THE HEART rate has a huge effect on the speed of your metabolism and is a very accurate gauge if you are concerned about your blood pressure (hypertention, diabetes). Certain food sources will raise or lower your heart rate and effect your overall blood pressure. The blood pressure is gauged by the amount of stress on the Arterial (arteries) and venous (Veins) walls, (more on this topic later). When you have your blood pressure taken by a health professional, 3 main numbers will be evident (BP) Blood Pressure with 2 numbers; and a safe reading around 120/80 being Diastolic and Systolic readings and a Resting Heart Rate (RHR) of around 80 beats per minute (BPM). Exercise, coffee, sugar, other stimulants, shock and stress will raise these numbers up. It is recommended to “know Your Numbers” this is referring to your blood pressure and regular resting heart rate.
DAILY HEALTHFUL TIPS: a,b,c,d
I’d like to share some simply points which you should include in your daily routine to help increase your internal health and therefore your overall health.
a) The best way to start the day is by drinking a glass of water first thing after you wake up, before you have breakfast. This will help flush the body of garbage (toxins etc) that have been caught up over night and also prepare the body for more food which will be absorbed much more efficiently due to the “daily morning flush”
b) High Intensity Exercise early in the morning will enhance the metabolism, increase your energy throughout the day as well as fitness levels to therefore burn more bodyfat.. Those of us who work in offices all day, this will give you the energy to last much longer without drinking coffee or harsh energy drinks full of unnatural stimulants that will mess with your bodys chemical balance.
c) Those of us who are on our feet everyday all day, energy intake is as important for you because of the amount of physical activity you are doing. Don’t let yourself starve, this will only slow your metabolism, causing your body to store any excess energy as fat.
d) EAT WHEN YOUR HUNGRY, leave room for what we would call second helping, however don’t eat a second helping. By doing this you will allow the body to move the food through the system more efficiently and effectively keeping the metabolism at the same rate.