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 BASIC
NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES
The importance of a proper diet in optimum fitness cannot be overemphasized.
Supplying your body with an adequate amount of the 6 basic nutrients
(carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and water) is critical
to good health, Research has clearly shown that your daily diet should
not only provide adequate calories, but that the total daily caloric
intake should be distributed as follows:
60-65% should come from carbohydrates (predominately complex carbs)
20-25% should come from fat [mostly plant (unsaturated) fats]
10-15% should come from protein
A common misconception with weight lifters is that since more muscle
is being developed, the diet should emphasize protein. In fact, there
is often a need for more calories, but the calories should come in
the above percentages. Carbohydrate is the primary source of energy
production in all of the body's cells. Therefore, it must be the predominate
dietary nutrient. Consuming inadequate calories is not only unhealthful,
for a weight trainer it is counterproductive. You need to have an
adequate calorie intake for you to generate additional muscle tissue.
So going on an extreme calorie restricted diet while weight training
is not suggested. Most adult women need a minimum of 1200-1500 Calories
per day; adult men, 1800-2000. Medical research has shown that you
should not eat less than 1000 Calories per day unless you are under
the supervision of your physician
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The easiest way to assure optimum vitamin and mineral nutrition is
to consume enough of the right kind of food every day The majority
of your daily intake should come from a wide variety of vegetables,
fruits, whole grains, beans and peas, with some foods from the low
or non-fat dairy fish, poultry or meat groups. Eat a good breakfast
and lunch, and feel free to snack on vegetables, fruits, and whole
grain products. Your evening meal should actually be your smallest
meal. When feasible, don't eat less than 2 hours before going to bed
because your metabolism slows down considerably while you are sleeping.
Thus, a portion of the calories you eat right before bed will probably
be stored as fat.
A broad spectrum multi-vitamin/mineral (with iron) supplement is an
easy way to assure adequate micronutrient (vitamins, minerals) intake,
but is by no means an alternative to eating enough of the right kind
of foods! Selectively supplementing certain nutrients, or taking mega
doses of particular nutrients is potentially harmful and should be
done only after consulting with your physician. |
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 WEIGHT
CONTROL
 Fat
is burned most effectively during moderate intensity long duration
aerobic exercise. Actually, both fat and carbohydrate are burned
aerobically in muscle cells. "Aerobic" simply means "with
oxygen." So as long as you are exercising at an intensity which
allows the cardiovascular system to deliver adequate oxygen to exercising
muscles, both fat and carbohydrate will be used. But if you exercise
too hard, inadequate oxygen is available, the muscle cells then
become "anaerobic" and rely on carbohydrate for energy
production.
So you
need to learn how to recognize when you are exercising too hard.
One of the easiest ways is to use the "Breath Test": be
able to comfortably carry on a conversation during exercise. If
you begin to lose your breath (hyperventilate), your body is telling
you that you are exercising anaerobically (burning only carbohydrates),
even if you are doing so-called aerobic exercises such as walking,
jogging, etc. Your breathing rate should certainly be faster than
at rest, but you should be able to put 3 or 4 words together in
a sentence, take an unlabored breath, and carry on with this breathing
and speaking pattern throughout your exercise session.The intensity/duration
relationship is critical to the amount of fat burned during aerobic
exercise. For example, walking at a
pace that burns 5 Calories per minute (about a 15 minute mile) for
60 minutes will burn 300 Calories. Jogging at a pace that burns
10 Calories per minute (about a 10 minute mile) for 30 minutes will
also burn 300 Calories. However, a greater percent
of the 300 Calorie expenditure will come from fat in the hour's
walk than in the half-hour's jog, because as the intensity of exercise
increases, the percentage of total energy provided from fat decreases.
This is especially true if you are just starting a cardiovascular
(aerobic) exercise program. The exact number of calories burned
during exercise depends on several factors, including total body
weight.
The other major concern with regard to weight control is your dietary
lifestyle. Clearly, cutting back on fats and simple sugars, and
increasing the consumption of complex carbohydrates is crucial to
an effective weight control program. Eating enough food (calories)
so the body will freely release its stored fat is a well-documented
reality Severe calorie restriction (less than 1000 Gal/day) may
lead to a rapid short-term weight loss, but in most people the body
quickly adjusts to the lower intake and, in fact, sets the stage
for a greater fat gain when calorie intake increases.Weight control,
like fitness training, is a lifestyle process. It's not magic. It's
generally a result of a good exercise and dietary regime which is
not fanatical. Give yourself some leeway. Most important is to establish
good, consistent habits, and then stick with them. Remember, as
you develop more muscle tissue from the Workout with Weights you
are building more metabolically active tissue. If you gain some
weight initially please don't be concerned. Pay attention to the
circumference measurements around your stomach, thigh, neck, arm
and calf. Because, if you are eating correctly and doing enough
aerobic exercise in addition to the Workout with Weights, you will
most likely be losing fat pounds while you are gaining muscle pounds.
And that's a nice trade! I hope you enjoy the Workout with Weights.
When used consistently I'm confident you'll feel strength improvements.
Additionally, when this workout is combined with effective aerobic
conditioning and an intelligent diet, you'll set the stage for the
achievement and maintenance of ideal percent body fat. Then you'll
begin to clearly see muscle definition, a most rewarding outcome.
GOOD LUCK!
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Jane Fonda's Toning & Shaping / Workout
with Weights Brandnew
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