I Have No Weights To Workout - What Can I Do?

If your like me you have visions of a dedicated workout room with a rack of hex dumbells. Unfortunately that is not always an option. More importantly, not really needed. Sure it would look nice and make things a lot easier, however weight is just weight. Remember that trick question: What's heavier a pound of feathers or a pound of lead? A pound is still a pound.

So for those who are just starting out with a little weight training, and feel you cannot get started because you do not have all that fancy equipment, fear not.
First off - if you are just starting out you may not need weights to workout certain body parts. You can very easily use your own body weight to work your chest (push-ups), triceps (dips), shoulders (v Push-ups) and even legs (squats & toe raises). Believe me, if you have not done any resistance training yet, these exercises will get you started very nicely.

Still want to add more weight to your workouts? Here are my suggestions for homemade ("Poor Man's") weights:

• Grab some can goods of all different sizes. Great for curls and working your obliques while doing crunches. Think of mini medicine balls!
• Use plastic jugs (that have handles and caps) and fill with water or sand. A gallon of water weighs roughly 8.3 lbs and a gallon of sand 12.5 lbs. These work great for kettlebell exercises and lateral raises.
• Along with the jugs you can use 5 gallon pails. A lot more weight and can be used while doing squats.
• Add a galvanized steel bar and you can use both the jugs and pails for curls, dead-lifts and back work. If you are really serious you can grab a couple cement blocks. * Always make sure jugs/pails are secure on the bar.
• Want to add some weight while walking or running? Grab a backpack and fill it with some heavy books. (Ouch! Flashback to college . . .)
• Need some wrist weights? Grab an old sock (preferably clean) and fill with sand. Add a strip of Velcro and you are ready to go

Now, obviously there are some limitations with using these homemade weights. At the same time you have no reason to put off starting your weight training because of a budget or waiting to find the perfect set of weights. Just get started and let the momentum grow. You'll start to see results and in the end, isn't that what matters?

(Grain) Carbs, What Are They Good For? Absolutely Noth'n . . . Say It Again!

Great, now I can't get that song out of my head. If your my age or older you know which one I am talking about. Anyway . . . I thought this would be a great follow-up to my last post about macronutrients. I realize that not everyone will welcome what I have to say with open arms. That's ok, I get a lot of hugs at home. I believe it is far more important to share this information and let those that are serious about their nutrition make their own decision.

Here goes . . . all carbs are not created equal! There I said it, and it really is true. First a quick definition of what a carbohydrate is. For a "food" definition, carbohydrates are basically sugar, fiber and starch, either individually or a combination of the three. Just to be clear, fiber and starch are just chains of sugar molecules. So yes, carbohydrates are sugar. Not all sugar is created equal either which is why "grain carbs" are #1 on my list of DO NOT EAT. Now I will not argue that certain grain carbs have their place for a specific group of hard core athletes. And I will also accept the fact that with all the types of carbohydrates that can fall into the grain carb category, there will be some that are healthier for you than others. With this being said, for the average person, especially those that are trying to get their bodies to a healthier state, grain carbohydrates in general are not a good food choice. Before I state my case about grain carbs, let me first try to explain the whole body-fuel-carbohydrate process.

So we know that all carbs consist of some form of sugar. There are simple carbohydrates (less than 3 sugar molecules) and complex carbohydrates (more than 3 sugar molecules in a chain). In order for the body to use these carbohydrates for energy, it has to break down the sugars into individual molecules in order for the sugar to enter our bloodstream. So, simple sugars are broken down and absorbed fast while the more complex chains take time. Remember this because we will be coming back to this later.

Ok now lets take a look at our body's metabolism. It is the process of which chemical reations breakdown the food we eat and convert this food into energy. This "energy" is used for numerous body functions and without it we could not survive. The main energy source (food) our body searches for to obtain the sugar molecules needed is carbohydrates. The energy I am refering to is called glucose or blood sugar. Our cells need it and it is transported throughout the body in our bloodstream, and regulated by the hormone insulin. Our bodies can only use a limited amount of glucose at one time.  Glucose is first stored in our muscles and liver as glycogen. This is the fuel used for aerobic exercise. When our bodies sense glucose in our bloodstream it releases insulin which signals the cells to let in the glucose. If the cells have already taken in as much glucose as they can and there still is more in the bloodstream, our bodies will continue to release insulin in an attempt to regulate our blood sugar level. If the blood sugar levels remain high over a period of time, the cells (or the cell receptors for insulin) become resistant to all the insulin that is being released. As a result, the body needs to release more insulin in order for the glucose to enter the cells. Again over time the excess glucose builds up in the bloodstream setting the stage for diabetes. All this glucose still needs to go somewhere and will eventually end up into your fat cells.

Now this whole process is much more detailed and I urge you to take the time to learn and understand it completely. The simple explanation is this: You eat food - some of this food is carbohydrates - these carbs are broken down into individual sugar molecules - these molecules are then absorbed through the intestines into the bloodstream as blood sugar/glucose - our body identifies that glucose is in the blood and releases the hormone insulin - insulin allows cells to access the glucose to use - there is only a limited amount of glucose that can be stored at one time - the excess may end up being stored as fat.

Try to visualize this process. I'm sure all of you agree that too much glucose in our bloodstream at one time is bad, very bad. But, we do need glucose to function properly. So what is the solution? Well to me (and I hope all of you agree) is to limit carbohydrate intake to just enough for proper body functions but not enough to cause a surplus. Keeping in mind the individual and that person's lifestyle will dictate just exactly how much. For example, a professional athlete (or someone training at that level) will burn through their glycogen storage fast and often, so a higher percentage of carbs daily would make sense. But, someone overweight and/or sedentary will NOT use up their glycogen reserves quickly or even at all, causing the excess glucose in their bloodstream to be stored as fat.

Let's get back to the whole point of this post - grain carbs. Grains = carbs and other than in low doses carbs are bad. Grains also are empty of nutrition and can add a whole lot of calories to a meal. (BTW: The word Fortified is a fancy way to say they had to add all the healthy stuff to the food because otherwise it was crap.) Do you know 1 slice of bread equals around 100 calories! Which is another point. Mostly we see grains in the form of breads, pasta and cereals. What also do we find in these foods? Processed sugar! Remember earlier I spoke about simple sugars being metabolized quicker. Your body does not have time to burn off this energy so hello fat cells here we come. All the while your insulin levels are sky rocketing and you go from a sugar rush to a nose dive to the sofa. Tell me you never felt that way after eating a bowl of pasta. And to top it all off, the popular grains such as wheat, rye and barley also contain gluten and lectin. Gluten, a water soluable protein that gives you the elasticity in dough (and is used in some glues) causes intolerence/sensitivity in many people. The reactions can include inflamation, joint pain, acid reflux and  autoimmune disorders among other problems. Lectin is a (mildly toxic) protein found in many foods but in high quantities in grains. Some of the unhealthy affects of lectin are: resistance to gut proteolysis, reduction in the absorptive capacity of the small intestine and interference with the immune system.

So there it is, my take on grains. Now you know why bread and pasta are pretty cheap staples. You get what you pay for. Now does this mean never ever ever eat a grain based food product? I'm not saying take it that far. I for one still endulge in the occasional dessert, forkfull of pasta salad and even a bite or two of a fresh loave of bread. More so because it represents a special occasion than needing a fix. Thats as far as I take it though and I am happy to say that I am a "Grain Free" eater. And the proof? Once I switched to a healthier way of eating I lost 25 lbs! Of course I exercised and I exercised hard. I was starting my second month of the Beachbody program Insanity when I eliminated grain carbs from my diet. Never crashed once from a lack of energy. After that I did a full 90 days of P90X without ever running out of gas. So sorry, you're not allowed to use the "I need my carbs for energy" excuse. You can get along fine without them!

Now did any of this put a dent in your addictive grain eating gluten gobbling habits? If so, while you are out at the local health food store searching for gluten-free bean flour because you can't go without pasta, try walking a couple isles down to produce. Grab some organic spinach or broccoli to pour your homemade sauce over. Your body will thank you for it . . .

Protein/Carbs/Fat . . . Our Macronutrients

Wow . . . Macronutrients! Fancy word huh? All it means is that we need a lot (macro) of those nutrients. Sure vitamins and minerals are also important, and of course water, but without the "Macros" (protein/carbs/fats) our bodies would be in BIG (pardon the pun) trouble.

Macronutrients play a big part in almost everything that has to do with our body. They are so important that they are always referenced to with any type of diet (<--- bad word) and/or meal planning. You will constantly see Macronutrient Ratios with percentage numbers as a guideline for your meal planning. It will look like this: 45/30/25. Meaning 45% protein, 30% carbs and 25% fats. Most of the time it will be in the order of protein/carbs/fat but sometimes the carbs and fats are switched. Always make sure the of the order when you are following the ratios! Basically these ratios are used to make sure you get the proper amount of the macronurtients on a daily basis. There are various thoughts and opinions on what the ratio(s) should be, and that will need to be another post!
See . . . I'm getting side tracked already. Let's get back to the topic:

* BTW: This is just a basic outline for some general knowledge. There is far more detailed info about all three that can be acquired with a little research

Protein(s) are chains of amino acids and play a very important part in our body. It is the main component of our hair and nails. Protein also is used to build and repair tissue, along with making enzymes, hormones and other body chemicals. Protein is an important building block for bones, muscle, skin and blood. The human body cannot synthesis protein nor can it store any surplus. So this means we must acquire our individual amount (everyone is different) through the food and supplements we take daily. As you can guess, protein is very important and needs to be at the top of our shopping list.
Now that we know what protein is (my very simplest explanation), where can we find it? Well just about everywhere. Meat, fish, nuts, dairy, eggs and even some vegetables have protein. All at different levels and sometimes at the cost of having to accept the extras that are included, such as fat, carbs and lactose!

Okay, we know that our bodies need protein and we can get it by eating the various foods above. So all good right? Yes and no. First, you need to know how much protein your body needs on a daily basis. On average, a person will need 0.5-1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean body weight, depending on their level of activity. For some people this can be a challenge because of all the food they would have to eat. Who has time for that nowadays anyway! To make things a little easier you can obtain protein as a supplement in the form of a powder to mix into a drink. Some of the popular ones use either, whey, casein, soy and egg as the main protein source.

On to carbohydrates. What was once the main focus for fuel for our body has now become a main source of controversy. Let's face it . . . carbs at their basic structure are just sugar molecules. How good can that be? For our body, it is the desired source of fuel. In general there are 2 types of carbohydrates: simple and complex. Simple carbs like fruit and table sugar, are broken down fast by the body, while complex carbs ( carbohydrates that have 3 or more linked sugar molecules) take longer to break down and are absorbed more slowly into our system. The reason for this is because our bodies breakdown carbohydrates into individual sugars before they can be absorbed. So, the more sugars a carb has the longer it takes to break down. This is then mostly converted into glucose, commonly refered to as blood sugar. A certain amount of glucose can be stored in our liver for future needs. The amount of glucose in our blood system is regulated by the hormone insulin. Here is where the problem starts. Our bodies need a certain amount of blood sugar to function properly. Unforunately too little or too much glucose along with the challenges of regulating it can cause a whole lot of problems such as Hypo/hyper-glycemia and diabetes.
So, when you think about carbohydrates, also consider what type of carb your eating and why. Carbs like bread and pasta may be great if you are a triathlete in training, because your body will be in need of lots of quick fuel to off set those hard-core workouts. But, those are "empty" calories with no substantial nutritional value. A better choice for your daily carbohydrate intake would be vegetables and a moderate amount of fruit. They are full of other healthy nutrients that the body needs!

Finally fats, my favorite macronutrient. I can't get enough of the good fats, and I'm not scared of 'em!  Fat used to be a bad word. Old conventional wisdom taught us that fat is bad. Well I'll argue that one. Of course not all fats are created equal, and it is the "good" fats that I am in support of.
Ask what types of fat are there and you will hear words like saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and trans fatty acids. Yikes! When put that way none of them sound good, and some are a lot worse than others. But you really need to know the difference. I could do my best to explain them all in detail but there is some chemistry involved and well, I just do not like chemistry! So, I highly recommend for you to read a great article by Mark Sisson:  The Definitive Guide to Fats

Now let me tell you why I like "good" fats, (formerly called) Saturated Fats. Now you will learn all the health facts by reading Mark's article. What I want to add is that saturated fats helped me loose 25 pounds! No I didn't just sit on the couch watching TV and eating butter, cheese and marbled steak all day. Although that sounds absolutely delicious! I also worked out and changed my meal planning to a healthier lifestyle. What made the difference is that I eliminated all grain carbs from my diet, and replaced them with more (good) saturated fats. Yup, no bread, pasta or other nutrient empty carbohydrates. This caused my metabolism to look for another source of fuel to burn, and guess what that was? Yes again . . . FAT! My body uses my fat (well any that still is remaining) along with the fat I eat as fuel. How cool is that? I know, I know, not all of you will be totally on board with this concept, but remember . . . there was a time that everyone thought the world was flat!
Before you go out and buy all the butter off the store shelf here is my disclaimer: You need to cut your carbohydrate intake way back for this to work. Otherwise your body will use the carbs as fuel and store the fat as . . . yup, fat.
Now I know this post was supposed to be about macronutrients and I hope my simple explanations helped some of you. I just couldn't resist added a little "fat" on the end . . .