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Gut Busting! Part 2 - Building a Strong Foundation
In Gut Busting Part 1 we discussed the reasons why so many guys have a bigger belly than they would like. A large part of that dissatisfaction is due to unrealistic, cultural, body image expectations. We turn a blind eye to the reality that even a fit guy may have a bit of a waistline bulge especially as he gets older. To some extent, it's natural. So start with realistic expectations. We were also reminded that our body almost always ignores attempts to get rid of excess fat at one desired spot. Spot reduction is largely a myth. What it all boils down to is, consider improved fitness as the goal, rather than weight loss or body sculpting.
To use an analogy, when we construct a house, we start by building a solid foundation. (Bear with me, we'll get to the gut-specific stuff soon.)
How do we build that strong foundation? You've probably heard all this before, but are you actually practicing it? To make sure you've already covered the basics, here they are. Our overall level of fitness and "flabbiness" is determined largely by three things: 1) the quantity and quality of the food we eat, 2) our level of physical activity, and the amount of sleep we get. All three are important! It sounds simple, but it's no less than a lifestyle change if we don't aleardy adhere to it.
Now, anybody reading this who already has these things under control, can skip this part and proceed to the gut specific stuff in part 3. The rest of you, read on. If you are tempted to cheat, listen up. A muscular, but fat hidden tummy won't make you any happier about the way you look and may end up causing other problems, like a back that is more vulnerable to injury.
Continuing with the basics:
Food - Consume fewer calories than you burn through activity. For most of us it means eating healthier food and in smaller quantities, but DON'T starve yourself or your body will kick into survival mode and store even more fat. Without going into great detail (there are whole libraries about this) eat less fat, and less red meat, less caffeine, less sugar and less alcohol. Eat more fresh vegetables, nuts, grains, and fruit. "Slow food" is nearly always better than fast food. The less processed the better. Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Your cooking is better for you than any restaurant's.
This is not rocket science. It's doesn't sound sexy and stylish and cool, but if you think about it carefully, it's all common sense. You have heard it all before. This is a hunter-gatherer's diet. It's simply the way humans were meant to eat. So rip your shirt off (if you have one on, wuss!). Beat that hairy chest. Drag your knuckles to the fresh produce, bread, meat, fish, poultry and dairy aisles of your grocery store, usually the perimeter aisles, and get down to healthy eating.
Activity - All of those calories and more have to be burned so your body can operate optimally AND also use up a little bit of extra stored fat. For our purposes in this article there are three kinds of activity.
First there is the activity needed to get on with your life - working, walking, breathing, reaching, etc.
Then there's cardio-vascular exercise. I finally had to use the dreaded "e" word, but this doesn't have to be a formal in-the-gym workout (although an aerobics style class is one of the best structured cardio workouts), but it SHOULD be the kind of activity that gets your heart pumping, your body sweating and your breathing intensified. This includes, vigorous walking, jogging, swimming, fast cycling and most sports. Some say do 20-30 minutes of moderately intense exercise 3 times a week. Some say do more, some say do less. Again there are whole libraries to convince you which numbers are best. Worrying about the amount of exercise is irrelevant if you aren't doing any. So start small and work up from there. If you are running, you shouldn't be gasping for breath, you should be able to carry on a conversation with a jogging buddy. Again, using common sense will usually get you the right answer. Also, I have said it many times before; do something you enjoy or think you'll learn to enjoy. There are two key words to remember - START and ENJOY.
The final essential activity is resistance training (lifting weights). We're not talking about becoming young Schwarzeneggers. It's just that lifting a weight over and over until you can't lift it any more is the only way we know to increase muscle strength and size. The weights don't have to be barbells and such. Anything heavy will do. As for the workout routine. Again the numbers can get in the way of starting. Find a basic program in a magazine or on the internet and go for it! Google the Weight Training 101 article at www.about.com, for example.
Sleep - Nearly everybody downplays the importance of this aspect of healthful living. But consider this. A lot of that cardio and weight training are useless unless you get adequate sleep. Why? These activities, when done correctly, damage muscle cells. These damaged cells are repaired, replaced, and enlarged mostly while we sleep. Our bodies must rest if they are to develop the way we want. And how much sleep is enough? The jury is still out, but 6-7 hours uninterrupted seems to be the best answer. Again, don't let the numbers get in the way. Very few say that less than 6 hours is enough, especially if you are into ... err ... serious gut removal.
The last thing to note about fitness foundation building is not to expect big, fast changes. Our bodies don't like change much at all, and tend to accept only small gradual changes. For instance, almost nobody loses weight permanently with a crash diet. You are almost guaranteed to gain it back and more. And lifting weights that are too heavy too frequently leaves you susceptible to stress injuries. Patience is truly a virtue. So try to be as patient with your body improvements as you may be with investing your money. It's been said that if you were to save $5 every day starting at your first paying job, and invested it wisely, you could retire early and live very well on your savings. But what if that weekly cash investment was, instead, a daily muffin, a sugary "energy" drink, a coffee with cream and sugar, or one or two cool brews after work. They all accumulate and compound in your body just like that five bucks a day would in your bank account. Cut some of these small regular excesses out and gradual improvements will occur. We tend to forget that the daily muffin or twice daily soda probably started out as an occasional treat - no harm there, until it stopped being a treat and became a regular part of your diet.
As you build a fit foundation you will gradually (in months, not weeks) see results, not only in your waistline, but other parts of your body. You'll likely have improved energy as well.
Next - Gut Busting Part 3 - The Specifics
To use an analogy, when we construct a house, we start by building a solid foundation. (Bear with me, we'll get to the gut-specific stuff soon.)
How do we build that strong foundation? You've probably heard all this before, but are you actually practicing it? To make sure you've already covered the basics, here they are. Our overall level of fitness and "flabbiness" is determined largely by three things: 1) the quantity and quality of the food we eat, 2) our level of physical activity, and the amount of sleep we get. All three are important! It sounds simple, but it's no less than a lifestyle change if we don't aleardy adhere to it.
Now, anybody reading this who already has these things under control, can skip this part and proceed to the gut specific stuff in part 3. The rest of you, read on. If you are tempted to cheat, listen up. A muscular, but fat hidden tummy won't make you any happier about the way you look and may end up causing other problems, like a back that is more vulnerable to injury.
Continuing with the basics:
Food - Consume fewer calories than you burn through activity. For most of us it means eating healthier food and in smaller quantities, but DON'T starve yourself or your body will kick into survival mode and store even more fat. Without going into great detail (there are whole libraries about this) eat less fat, and less red meat, less caffeine, less sugar and less alcohol. Eat more fresh vegetables, nuts, grains, and fruit. "Slow food" is nearly always better than fast food. The less processed the better. Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Your cooking is better for you than any restaurant's.
This is not rocket science. It's doesn't sound sexy and stylish and cool, but if you think about it carefully, it's all common sense. You have heard it all before. This is a hunter-gatherer's diet. It's simply the way humans were meant to eat. So rip your shirt off (if you have one on, wuss!). Beat that hairy chest. Drag your knuckles to the fresh produce, bread, meat, fish, poultry and dairy aisles of your grocery store, usually the perimeter aisles, and get down to healthy eating.
Activity - All of those calories and more have to be burned so your body can operate optimally AND also use up a little bit of extra stored fat. For our purposes in this article there are three kinds of activity.
First there is the activity needed to get on with your life - working, walking, breathing, reaching, etc.
Then there's cardio-vascular exercise. I finally had to use the dreaded "e" word, but this doesn't have to be a formal in-the-gym workout (although an aerobics style class is one of the best structured cardio workouts), but it SHOULD be the kind of activity that gets your heart pumping, your body sweating and your breathing intensified. This includes, vigorous walking, jogging, swimming, fast cycling and most sports. Some say do 20-30 minutes of moderately intense exercise 3 times a week. Some say do more, some say do less. Again there are whole libraries to convince you which numbers are best. Worrying about the amount of exercise is irrelevant if you aren't doing any. So start small and work up from there. If you are running, you shouldn't be gasping for breath, you should be able to carry on a conversation with a jogging buddy. Again, using common sense will usually get you the right answer. Also, I have said it many times before; do something you enjoy or think you'll learn to enjoy. There are two key words to remember - START and ENJOY.
The final essential activity is resistance training (lifting weights). We're not talking about becoming young Schwarzeneggers. It's just that lifting a weight over and over until you can't lift it any more is the only way we know to increase muscle strength and size. The weights don't have to be barbells and such. Anything heavy will do. As for the workout routine. Again the numbers can get in the way of starting. Find a basic program in a magazine or on the internet and go for it! Google the Weight Training 101 article at www.about.com, for example.
Sleep - Nearly everybody downplays the importance of this aspect of healthful living. But consider this. A lot of that cardio and weight training are useless unless you get adequate sleep. Why? These activities, when done correctly, damage muscle cells. These damaged cells are repaired, replaced, and enlarged mostly while we sleep. Our bodies must rest if they are to develop the way we want. And how much sleep is enough? The jury is still out, but 6-7 hours uninterrupted seems to be the best answer. Again, don't let the numbers get in the way. Very few say that less than 6 hours is enough, especially if you are into ... err ... serious gut removal.
The last thing to note about fitness foundation building is not to expect big, fast changes. Our bodies don't like change much at all, and tend to accept only small gradual changes. For instance, almost nobody loses weight permanently with a crash diet. You are almost guaranteed to gain it back and more. And lifting weights that are too heavy too frequently leaves you susceptible to stress injuries. Patience is truly a virtue. So try to be as patient with your body improvements as you may be with investing your money. It's been said that if you were to save $5 every day starting at your first paying job, and invested it wisely, you could retire early and live very well on your savings. But what if that weekly cash investment was, instead, a daily muffin, a sugary "energy" drink, a coffee with cream and sugar, or one or two cool brews after work. They all accumulate and compound in your body just like that five bucks a day would in your bank account. Cut some of these small regular excesses out and gradual improvements will occur. We tend to forget that the daily muffin or twice daily soda probably started out as an occasional treat - no harm there, until it stopped being a treat and became a regular part of your diet.
As you build a fit foundation you will gradually (in months, not weeks) see results, not only in your waistline, but other parts of your body. You'll likely have improved energy as well.
Next - Gut Busting Part 3 - The Specifics
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