Getting fat in Jefferson County, TX is easy. In a recent Gallup poll 43% of women and 37% of men in Jefferson county were found to be obese. With fast food restaurants on every corner, cheap Mexican food options around all our neighborhoods, and low physical activity rates across every age demographic, it’s not hard to believe that we are in the top 5 nationally for obesity and obesity related illness. Men, women, adults, children…everyone is battling the bulge and, sadly, the bulge is winning.
According to studies, the issue is only going to get worse. Whomever is conducting the studies, obviously, has no faith that our community has a chance to stop the trend and turn things around. By 2040, studies estimate that more than half of our county’s population will be obese. So, how do we stop it? What can we do as individuals to see that these predictions are wrong and we don’t fall victim to statistics?
“YOU CAN’T OUT-TRAIN A BAD DIET”
We’ve all heard people say this but, is it true? To an extent, yes. However, by training our body to perform at a high level we CAN lose weight, achieve a better body composition, and decrease the risk of becoming ill without making major dietary changes.
There are several different types of fat; Brown, white, sub-cutaneous, visceral; these are the most common. The most dangerous type of fat is visceral fat. This type of fat is the one that surrounds our organs and is most responsible for obesity related illness such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and even dementia.
When we exercise, we are burning mostly white fat. This is an abundant energy source in overweight individuals and when training, it’s the first to get called in to supply fuel. Visceral fat is most greatly impacted by our diet. By making healthier food choices and eating appropriate portions at meals and snacks, visceral fat, which accumulates mostly around the waistline, will begin to be converted into energy. When we train our body at high intensity, we not only place a higher demand for energy during training but, during the 24 hour period after our session.
So, while it’s possible to improve our body composition by training and not changing our intake, we will see results much faster if we do. The key is the intensity. Our body will adapt over time and the same stimulus will have much less of an impact on us after a while. It’s absolutely critical to progressively overload in order to continually force adaptation. By training athletically and working to achieve a greater performance than the one prior, we will be creating the environment to burn maximally and see our body begin to change into its ideal physique.
“BUT I’M NOT ATHLETIC. I HAVE NEVER BEEN AN ATHLETE.”
Many people that come to us looking to get in shape have never played sports, never hired a personal trainer or, never have been exposed to weightlifting and high intensity interval training. We believe that everyone has a level of innate athleticism, some just have a low level of expression. Some people are gifted with a high level of natural athleticism but, due to various circumstances (age, time since playing a sport, general inactivity), their athletic appearance is no longer visible.
One of the most common phrases we hear during our initial consult with prospect clients is “I want to lose about ____ pounds.” Most people know exactly how much they weigh and exactly how much they want to weigh. This comment is generally stemmed from a memory the person has of themselves when they felt they looked the best in their life. This “ideal” self image is burned into their brain and they focus on the number on the scale. But, we shouldn’t do this.
Weight loss should never be the goal. Assuming our elevated weight is a result of excess body fat, weight loss is inevitable if we begin to exercise and eat healthier. Our focus should be on increasing strength and improving the capacity to do work through constantly improving our movement and training our aerobic and anaerobic energy systems to be more efficient. Weight loss will be a by product of the training, not the reason for it.
TRAINING ATHLETICALLY FOR FITNESS
Every movement that we perform at Ternion Athletics requires skill. From the simple movements like Air Squats, Push Ups, Situps, Burpees, Kettlebell Swings, etc., to the complex movements such as the kipping pull up, Snatch, Muscle Up, & handstand walk, the closer to PERFECT our movement is, the more efficient we are going to be.
You always hear people say “don’t strive for perfection, strive for progress.” This is true in most areas of our lives but, when it comes to exercising or, simply, navigating through our daily environment, it doesn’t apply. As it pertains to these two areas of our life, we need to be in “persistent pursuit of perfection” always. In order to achieve perfection we must LEARN what perfect movement really is. Training athletically means training with a purpose. The purpose is to constantly improve our performance over the one prior. To compete with ourself (no one else) and force adaptation.
If you are bored with the same old gym routine you’ve been doing for years and unhappy with the speed at which you see results, come try our program. We GUARANTEE that in 90 days of training at least 3-5 days per week you will be in the best shape of your life.