The Power Your Body And Mind Have Available

"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action. And because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to...keep the channel open...Whether you choose to take an art class, keep a journal, record your dreams, dance your story, or live each day from your own creative source, above all else, keep the channel open!" -Martha Graham

Everything is ENERGY. Energy can be defined in a number of ways. Some describe energy as the capacity of a physical system to perform work. Others suggest it is a feeling of possessing such strength and vitality. Energy is your available power...your ambitious drive and effort. YOU ARE ENERGY...it is your strength of expression- the power to impress the mind and arouse your feelings...LIFE AND SPIRIT...YOU! Your energy comes from within and while it is made available for you, you must fuel that energy. To fuel your energy with the power to act effectively you must eat the right foods to give you the strength and vitality for sustained and mental activity. 

The amount of energy contained in any given amount of food is measured in calories. A calorie is a measurement of heat, which is valid because energy production for muscular contraction in the cell is a form of oxidation. It is slow oxidation, of course, but simply another form of the rapid oxidation known as fire. So let's try this again...Calories are a measurement of the amount of heat given off by the "slow burning" of energy in the muscle cells.

Be aware that all of the macro nutrients- protein, carbohydrates, and fat- contain energy, and therefore calories. But one important point you must understand is that they all differ in the amount of calories they have.

For example, 1 gram of protein or 1 gram of carbohydrate= 4 calories
1 gram of fat= 9 calories

And from the example, it is obvious that if you are trying to drop body fat you will minimize the fat in your eating regimen (*this does not mean take it out completely/body still needs fat).
On the flip side, if you are going to hike for days across the mountains, you should carry foods very rich in fat. Fat is more than twice as dense in calories as either protein and carbohydrate.

An interesting fact to keep in mind is that all fats, regardless of type, contain the same amount of food energy. Whether you are talking about olive oil, animal fat, butter, lard, or fats and oils in any other forms, they all contain the same amount of energy- 9 calories per gram.

Your body metabolizes calories in two basic ways: in basal metabolism (the energy it takes to maintain basic life functions) and in physical activity. A fascinating fact is that muscle tissue determines the caloric requirements of the human body. The two reasons is:

1. The more muscle you have, the more calories you consume at rest.

2. The more muscle effort you put out, the more calories are consumed in the process.

The leaner your body mass, the higher your RMR (resting metabolic rate). The formula to calculate this is: RMR= lean body mass (pounds) divided 2.205 x 30.4

An example is a person with a lean body mass of 150 pounds would have an RMR of about 2,100 calories. Keep in mind that other factors influence metabolic rate- age, gender, body type, thyroid function, etc.

Here it is...you have heard me say this time and time again. The number of calories you burn when exercising depends on the kind of activity you are engaged in. The harder you exercise and the more work you do, the more calories you metabolize. Whether you are moving your own body (ex. running) or lifting a barbell, the more you do it and the harder you do it, the more energy it takes. Here are a couple of examples on how this works.

ACTIVITY/CALORIES BURNED PER HOUR

1) Sleeping /72

2) Sitting /72-84

3) Walking (3.5 mph)/336-420

4) Swimming (basic)/360

5) Cycling (10mph)/360-420

6) Jogging (5mph)/600

7) Running (7.5 mph)/900

There is something very interesting about the relationship between walking, jogging, and running. When you go on foot, you burn up about 100 calories per mile (depending, again, on your overall body weight and lean body mass). It doesn't matter if you run or walk. You metabolize the same amount of energy for the same distance because you have done about the same amount of work. The difference is that you burn off the energy much faster when you run than when you walk.

Here it is again...energy expenditure is largely determined by how intense the training is. When you train continuously, going from one set to another, one exercise to another, with very little rest, you burn considerable calories over the one and a half or two hours of your workout. Also, when you train on a split schedule (two-a-days/two workouts a day), you burn up that much more energy.

WARNING!!!!

There is no such thing as a free lunch. When you subject your body to various kinds of artificial stimulation, you may get short-term results, but there is an inevitable letdown and your overall performance ability is damaged over time. One doctor suggests that some examples are:

1) Adrenaline

2) Alcohol

3) Alkalis

4) Amphetamines

5) Caffeine

6) Cocaine

7) Coramine (nikethamide)

8) Lecithin

9) Sulfa drugs

There is nothing wrong with a couple cups of coffee or an energy drink before training, but a handful of caffeine pills is just going to make you climb walls and possibly injure yourself during your training. Keep in mind that in order to develop the optimum physique, you need to be in an optimum state of health.

Schwarzenegger, A. The New Encyclopedia...Pgs. 722-725.