Gibson's Gym Newsletter - December 2006

You Wouldn’t Cut Your Own Hair, So Why Would You Exercise Without A Trainer?

At first, exercise seems like a simple proposition. Hop on a treadmill and just move.  Grab a dumbbell and curl it. And, to some extent, exercise is a rather straightforward task. But, so is cutting hair. You start to look like the mad professor or, even worse, Sasquach and it’s time to trim those lovely locks.  Grab a pair of scissors and chop, chop. Whether a professional styling or just your basic do-it-yourself cut-and-buzz, chances are there will be some improvement. But, how many of us would resort to the latter? Few. Because, the fact of the matter is that the hairstylist has unique tools and has undergone specific educational and practical training in addition to having acquired years of experience in his or her particular field and to having undertaken a myriad of refresher courses. Hence, the professional hairstylist will undoubtedly primp and style you such that the outcome far exceeds any do-it-yourself job you may attempt.

Exercise is not unlike preening in that regard. Starting to feel a little chunky or out of shape? Simply hop on a treadmill and start to move. But, wait, not so fast. Sure, indubitably some result will ensue from just succumbing to taking this initial step, but you’re selling yourself short. Exercise is a science. Colleges offer bachelors, masters, and even doctoral degrees in the areas of exercise science, exercise physiology, and the like. Certifications abound.  Refresher courses are constantly being updated and made available. Trainers are like professional hairstylists to some extent. Certified, personal trainers have the tools, education, and experience to provide their clients with that “perfect look“, so to state. Your trainer can, for a price less than a haircut, motivate you, critique your form, correct your form, devise short-term and long-term plans of action, and so much more. Basically, a trainer is the difference between a do-it-yourself hairdo and a professionally styled haircut. You wouldn’t cut your own hair, so why would you exercise without a trainer?

Tanning @ Gibson’s Gym

$199 for a year unlimited tanning
Great Holiday Gifts @ Gibson’s

Not quite sure what to buy that special someone this holiday season? Gibson’s offers many splendid gift ideas. From “Gibson’s Gym” clothing to gift certificates, we offer something for everyone. Show you care and give the gift of health and wellness this holiday season.

Group Exercise

The holidays are filled with surprises and so is the group exercise program. Beginning in January the group exercise program will be spicing things up a bit. What exactly? Like your mother said, “You’ll have to wait until Christmas,” or in this case, until the new year. No peeking!

“While You Wait: The Cost of Inactivity” - Part III

Over the course of the last few editions of the “Gibson’s Gadfly” you have been afforded a glimpse into the amazing panacea that is exercise. We have had a chance to look at exercise’s ability to mitigate and alleviate symptoms of depression and clinically undiagnosed, but equally important, mood swings. We have also taken a peak into the fortifying effects exercise can have on the musculoskeletal system and the functionality such fortification can lend. As you may be beginning to realize, exercise can have a profound physiological impact; one that goes beyond the superficial desires that commonly bring one into the fitness arena. Yet, given the time of year and the usual splurging that the holidays entail, it seems only fitting that we examine the superficial changes that exercise can garner.

Consider this, your body is composed of two general types of tissue: lean and adipose (just a softer, less abrasive term referring to fatty tissue). Furthermore, the lean tissue can be broken down into various subtypes including bone, organs, and muscle. The fat is fat (i.e. no sub-typing required). Almost without exception, the only tissues that we can both non-surgically effect change on and effect change on that will result in noticeable superficial impact tends to be the muscle and the fat. And, while we try to maintain a functional amount of muscle, we nearly always are trying to minimize our levels of adipose tissue.

Fat is merely a storage tissue by which the body can convert excess calories to triglycerides (fat) that can be stored in adipose tissue (fatty tissue). For much of humankind this fatty tissue store served an exceptionally useful purpose. Until recent times food availability lacked consistency. So, when food was available we humans could gorge ourselves and those calories that were not immediately needed for our survival we stored as fat for times of food scarcity. However, in today’s society food sources are generally very reliable to the point of overabundance. This plentitude combined with a once useful innate desire for over-consumption of food tends to result in consistent caloric over-consumption. Such consistent over-consumption of calories leads to storage of stated calories as fat. And so, a once very useful trait, the body’s efficient storage of excess calories (from fat, carbohydrate, or protein) has been a hindrance of sorts in contemporary times.

The simple solution (note, I didn’t state “easy”) is to remain at a caloric balance (to maintain weight, i.e. not gain weight) or, when necessary, a caloric deficit (to lose weight). If the number of calories taken in by food consumption equals the number of calories utilized by the body in the course of a day and, more importantly, over the long term, body weight will be maintained. Create a small deficit (i.e. take in less calories than you use) and weight loss commences.

On the other hand, create even a small caloric intake above what your body requires and the pounds begin to add up quickly. The trick, then, is to increase caloric use while decreasing caloric intake. Voila: weight loss (i.e. loss of unsightly fat). Decreasing caloric intake is obvious, but not easy. Eat less. Tricks exist by which we can eat smaller meals more often. This can biochemically allow us to feel fuller and can even help to rev the metabolic engine. For even more information on this refer to “Kevin’s Korner“ below.

However, to really crank up our calorie burning, we need to look further. Cardiovascular exercise, any activity which substantially raises the heart rate for a prolonged period of time (say 20 minutes or more) can increase our caloric usage by a substantial amount over the duration of the exercise. Believe it or not, this “substantial” increase can be nearly nullified by a doughnut (a few hundred calories). And, what’s worse, too much cardio can negatively impact lean muscle retention. On the other hand, moderate amounts of cardio combined with consistent sessions of intense strength training can act to peak our metabolisms.

Why strength train? Strength training can greatly increase our caloric use EVEN WHEN WE ARE NOT EXERCISING. Strength training allows us to effectively  increase our amount of muscle tissue, the other tissue type we can change. Suffice it to state, strength training will not leave women looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger. But the even moderate amounts of added muscle will aid us in keeping a lean, healthy body.

The moral of this lengthy story: Eat wise, but enjoy yourself. Counter your indulgences with moderate amounts of cardio and intense strength training sessions (2 - 3 X’s per week). Look great. Feel great.

Fitness Fact

Are slower speeds of movement as good as faster speeds of movement for increasing muscular size, strength, and power? The answer, in brief, yes (and maybe even more so)!  In one study, subjects were divided into three groups. In one group, subjects raised the weight in .75 seconds or less.  In the second group, subjects raised the weight in 2.0 seconds or more. And, in the third and final group, subjects raised the weight in .75 seconds or less in the first six weeks and 2.0 seconds or more in the last four weeks. While all three groups significantly increased their strength and power, there were no significant differences between the groups.

Another study confirms this outcome by utilizing just two groups: first group “exploded upward as fast as possible”, while the second group “lowered the weight in a slow and controlled manner.” While, again, no significant differences were observed between the two groups as far as power and strength measurements were concerned, the slow group actually improved more in the vertical jump test. Bottom line: research has shown that slow-speed repetitions are at least as effective as fast-speed repetitions for improving muscular size, strength, and power!!!  And what’s more? Slower is safer. Less injuries equals less gym time lost and more muscular gains in the long run.

(This article has been adapted from Fitness Management - September 2006)

Gibson’s Teams Up

Gibson’s Gym has teamed up with physical therapists in the area in order to provide outpatients with the necessary tools to continue and advance their therapy. So, ask your PT if Gibson’s Gym is right for you.

Shape Up or Ship Out

Generally, this section is reserved as a space whereby we can further elaborate on one or a group of Gibson’s Gym’s Rules of Etiquette. However, this time of year especially, Gibson’s realizes a rather large influx of new members and returning members we haven’t seen in a while. Therefore, this episode of “Shape Up or Ship Out” will be devoted to a rule not explicitly listed on our Rules of Etiquette page: CHECKING IN.

At nearly 100% of fitness facilities and health clubs there exists a key tag mechanism for checking in by which a member, who enters through the facilities front door, must walk by the counter and scan in using a key tag. This allows the facility to run efficiently and effectively.

Gibson’s check in procedure runs very similarly to most other facilities. As you are surely aware, we assign key tags to our members whereby they can physically scan in at the beginning of each workout session. However, Gibson’s check procedure possesses a caveat to most other facilities’ procedures. Gibson’s maintains multiple points of entry. Our members may enter our facility from the front door, but they also can gain access through a couple of rear access doors. While these rear doors allow more convenient entry from our back parking area, they also seemingly permit members to avoid our front desk region. We think it is a plus that we be able to maintain our rear door entrances (and exits), but need to avoid the sense of anonymity they permit.

Please help us to firm up our check in procedure by being sure to check in each and every time you workout. Forgot your key tag? No problem, we can check you in by name.  Lost your key tag?  We will provide you with a new one. Checking in is an important step to helping us to run an efficient and effective facility. It becomes even more important this time of year as we try to learn and re-learn members names. And lastly, checking in allows us to avoid the embarrassment (at least to us) of having to single out individual members (recent or less so) for not having checked in.

Kevin’s Korner

The number of individuals with health club memberships is at an all time high.  In spite of this, obesity is also at an all time high. Exercise alone cannot guarantee a lean, healthy physique.  Sound, dense nutrition must be the other cornerstone in any program facilitating lean body composition. True weight loss, or body fat reduction, must be achieved by regulating the food input, not just the work output.  Increasing exercise frequency will result in an increase in hunger. The key is to quench this hunger with the correct ratio of macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fat) shown to facilitate maintenance of, or an increase in, lean body mass (muscle, bone, connective tissue) and diminish body fat reserves.

The average individual has been bombarded  with a multitude of weight loss plans, diets, and nutritional recommendations. While some of these plans have value, the longevity of these nutritional guidelines is often fleeting. Everyone wants to lose body fat. However few of the recommendations made actually focus on the retention of muscle while simultaneously decreasing body fat. This is not an easy feat.  Let me explain how Macrobolic’s 35% protein / 45% carbohydrate / 20% fat nutritional plan addresses these concerns as well as nutrition’s impact on hormone levels, metabolism, and physical performance.  In short, Macrobolic’s nutrient ratios are effective for maximizing lean body mass, decreasing body fat, and improving physical performance for a lifetime, not just a short-term quick fix.

But, further understanding requires recognizing that food’s influence on metabolism is directly correlated to the impact each macronutrient has on the hormonal levels that mediate metabolism in the body. Thyroid hormone, insulin, and glucagons are all influenced by what and when you ingest certain foods.  Limiting sugars, alcohol, and saturated fats is just the tip of the macronutrient iceberg.

For athletes and individuals alike, maximizing the BMR, or basal metabolic rate, is crucial. The BMR is the total of all the energy (calories) your body needs to maintain a resting state during the course of a day. Skipping meals will result in serious hormonal fluctuation in the insulin, thyroid, and glucagons levels. This is a sure fire way to slow your BMR, or decrease the calories burned at rest. Exercise and meal frequency are two ways in which you can elevate your BMR.  Muscle mass also requires more calories to maintain itself. On the other hand, fat imposes very little metabolic demand on the body.  So, increasing muscle mass is another way to elevate BMR (see “Cost of…”). Converse to skipping meals, meal frequency of every 2 ½ to 3 hours will result in stability of blood sugar, insulin, and glucagons levels. This is the hormonal environment ideal for maximizing caloric expenditure in the body.  By effectively maximizing BMR, the amount of energy your body is going to require in a day will be higher. This in turn will help prevent your body from storing the food you eat as body fat. For more information on “Macrobolic Nutrition” or getting a food plan that’s right for you stop by the front desk and schedule some time to chat with Kevin.