People worry about shape, size, and weight for all kinds of reasons. I think the most important thing to know is that there are healthy ways to meet realistic expectations. People quite literally come in all shapes and sizes, and being healthy is what truly matters.

Fact or Fiction?

Does muscle really weigh more than fat? – I’ve told that to myself and my friends as we’ve worked out for years. (To be clear we hit the gym to be healthy, but for me the healthier I get, the closer I get to my realistic image goals. So it’s really a win/win.) The answer is no! Muscle doesn’t weigh more than fat; 5 pounds or muscle weighs the same as 5 pounds of fat. The difference is in the composition, muscle is more dense than fat, so a person with more muscle than fat will look smaller. I read that fat actually takes up 4 times the space as lean muscle mass…ugh.. I think most of us would have taken muscle over fat any day but whoa!

There is a big BUT!

 Having no body fat is not an option!  You need body fat for your body to function properly and be healthy. I also read (this blog has been very educational 4 me!) that essential body fat protects our internal organs (which sounds important to me!) huh?… who knew?

Now its tricky cuz there is no perfect body fat percentage; age, gender, height and activity level are all factors. Why does body fat percentage matter in terms of being active?

It matters because living an active lifestyle is one key to maintaining your healthy percentage. Also because as you move and build up a larger percentage of muscle being active will get easier!

It’s A Balancing Act

To live an active lifestyle your body needs the right kind of “fuel”. Vehicles burn gas, we burn what we eat and drink. Just like gas, there is the cheap stuff and the premium. Cheap stuff is high in fat and sugar; things like pizza, cookies, pop and french fries. These foods don’t give our bodies enough healthy carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, and vitamins to function properly.

So what Does?

Premium healthy beneficial foods are things like: complex carbohydrates, protein (ex:Fish), whole grain breads, fruits and veggies! [Check out Canada’s Food Guide for tips.] Again..why is this relevant to physical activity?

 What your body has to burn as fuel has a big impact on how much energy you have to power the muscles you have, and build more lean muscle!

Don’t Forget About..

Water – Why?> you are estimated to be 60-70% water (your blood, muscles, lungs, brain all contain a lot of water). It regulates your body temperature, and carries those nutrients from your premium fuel to your organs. Water transports oxygen to your cells, removes waste, and protects your joints and organs. (Once again that sounds pretty crucial to me.)[Water Tips]

Sleep – Why?>our bodies build strength and endurance through rest and recovery both during exercise but also while we sleep. Sleep is the time when our body repairs itself on a cellular level. Crazy.. I know!

Big Finish!

What I’m trying to get across in this mess of info is that looking good comes from feeling good. It doesn’t pay to deprive your body; it pays to take care of it.

I’m not a scientist or a PhD so it doesn’t hurt to do your own research. I think what you’ll find is that living a balanced lifestyle including proper nutrition, sleep and physical activity will be the key to looking, and feeling the best that you can be!

Kenji

The word Calorie is pretty much a unit of energy in terms of food. Everybody needs to take in different amounts of calories every day just to keep our bodies goin’. A few different things tell ya how many calories you need in a day. How much you weigh matters because you need to burn calories to keep living. Whether you can do 1 or 100 pushups matters too, it’s muscle mass. One pound of muscle may burn up to 50 calories per day compared to a pound of fat! Last but not least, the amount of activity you get is a factor because someone doing physical labor or hitting the gym will burn more calories than a person who works at a desk, or someone who doesn’t get a lot of physical activity.

I need anywhere between 2000-2100 calories a day to stay where I’m at. As I increase my physical activity level, that number may need to increase to support the new muscle I build and replace energy I burn.  Hard core athletes can burn 5000 calories in a day. Whoa! Think Michael Phelps’ crazy Olympic diet. There are different formulas and calculators that sports professionals and nutritionists use to calculate a person’s caloric requirements. You can check them out for yourself. I am not a nutritionist and as you know web info is not always accurate. So be smart and stay healthy with it!

I’m a firm believer that most things in the world are connected and you may find it interesting to know why I chose to write about what fuels our bodies. Today is World Food Day, which made me think I am so fortunate to have the resources available to eat healthy and get what my body needs to survive and thrive. There are many people in the world, in Canada and around the world who for many reasons are barely able to sustain themselves. It’s hard to comprehend how someone may be starving when I’m picking groceries off of full shelves. I also believe even the smallest contributions make a difference. I donate to the food bank when I have the opportunity or make small contributions to agencies when I can. I may not be able to change the circumstances of the world on my own. I can however, treat my body well by feeding it properly and helping out where I can.

My new/latest personal mission is to fuel my busy lifestyle with the best healthy food I can, as often as I can!

Do you eat healthy? Get enough calories? Do you Burn enough calories?

Keep it movin’

Kenji