2017 January Tabata Challenge Week 1 Tally

This marks the end of the first week of the 2017 January Tabata Challenge. It has been great for me! I am enjoying an increase in capacity to do push-ups, pull-ups, and ab work. My squats, which were not so bad have gotten much better. I am feeling great! Everyone around me has noted that my attitude has improved tremendously. Why wouldn’t it? Exercising beats out every pharmaceutical on the market for lifting people out of depression, improving one’s outlook on life, and increasing the brain’s production of positive endorphins. This also, by the way, positively impact the hypothalamus, located in the amygdala. What? Where? Why? These organs in the brain are the center of our emotional states.

In short, depression will affect the amygdala. Over time, the amygdala shrinks. This makes it way more difficult to get out of depression. Enter anti-depressant drugs. Do they make us feel better? Yes, but they do nothing for the amygdala. It is far better to repair the damage done. Exercise helps in this endeavor.

Enter our Tabata Challenge. Not only are we all burning massive calories during the workout, but for up to two hours after the workout we are burning calories at an accelerated rate. The rate of burn will vary based on your body size and body fat percentage, but most studies show that our after burn effect can last for up to two hours and burn an additional 225 calories. While that sounds great, and I do like those numbers, yes, they could be more impressive; however, what nearly every study has forgotten is the anaerobic impact that this training has on us.

By building muscle we are increasing our resting metabolism. This increase in our metabolism when we are not training burns more calories. Muscles urn calories in order to exist and move. One pound of muscle is going to burn around six to 10 calories to remain healthy. That is quality calories. This also includes training to keep those muscles, right? Right!

Tabata drills are burning up our glycogen at an accelerated pace while doing them. We get to enjoy an after burn. AND we have some more muscle to gobble up a few more calories while bopping about during the day. Think about all of those mundane things each of us do. Walking about the office, yard work, chasing the kids about the house & getting them to school, shopping, and whatever else you may have on your list. All those activities now use more calories because you have more muscle to take you through them. How cool is that?

Anyway, truth time … my bodyweight at the beginning of the week was 240 pounds tonight, after my PT session is … 236 pounds. This week I have dropped 4 pounds. None too shabby for one week. Woo-hoo!!

So, how about you? How have you progressed this week?

2017 January Tabata Challenge Day 3

Wendy Repovich of Eastern Washington University writes in the abstract of her report on short term, short duration, HIIT and Tabata-style exercises that the Tabata protocol of 20 seconds of give-it-all-you-have followed by 10 seconds of I-gotta-be-crazy for eight rounds is an effective training model.

Her study looked at this method for a short duration of testing. That is, the test period lasted for three weeks. Exercise days were Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. This study was aimed at specifically intra-abdominal fat, IAF. IAF is the fat deep inside the body cavity. This is the stuff that is packed around our internal organs. Yes, we need some, but not anywhere near the extent that far too many people have. This is the stuff that gives us that big ol’ “beer belly” look. Who wants that? Really? No way.

We already know that increasing VO2 max, improving body composition and strength, as well as numerous other benefits come from this style of training. A great extra which Dr. Repovich found was that cognitive function improves, too.

Yes, getting moving, getting the heart beating, having some time outside in the fresh air all help. Were you aware that exercising also helps your brain create new brain cells? It sure does. There is an exhibit at the Maryland Science Center, a fantastic place to go if you’re in that area, which demonstrates this very nicely. I saw it several years ago and was told that the exhibit was one of the Center’s permanent displays. At any rate, strenuous activity actually makes you smarter. It builds your brain while building your body.

Some of the points Dr. Repovich et al left unanswered include doing Tabata protocol workouts on consecutive days and for more than three weeks. Folks, if you are doing this with me, you are part of science! Well, maybe not, but you are darned sure getting a great workout.

As for the 2017 January Tabata Challenge, the repetitions are increasing in both numbers and my capacity to perform is getting better. This is only, only, day three.

Post your comments. I want to see your results and how you feel with these changes to your life and person.

Links:

http://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2014/10/?utm_source=dc.ewu.edu%2Fsrcw_2014%2F10&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages

http://dc.ewu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=srcw_2014

What Should I Weigh?

This is a question that is on, or should be on, everybody's mind. With a population that is 1 in 3 obese, what should we each weigh? I did some tooling around with this myself. I had been a power lifter for many years. The Navy classified me as obese for the longest time. Based on my heck, chest, and waist measurements along with my weight, then between 235 and 245 pounds, I was called obese. I exercise almost daily, but am still told by the VA that I am overweight. The question is how do we calculate our ideal weight?

There are several methods which can be used. I caution you to use them at your own risk. 

Body Mass Index, or BMI, is a calculation that boggles me. I present the calculations below in both metric and imperial units:

• BMI metric units: Your weight (kilograms) divided by the square of your height (meters)
  e.g. Weight 80 kilograms. Height 1.8 meters.
  1.8² meters = 3.24
  80 divided by 3.24 = BMI 24.69.


• Imperial units: Your weight (pounds) times 703, divided by the square of your height in inches.
  e.g. Weight 190 pounds. Height 6 ft (72 inches)
  72² = 5184
  190 x 703 divided by 5184 = BMI 25.76

Health authorities worldwide mostly agree that:

• People with a BMI of less than 18.5 are underweight.
• A BMI of between 18.5 and 25 is ideal.
• Somebody with a BMI between 25 and 30 is classed as overweight.
• A person with a BMI over 30 is obese. 

According to my doctors, I have my BMI is 28.6. To them, I am borderline obese. I run at least 3 miles a day, do 200 jumping jacks, 200 seal jacks, 2 minutes of crunches, and I am up to 55 burpees. Clearly, I am not obese; however, according to the physicians who look at my charts, I am borderline ...

http://www.self.com/calculatorsprograms/calculators/idealweight Is an intriguing little page. This page asks you if you are male or female and how tall you are. The page then proceeds to tell you how much you should weigh. When I put in my numbers the site tells me that I should weigh 140 to 189 pounds. When I was in that range, i was very skinny and gangly.Check it out and see what you get.

There are several ways to measure and calculate what you should weigh and how much body fat you have. Skin calipers, water displacement, BMI, waist to hip, and the list goes on.

None of this answers the question of "Am I fat?" Let's face it, that is what we are asking. Do the naked mirror jump test. Stand in front of a mirror nude and jump up. Body fat jiggles, muscle and bone don't.

Is your doctor concerned about your weight? If yes, then keep at it.

If not, are you able to be happy with how your body is now? I know I am.