MY BIG FAT POINT EXACTLY...

Below is a Q&A from the Blog of Alywn Cosgrove (http://www.alwyncosgrove.blogspot.com/) - a leading Personal Trainer specializing in scientifically-sound fitness programs (with an emphasis on fat-loss research and exercise). His training methodologies and concepts are among the top in the field and I've had the privilege of learning from him and hanging out with him at the Perform Better Conference last year in Long Beach, CA.

The Q&A here is reinforcement of the post I wrote last summer...but it's been an issue I've come across over and over again with many of my Valeo-ians...so READ ON and BE ENCOURAGED!

Q: This weekend I got on a scale at a friend's house (I don't own one) and much to my disappointment, the numbers haven't budged all that much since my last weigh in several months ago. Now, my clothes fit better, I'm in better shape than I've perhaps EVER been in, I know muscle weighs more than fat, I look GREAT, etc...but those numbers scream overweight to me. They make me feel like I've made no progress at all.

A: First off - your clothes "fit better", you're "in better shape than you've ever been in" and you "look GREAT"... but you're disappointed solely because the bathroom scale didn't go down "All that much".

Here's something we tell clients (thanks to Chris Shugart for the inspiration): If we had a magic fat loss machine -- that you stepped in and pushed a button and you came out looking EXACTLY how you've always dreamed of looking and feeling - the exact dress or pant size you wanted, with the definition and muscle tone you want, at the bodyfat percentage you want - you can see your abs (if that's what you want) etc etc.Would you be interested? Of course you would!!

But what if the side effect of the fat loss machine is that it increased bone density and muscle density by 100%. So while you looked and felt better than you've ever felt before -- the scale is 50lbs higher than it's ever been. So for example a 150lb-er would come out looking amazing, but weighing 200lbs...Would that number on the scale make you not want the other results?

Now what if the machine did the reverse - you look exactly the same as you've always done, but you'd weigh 50lbs less? Would you be happy with that? Probably not right?

Just understand that how you look and feel, and how much you weigh are not necessarily related at all.

The picture (above) shows the difference in size between five pounds of fat (top) and five pounds of muscle (bottom). You can see that it's a pretty big size difference.

If you add ten pounds of muscle and lose ten pounds of fat -- you're going to look like you lost at least 20lbs.

But the scale won't move.

YOUR BODY: An Efficient, Fuel-Burning Machine!

A lil' "Did You Know" tidbit from Mike Luepke...

Don’t laugh at that crazy guy on the bike!

A gallon of gasoline contains 31,000 Calories, and a car burns about 900 Calories/mile. At BEST, a very fuel-efficient car may get 35+ mpg. The human body is one of the most efficient machines on the planet! Coupled w/a mechanical aide (such as a bicycle), it can go a LOOOOOOONG way! Supposing he weighed 170lbs (and could metabolize gasoline) that crazy guy on the bike could go 918 MILES ON JUST ONE GALLON OF GAS!! Quick math: For tax purposes, the IRS says it costs 50.5 cents/mile to operate a car. It would take just 594 miles to start seeing a return on a $300 bicycle investment!

Ultimate Cycle Challenge: benefiting the LiveSTRONG - Lance Armstrong Foundation

This past weekend proved to be one of the most positive experiences I’ve professionally been involved in. The UCC event, held at Ultimate Fitness and Health (yup, we got our workout in by clearing almost the entire weight room out by hand!), kicked off at 8pm Friday night and concluded 8pm Saturday night. We had 44 teams (up from 26 last year), almost 400 riders and well over 600 people in and out of the gym cheering each other on.

I had two teams this year – a 24-hr Team Triple Threat, comprised of mostly Velo/Valeo Vixens (V to the 3rd degree...my triathlon ladies) and a few good men :) and also a 12-hr Team Valeo, comprised of my stud clients and friends. Teams rode on spin bikes or brought their own road bikes that they hooked up to a hydraulic trainer. I had so much fun greeting them each hour as they came to ride their hour…or two…or three…or four... The atmosphere was filled with sweat, music, flashing lights, inspiring videos – 24 hours of non-stop action! A Yellow paper chain was created, each link containing a name of someone affected by or living with cancer. The length of the chain was both humbling, daunting and inspiring at the same time – what purpose it brought to the event! The best part: $37,500 (and still coming in!) was raised for the LiveStrong Lance Armstrong Foundation to help progress cancer research and support those living with cancer. Wow – God is good. THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO RODE!! Our team motto: BeStrong. RideStrong. LiveStrong!

John Jasker and Mike "MC" Clark represent!! LiveSTRONG Kids - Go Austin!!Michael says, "Safety First!" hahahaVixen Kelly Slagh and her hubby, Ryan. Kelly rode 4 hrs at the event!

TEAM VALEO

Julie Steggerda

Anne Veltema

Shawn Luepke

Mike Clark

Linda Oosting

Ted Etheridge

Tiffany Andre

Will Polik

Ashley Gruenberg

Leslie Brown

Nate Bender

Jess Oosting

TEAM TRIPLE THREAT

Curt Wiltse

Carmen Hannah

Jess Oosting

Nate Bocks

Elizabeth Bocks

Kelly Slagh

Sloan Dorr

Heather Sellers

Marci Michermerhuizen

Marlene Overhuel

Tara Kuhnlein

Mike Luepke

I'M HERE! I'M HERE!

Wow, looking back, I’ve realized that Blogging has really taken a backseat and my good intentions of keeping up on my posts has fallen to the wayside. Life happens! But I’M BACK and committed to bringing you tidbits of health and fitness info on a weekly basis that I hope you find helpful in your daily living. Stay tuned! :)