Hormones Part One: Ghrelin and Leptin

Hormones and You

As much as we all wish changing your body composition was simple calories in, calories out, there are many other factors at play. (Look at how normally thin people gain weight uncontrollably when put on certain medications, for example.) One of these factors is hormonal inbalance.

It's a delicate balance that can be toppled easily.

Over the next two or three blog posts, I’ll be discussing the role hormones may play in weight and fat loss/gain, and how you may be able to take some control over them.

Ghrelin

Known as the “hunger hormone,” ghrelin is produced by ghrelin cells in the digestive tract. When the stomach is empty, ghrelin is released until the stomach is stretched, indicating that food has been eaten. Ghrelin acts on the hypothalamus to increase hunger; it also helps to prepare the stomach for food intake.

In studies, ghrelin levels decreased as sleep levels increased, showing a link between not getting adequate sleep and obesity. Another reason to get that shut-eye!

Leptin

Leptin, on the other hand, decreases hunger. It is made by adipose tissue, or fat cells. Therefore, the more fat you have, the more leptin you produce. That makes sense, because your body is telling your brain, “Woah, we don’t need any more energy. We’ve already got a big supply!”

HOWEVER

Your body can become resistant to leptin. That means your body will still be making leptin, but your brain will say, “LA LA LA. Can’t heearrr you!!!” So you just keep eating and eating, unaware that your body doesn’t need any more nutrients. This leads to weight gain.

How can you become leptin resistant?

These sugar bombs are evil!

1.  Fructose consumption. Foods high in fructose include: soda, applesauce, honey, pears, agave, apple juice, grape juice, and apples. High-fructose corn syrup, obviously, is to be avoided.

2. High stress levels

3. Eating simple carbs (breads, pastas, pastries)

4. Lack of sleep

5. Ironically, exercising too much

Thankfully, there are ways you can reverse leptin resistance, like:

•          Getting adequate amounts of sleep (oh, look, there this is again!)
•          Taking fish oil/omega-3 supplements
•          Reducing intake of simple starches and fructose

Take note of when you’re hungry throughout the day. When do your ghrelin levels naturally increase? Consider keeping a food diary and seeing what foods might cause you to get hungry soon after eating them. For me, that was apples, which makes a lot of sense now!

Questions? Comments? Leave a comment below or email me.

Lift.Eat.Love.Sleep.

What We Talk About When We Talk About Hard Work

“I learned the value of hard work by working hard.” Margaret Mead

(Quick aside: No, this isn't so much about fitness. But it can be applied to fitness quite easily. Plus I wrote it and I think it's important, so here you go!)

You can do it!

The value of hard work, which should never be underestimated, mind you, is difficult to appreciate. Not because people don’t like to work hard, but rather because the meaning of “hard work” is incredibly vague.

All throughout high-school and college, we’re told that accomplishing great things takes “hard work.” That grad school is going to be “hard work.” That your first year of a new career is “hard work, but worth it.” But no one elaborates, no one gives you a full detailed report of what “hard work” actually is. Possibly because they themselves have no idea.

“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” Stephen King

With physical endeavors, be they feats of fitness or manual labor, hard work is much easier to define: you literally run the extra mile, you push yourself past physical exertion to accomplish things you couldn’t accomplish yesterday. But in office or academic situations, there are no real physical manifestations of “pushing yourself”.

So how do you know if you’re “working hard” or just working?

From my experience in an office setting and in the strange world of NYC musical theatre, as well as from research, I’ve learned that successful “hard work” comprises 4 qualities, which I will attempt to explain here.

1. Motivation. “But what’s my character’s motivation?” is often heard in acting classes by actors attempting to find meaning in their scene, even if their character is just making a cup of coffee. Without a reason to work hard, without a singular, specific goal in mind, obstacles will make you ask yourself “What’s the point?” and give up. Choose a goal, any goal, but know why you want to accomplish it. Write both of these things down somewhere you can see them every day.

2. Plan of action. Those who work hard do not stray from their goal, come hell, high water or crippling self-doubt, because they have a step-by-step plan of how the goal can be accomplished. It’s great to say, “I want to be the CEO of an electronics company by 2020,” but the next question is, “Okay, how?” Find out. Research what other people in the position you desire have done to get there (e.g., earned a certain degree, spent x number of years in a lower role). Make a track for yourself and then stay on it.

“Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.” Booker T. Washington

3. Perseverance. This is the part where people usually fold, and the part that is the most important. This is where you stay at work past 5 (sometimes many, many hours past 5) to help get a project done. This is where you write 100 cover letters, each personalized, to possible employers, even after your first 50 have been rejected. I’ve known theatre actors who have been working crummy server jobs, waking up at 4 AM and standing in the freezing cold on lines of 300+ people for a chance to sing 8 bars to producers, barely making a living for five full years or more—and then finally landed a Broadway role. They reached their goal because they persevered, keeping their eyes on the prize. That’s what it takes.

4. Sacrifice. When it comes down to it, there just are not enough hours in the day to have it all. Something’s gotta give, and if you’re truly dedicated to your goal, then giving it up isn’t an option. Maybe hard work means sacrificing time with your family, or having a house out in the suburbs. Maybe it means forgoing vacations for a few years, or even sacrificing the negative thoughts about yourself that have curtailed your potential in the past. Sacrifice isn’t “fun,” but when you reach your goal, it will be worth it.

“Hard work” is pretty individualized, but these four qualities come standard. 

How would you define “hard work”?

How and What to Meal Prep

Why You Should Meal Prep

Like my mornings, on Sunday I have a routine. I deep clean my apartment, I go food shopping, I watch football or Food Network with my husband (he has a strange infatuation with Guy Fieri), and I meal prep for the week ahead.

This guy is all over my television. It's like I live in Flavor Town, USA.

Meal prep is exactly what it sounds like: you prepare your meals for the following week. This serves multiple purposes:

1. You have readily-available, healthy food during the week; no excuse to grab fast food or something from the vending machine because you had “no time” to make your food.

2. You can plan ahead exactly what you’ll eat during the week. When you have a plan, you’re more likely to stick to your diet. “Winging it” results in a lot of unintentional cheats and not being able to hit your macros.

3. You save money. You’ll be bringing your lunch to work instead of buying it, and usually you can buy a bunch of whatever protein/veggie/carb is on sale on Sunday and eat it for the whole week.

 

What a beautiful display of perfectly portioned macros.

A few tips.

-Invest in some high-quality containers. Glass is preferable because plastic can release toxins into your food. Get various sizes. A popular method is to buy 5-6 of the same size and, when prepping, pre-make and measure your meals for each day, so in the morning, you just have to grab one container and go.

-Shop the same day for sales and freshness. The three main things you’re looking for are proteins, vegetables, and carbohydrates. (Fats can hold up for much longer, so you can bulk up on nuts, seeds, olives, oils and cheeses once a month or so). If chicken breast is on sale, it’s chicken breast this week! Sweet potatoes are pretty affordable this time of year, and my farmer’s market has large spaghetti squashes for cheap. Save money by getting giant bags of frozen vegetables and steaming them.

-Set aside at least an hour and a half for this. If you’re serious about your nutrition (and I hope you are!), you’re going to need to measure and weigh (pre-cooked) all your food so you know exactly what calories and macros you’re getting. Put on some good music and sip on some Chai tea. I honestly look forward to meal prep!

Examples of what to prepare.

Proteins

-Chicken breasts, seasoned with spices (like rosemary or thyme with lemon) and baked 

-Chicken thighs, cooked in the crock pot with tomatoes

There is nothing better than a well cooked chicken breast.

-Pork loin, cooked whole and cut into portion sizes

-Dozen eggs, hard-boiled
-London broil, broiled, rested, then cut into portions of thin slices. (If you’re going to heat this back up day-of, it might be wise to undercook it the first time as heating it up will cook it more.)

-Frozen shrimp, thawed and boiled with Old Bay seasoning

Carbohydrates

-Sweet potatoes, cut in half and baked with a drizzle of olive oil*

-1 cup of dry brown rice, boiled (makes four ¾ cup servings cooked)

-Lentils, boiled with curry powder

-Chick peas, tossed in olive oil* and curry powder, baked until crispy

Vegetables

-Spaghetti squash, cut lengthwise and baked, then scraped into “spaghetti” strands

Or, blend them into a homemade hummus! Yumm...

-Zucchini, cut into half-rounds and sautéed with coconut oil*

-Brussels sprouts, tossed in oil* and baked
-Frozen vegetables, steamed

-Salad veggies/fruits (lettuce, peppers, carrots, avocado, strawberries, cucumber, plus any nuts/seeds/olives/cheese etc.), cut and arranged into individual containers of mixed salad

-Fresh broccoli/carrots/cauliflower, steamed

 

Use spaghetti squash as a sub for pasta and add sauces to dress it up!

*If you use oil when cooking your food, this must be counted into your daily calories/macros. Be sure to keep track of how much you’re using (generally 1 tablespoon=120 calories)

These are just some examples of my go-to foods; feel free to mix and match according to your individual tastes/diet! Maybe you include bread in your day; make sandwiches ahead of time. Can’t live without snacking on nuts? Pre-portion them so you know exactly how much you’re eating.

The important thing is that you’re cooking healthy food in a healthy way and dividing them up for easy daily access. This method may seem tedious at first, but it makes your week much less stressful.

Comment below with your tips on meal prepping!

Be sure to look out for our next blog: How Hormones Affect Your Weight.

Lift.Eat.Love.Sleep.

Puppies. Kittens. Thank you!

Pictures of Puppies (and Kittens, Too)

As a thank you to everyone who voted in the poll (you can still vote if you haven't yet!) here is, as promised, pictures of adorable puppies. And a couple cats.

Please, if you ever have any suggestions or questions, ask me! 

Even if I don't know the answer, I will research it and give you an unbiased report on the topic (even if it's something I'm not too fond of).

Omg look at the cute.

CORGI BELLY!

He looks like a little wolf!

Wintertime kissies!

Just imagine petting him. Imagine the softness. 

WHAT ARE YOUR EARS?!

WHO has the ball? WHO has the ball? Is it YOU? Is it YOU??

All smiles!

I want this one. Look at that nosey!

Wait, I want this one, too. So much love!

Yum!

Aw, he's pooped out!

For SW and ND.

This reminded me of Chloe.

Keep on keeping on! Lift.Eat.Love.Sleep.

Poll Question - Please Vote!

What do you want to read about?

I would love some feedback on what topics you're most interested in reading more about! Please take a moment to answer the one question on the top left of the blog. 

Please feel free to expand upon or specify your answer by commenting on this post below! 

You don't need a Google account to comment; just choose to Comment As "Name/URL" or "Anonymous" from the drop down. 

Thank you for your help in making this blog as useful and motivational as it can be!

-Katy

Lift.Eat.Love.Sleep.

How to Deadlift

Deadlift Technique

Of the three main powerlifting movements, the deadlift is probably the most difficult to master. It looks and sounds pretty simple: you pick the weight up and put it back down. But due to the large amount of weight you'll be picking up and the general misconceptions about how it is probably performed, many people end up either never improving on the lift or seriously injuring their lower back. 

Master the technique of the deadlift, and you'll gain a full-body compound exercise that can seriously change your physique and overall fitness for the better. 

This is going to be you in about 2 workouts.

My lovely assistant, Samantha, is in the video below, demonstrating. 

Things to Keep in Mind

1. Pick up the bar using an overhand/underhand grip. One hand (usually your dominant) grip the bar with the palm of your hand facing down, and the other grips it facing up. This will allow you to lift more weight without your grip failing you. 
2. Put your feet about shoulder-width apart, with toes facing forward. There are other versions of the deadlift (like sumo) that utilize a wider stance. The wider your stance, the more sturdy of a base you'll have and the more weight you'll be able to pick up. But when you start and are learning, keep your feet closer together. 
3. Lean back on your heels. Don't lean forward over onto your toes. 
4. Put that butt and hips back. The main power in this lift is going to come from driving your hips upwards (as in a squat). Drive quickly and squeeze your butt at the end. 
5. Keep your back straight, and look forward and slightly upwards, keeping your chest high. 
6. As I tell Samantha in this video, the bar should stay in constant contact with your body. Shins, then thighs, then right in front of your hips. 
7. Lower the bar exactly as your lifted it up. 
8. The bar should go directly up and directly down on the same line. No wobbling about. Samantha here in the video wobbles a bit; the bar should stay in a straight line as if it's in a smith machine.

Want more information? Here's a good video demonstrating it again: 

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Leave a comment below!

Lift.Eat.Love.Sleep.