11893856_857841297597979_6090052073174846617_o

 

 

 

2bfit05

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11700902_845609502154492_4477754992577455861_o11225380_851981064850669_2889672962883641700_o

 

 

 

 

I’m going to give you three sure fire ways to burn calories more efficiently. One – exercise. The most obvious one right. But there are many ways to skin a cat. It’s no longer just all about cardio. ‪#‎eatlessmovemore‬

The best way to add to the normal burn is to add lean muscle mass. That means you need to strength train. At least a third of the time you are in the gym, if not half.

Muscles require energy to be maintained. Therefore, the processes of your body to do so is governed by the efficiency of the system. Your metabolism.‪#‎eatlessmovemore‬

Once your metabolism increases, the body burns fuel (glucose, ATP, fat, carbohydrates) at a faster rate and even goes into storage centers (fat) to pull what is not available so that you don’t shut down. Exercise alone is not enough to make this happen. Lean muscle mass is the key. I burn more calories during my strength training workouts as I do during an hour of Spin Class (cardio).

11889432_857833657598743_76943631408683848_n

 

 

 

 

 

The next key – eat right. ‪#‎eatlessmovemore‬

Eating the right foods at the right time of day can make a serious impact in how you manage what goes in, gets used and stays in your body.

Recommendations for eating during the day: Morning – high carbs 60-70% of your plate with 20% veggies and 10% protein, Lunch -carbs 30-40% of your plate with 20% veggies and 40-50% protein, Dinner – carbs 10-15% of your plate with 60% veggies and 20% protein.

Also, avoid eating desert prior to eating your meal. This causes a serious spike in your blood sugar and subsequent insulin dumping into your bloodstream. That drives your appetite and makes you want to eat more. So there is a huge chance that you will over eat when you shouldn’t. To go a little further, there is a chance that if you eat your food, you may not want to eat the desert at the end. ‪#‎eatlessmovemore‬

You need fuel foods and junk foods that slow you down should be substituted by healthy alternatives.

 

11863354_857834700931972_8802613754857186108_n

 

 

 

 

11041096_857842397597869_7403125137230885863_n

Lastly – sleep patterns make a difference in weight gain. If your sleep cycle is off, so too will be your eating cycle. You will eat at crazy times of the night and most likely crave foods that are unhealthy for you. High calorie foods are normally the culprit.

 

Avoid eating late at night unless you chow down on things like nuts and yogurts, that take longer to digest and break down, thus increasing your metabolism. ‪#‎eatlessmovemore‬

 

 

11700902_845609502154492_4477754992577455861_o

The following is a transcribe of Braxton’s FB Chat and some of his Twitter chat on getting a six pack.

Join the conversation!

https://www.facebook.com/DrBraxtonCosby?fref=photo

The first one up, and my personal favorite are planks!

11036704_851972268184882_4274489614083855302_n

Here’s why. When it comes to sculpting the rectus abdominis, no exercise matches planks. Studies show that there is a 25% more muscle tension gain from doing planks *(whether timed or repetitions) when compared to crunches. That means, that you get more bang for you buck, or more results for your efforts than just basic crunches.

What makes planks so effective? I.C.E. – isometric, concentric and eccentric muscle contractions occur in the stomach muscles when you perform a plank. ‪#‎eatlessmovemore‬

 

 

The next one is reverse lower extremity curls. In this exercise, I challenge you to bring your feet all the way to the floor and tap it lightly, then return your knees to your chest. 11058819_851978224850953_5023575233410260260_n Try isolating the oblique muscles when you perform reverse abdominal curls by flattening your stomach as you lower your feet to the ground. This will help you avoid the so-called ‘hot dog stomach’ phenomenon. Lastly, Heel Clicks, or sometime they are referred to as scissors. 11796262_851979451517497_8882709246587930544_n I love this exercises because it really challenges the entire trunk to stabilize proximally, while allowing your legs o move distally. Therefore, the maximal effort is exerted on the abdominal to remain contracted while performing the movement. Ok, so here is my fitness tip for performing these 3 awesome belly- shaping exercises. Start out with timed intervals first. Holding the positions in the pictures for say 15-30 seconds, with 2-3 intervals. Then gradually move up. Once you are able to hold for 60, then advance to sets and repetitions. ‪#‎eatlessmovemore‬ But remember this one little nugget about abdominal exercises: high reps work best with little to no resistance. But make sure to move through the full range. This allows the muscle to elongate and contract at optimal positions to maximize the tension!

 

 

 

 

 

2-3 sets of 20-30 repetitions will get the results you are looking for. Keep this up and you’ll be burning in no time. Thanks for stopping by and stay active. ‪#‎eatlessmovemore‬ Until next time!

11700902_845609502154492_4477754992577455861_o

 

 

11700902_845609502154492_4477754992577455861_oFrom Dr. Braxton A. Cosby:

“SO what it metabolism anyway? Simply put, it’s the chemical processes that occur within a living organism in order to maintain life.

As it relates to losing weight, metabolism or the process by which metabolism is carried out is the summation of activities within the body that assist the organism to stay alive. Breaking down food, compounds, and other chemicals to provide energy and remove waste products.

As it relates to losing weight, metabolism or the process by which metabolism is carried out is the summation of activities within the body that assist the organism to stay alive. Breaking down food, compounds, and other chemicals to provide energy and remove waste products.

The measure of metabolism is called the BMR or the basal metabolic rate, which grades how efficient the body is carrying out these processes. Some individuals have a high BMR and others are lower. What dictates the efficiency of the system are few variables.

Variables such as genetics (can’t fix), activity level (can fix), types of foods we consume (can fix) and muscle mass (can fix). The higher we boost our metabolism, the more calories we burn.

These calories not only come from available sources that we eat, but also from fat stores on our body. If we ramp up our metabolism, our body will seek out the energy sources at a very efficient rate, with organs and muscles doing their part. This ‘activity’ churns up a lot of energy and over time, fats stores are reduced (energy givers) and we lose weight. You can manipulate this, to some degree. But as Master Yoda says, you have t be willing to do the work.

Here are some foods to ramp up that metabolism. Blueberries, almonds, whey protein, salmon, spinach, turkey and oatmeal. Eat up and slim down.

And as far as exercise goes, here is what you can do. Exercise at least three times as week, incorporating training that keeps your heart rate at a competitive rate and builds lean muscle mass. Heart rate suggestions: 220- your age and divide that number by 65-75% depending on where you are physically. Muscle mass building – maintaining muscle mass requires a lot of energy from the body and the work that it takes is the key because it will keep you body in metabolic overdrive. Thus, your metabolism will soar.

But you’re probably wondering where the quote I gave earlier about burning more fat in your sleep comes from, right?????

The energy systems of the body are time dependent. If you need energy quickly, your body chooses one system over the other. It’s a lot of technical jargon, but ultimately, when you sleep the body can provide energy from fats stores slowly over time. Since you’re not doing anything while you sleep, it draws at a consistent, steady rate. If you have spiked your metabolism by doing what I suggested, you will pull from fat stores at a very high rate, and begin to see the difference on the scale and in the mirror.

Not bragging here, but I want to demonstrate how this works. On a good day of cardio-fat burning for me, spin class 20-21 miles, I can lose up to 1-2 pounds over night if I log at least 6 hours of sleep and watch what I eat. That’s because my metabolism is jacked and my body is ‘seeking’ lost energy stores to rebuild and repair damages muscle during exercise.

icondirect.phpScreen Shot 2015-07-21 at 6.53.40 PM