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Angela Ursprung, "The Body Sculptress"®

A Better Workout

We know that 80 percent of new, motivated gym members each year get so discouraged that their progress ends or lessens within a few weeks. They then leave the gym, never to return! Then, 80 percent of those who continue, stop their routines after 3 months, never to return.

What happens to that initial determination? What happens to the initial enthusiasm? What happens that causes our bodies to quit making progress, even when continuing with the same program that brought us exciting progress in the initial weeks? We could provide many excuses, and there are actually many reasons why the initial success wanes. But let's focus on just one very important reason this month.

The human body has two primary sources of fuel (or energy). It relies on both fat and carbohydrates for energy and to build and maintain lean mass, which tends to lessen fat stores. To "build lean mass" for a woman doesn't mean that she will build large muscle. It means that she will increase her bone density and cause her muscles to be tighter and more toned. Embrace that.

One of the truths about exercise that will set us free is that it's easier for the body to use carbohydrates than it is to use fat stores for exercise. The body can get to the carbohydrate source more easily and more quickly.

So where does the body pull the carbohydrates from? The liver and muscle! Along with the liver, the muscle stores the carbohydrate form of blood sugar called "glycogen" which is used during exercise.

While we exercise, our bodies use and can deplete our muscle-glycogen stores. The more intense the exercise session is, the more glycogen is used. So for example, if someone walks for 20 minutes, they won't use as much stored glycogen as if they were to run for 30 minutes or lift heavy weights to failure for 45 minutes.

In fact, when weight loss occurs, it is oftentimes due to the muscle losing its glycogen stores, which causes muscle wastage. This is the opposite result that we want! If we lose muscle, our resting metabolism slows down and our body's ability to burn fat drops drastically. This can make our exercise counter-productive. We want to build muscle, not lose it!

So how do we counteract this process so that our initial progress continues? It's called a "post-workout recovery drink." The purpose of this post-workout drink is to take advantage of a very small window of time that opens after moderately intense activity. During the window our muscle is literally open like a sponge and is ready and waiting to absorb a protein and carbohydrate blend. If we use this window of opportunity to replenish the spent carbohydrate stores, we can increase our body's lean mass over time, which facilitates a progressive fat-burn effect.

To take advantage of this, many studies show that the proper ratio of protein to carbohydrates is 1:4. So for every one gram of protein, add four grams of carbohydrates. In addition, our muscle prefers simple sugar (like table sugar), fructose (sugar found in fruit), and liquid protein right after your workout. Not only is the liquid absorbed more quickly, but our bodies need liquid after a workout, to rehydrate. In addition, it's much easier to carry a drink to the workout than it is to carry a meal, right?

Lastly, it's important to get half of our body weight in simple sugar carbohydrates (it's the only time I add sugar to my diet!). Then calculate how many grams of protein are needed. I weigh 123 pounds and use 8 oz of orange juice (30g of fructose) and 2 1/2 T of table sugar (30g of sugar), combined with 1 scoop of vanilla whey powder (15-20g of protein), which gives me the 1:4 ratio.

Now go burn it up, and build some muscle in the process!

Angela Ursprung, The Body Sculptress® is an author, personal trainer, personal chef and public speaker who lives in Raleigh, NC.  angela@thebodysculptress.com www.thebodysculptress.com	Jan 04 - Get The Body You Adore in 2004 Mar 04 - A Better Workout