LIFT: Front Squat (5-3-1+)

MetCon: 3 rounds
10 Box Jumps (24/20")
10 KB Swings (55/44#)

LISTEN UP! FAT LOSS 101
We receive lots of questions about losing weight, and we hear all kinds of excuses, gimmicks, frustrations, and genuine attempts gone wrong.  Let's take a step back and revisit the basics - a quick read and you'll see it's really very straightforward.

Fat loss is driven by hormonal events (hormones telling the body to release energy "fat" or store energy "fat"). Fat cells are just the body’s emergency storage tanks, and your actions (food & drink intake, exercise, stress, and sleep) trigger certain hormones to say “empty the storage tanks” or “here comes more” to the fat cells.

Insulin is primarily known as a fat storing hormone (it reacts to high blood sugar and looks to store it in your fat cells), while glucagon and growth hormone (GH) are fat burning hormones. When insulin is present and elevated, the other hormones go down (this is an important relationship to realize). Another hormone called cortisol (stress hormone) is a muscle breakdown hormone….no bueno!

Your #1 enemy is sugar, and it has many, many hiding places (drinks, sauces, dressings, etc).  Sugar is quickly absorbed and spikes your blood sugar levels, which sends the “here comes more” signal to your fat cells! Every single time you decide to put sugar into your mouth, just tell yourself “I don’t feel like burning fat for the next 3-4 hours”...because that's exactly the hormonal signal you are creating.

Got it?  Good!  Let's take a look at how to control those hormonal signals...

#1 - control insulin and maximize your glucagon response:
Keep insulin levels low throughout the day by not eating sugar or foods that quickly break down into the bloodstream (processed foods, breads, cereals, pasta). Exception: post workout window, insulin sensitivity is beneficial, as it goes into muscle not fat.

Have protein with every meal.  It slows down the digestion of sugars and stimulates the release of glucagon (and makes you feel more full).

Improve insulin sensitivity with strength training, which reduces insulin resistance by draining your glycogen stores (which in time is simply converted to fat if not used).

#2 - maximize your growth hormone response:
You need SLEEP!  Most of your GH is released while you sleep, so don't eat any big meals (or sugar) 2-3 hours before bed.  Try your best to get to bed by 10 p.m. and rise at the same time each day (even on weekends) after a good 8-9 hours of rest.

Exercise with intensity (I think we've got this one covered).  Short bursts of anaerobic intense exercise signals the body to release GH. Long aerobic activities (jogging, etc) will NOT.  Many people think doing aerobics will burn all the fat you want. Not true!  Wouldn't 1986 have taken care of the obesity issue in this country?  Think about the old argument comparing the body composition of a sprinter to a marathon runner: the sprinter has more muscle and very low body fat %; the marathon runner has little muscle and a higher body fat % even if he/she looks smaller.

#3 - minimize excessive cortisol:
When it comes to exercise, more is not always better!  You want to stress your body, but not for a long period of time.  Once you hit a certain level, your body simply starts wasting muscle as fuel. 
 
You have to RELAX.  Try not to stress over things that mean very little in the long run. SMILE MORE; purposefully stop and take deep breaths throughout the day; get outside; and have fun. Our bodies were designed to use stress in short bursts (fight or flight response) not day-long events.

Don’t worry about how many calories you burn doing something - that is not the point. Worry about the QUALITY of what you eat during the day and how your hormones are going to react to it. Eat the foods your body was meant to eat and live the active lifestyle your body was designed to live.

Here's the bottom line - you have the ability to burn fat all day long if your hormones tell your body to do so. 
Eat whole natural foods, not processed foods.  If it wasn’t around 100 years ago, you don’t need it today! 
Avoid all sugars (foods and drinks).
Have protein with every meal.
Strength train and add intensity.
Have fun doing what you love.
Stop stressing so much.
Get 8-9 hours of good, quality sleep.