Be Fit Saint Louis

Metabolism is the key

2011-06-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

Rev up your metabolism to get the weight loss and fitness results you are looking for.

So what exactly is metabolism? Metabolism is the whole of all the chemical energy processing going on in your body right now as you read this. The processes never stop (well, they do, but when they stop, so do you—while you are alive, the processes are always churning away). Metabolism is the body digesting the food you consume, breaking it down and directing which energy resources go where. That is the secret to metabolism: manipulating it to burn fat rather than muscle.

Your body is intelligent. It knows how to survive and how to increase its odds of survival. Your body is constantly analyzing what you are doing. This is where the concept of avoiding “starvation mode” comes in.

The theory is that by continuously providing your system with fuel, the body does not sense an upcoming famine and will not feel the need to store energy to protect itself against the impending food shortage. This why you need to eat every few hours; you need to keep that metabolic fire burning. When the body senses inconsistencies in being fueled, it assumes that nourishment is hard to come by and that it should save everything it can, “just in case.”

Your metabolic processes have no idea you live in the United States of America, the land of super-sized meals and, for many, a bountiful supply of food. Your body preserves this energy as fat and it will keep this fat until it is absolutely confident that malnourishment is not a concern.

You must prove to your body systems that you do not need emergency fat stores and that it is quite all right to keep these energy stores at a minimum; this is how you will get lean and healthy. The journey to this promised land of lean and healthy has other benefits as well; typically you will eat better foods, exercise more and, in general, respect your body more. This is what it’s all about.

You get healthy from the inside out, starting with what you put in your body, when you do it and, finally, what you do to use this energy. The great thing about this cycle is that the further you take it, the better it works and the easier it is to do. Lean muscle burns more fat, so by working out and adding lean muscle you are burning more fat, even while you are sleeping! Muscle is the greatest fat burner, and a high-revving metabolism feeds this growing muscle tissue the energy it needs. The result is a vicious firestorm that takes direct aim at the very same fat stores you are combating.
Let the beast loose!
Stoke the fire that is your metabolism and you WILL see results.

Spring has sprung Saint Louis!

2011-03-12T10:54:00.000-08:00

Well it's finally here, spring time is in the air. The days are getting longer and the temps are getting warmer; we have survived yet another Saint Louis winter. This was a snowy and icy winter for the metro Saint Louis area, we've earned this warm weather for sure; so what do we do with it? This one of the best times of the year to be in Saint Louis the warm days and cool nights are perfect for most any outdoor activity; camping, biking, hiking, running and walking. The temps are still mild, no bugs and the excitement of being outside without fear of freezing to death :)

What ever your fitness, get out and enjoy the Missouri outdoors!
Have fun! Be Fit StLouis!

Functional Training

2010-11-04T10:54:00.001-07:00

Functional Training has become a popular catch phrase in the fitness industry. The term "functional training" can now be heard from not just personal fitness trainers; more examples would include: athletic trainers, yoga trainers, Pilates instructors and even group exercise instructors.

Functional Training; what is it and why is it important?

The general goal of Functional Training is to train the body using movements the body is biomechanically engineered to do in everyday life.

Most individuals in our society don't live their lives using their bodies the way they are engineered to be used. Our bodies are designed to move, to go hunt and gather food, and to avoid predators. We're meant to walk, run, climb, lift, etc. Unfortunately, the same prosperity that makes such a wealthy and successful society is what's slowly corroding our bodies.

We were not designed to sit on a chair behind a computer screen all day long; when we finally do get up and attempt to use our bodies in a "functional" manner, injury often results.

-Functional Training incorporates multi-planar movements.

-Functional Training typically requires more neuromuscular control than non-functional movements.

-Functional Training incorporates many full-body movements

-Functional Training is dynamic movement under control.

-Functional Training stays within the biomechanical limitations of the body

Weight Loss Challenge

2010-10-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

Sign up now for this "Biggest Loser" style weight loss challenge!
Check it out!
http://events.stltoday.com/chesterfield-mo/events/show/132959025-west-county-weight-loss-challenge

Trail of the Week special

2010-10-15T10:06:00.001-07:00

A great trail resource, Check it out!
http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/fitness/article_91de8027-89db-5921-916c-0cee7685d420.html

Indian Camp Creek Park Trail

2010-10-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

Moonlight Mountain Bike Ride in Indian Camp Creek Park. Check it out!

http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/fitness/article_a760c0d9-db40-5d6c-afc3-672aaae98eb0.html

Hiking blog- check it out!

2010-08-02T11:28:00.001-07:00

http://www.motrekkers.com/

Community blood drives

2010-08-01T14:14:00.000-07:00

Community blood drives

Like fine wine, man improves with age

2010-08-01T12:12:00.000-07:00

Like fine wine, man improves with age

Dr. Donohue: Does creatine help athletes?

2010-08-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

Dr. Donohue: Does creatine help athletes?

Gibbon slacklines

2010-07-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

We love the Gibbon slacklines and know you will too!
http://www.gibbonslacklines.com/blog/

http://www.gibbonslacklines.com/

Slacklining ROCKS!

2010-07-16T08:15:00.000-07:00

http://www.slacklineblog.com/

Check out more about slacklining, setting up a slackline and exercises you can do on a slck-line at http://www.befitstlouis.com/

Three treks, all tried and true

2010-07-16T08:07:00.000-07:00

Three treks, all tried and true

60 treks for St. Louis-area hikers

2010-07-16T08:04:00.000-07:00

60 treks for St. Louis-area hikers

BeFitStLouis is Growing

2010-05-21T08:39:00.000-07:00

We are in the process of upgrading our navigation and some of the site graphics. We hope that you find the changes to be for the better. We appreciate your patience. Thank you!

Videos are coming

2010-04-20T23:52:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all of the requests! We will start our informational videos this week!
We will start our video series off with some great tips on incorporating resistance tubes into your strength training workout.

Thanks,
BeFitStLouis

2010-04-09T16:34:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the http://www.befitstlouis.com/ Photo of the month for April 2010.

This month we have a great photo from Tower Grove Park in South St. Louis. A great park in the city, it has some really beautiful architecture, world class plantings and nice paths for walking, jogging and skating.

Have you been to this park? What do you think?

Thanks St. Louis,

http://www.befitstlouis.com/

Yahoo health article

2010-03-31T12:56:00.000-07:00

I was reading a general fitness article on Yahoo today; it was accompanied by a video. The video was helpful as the article itself was very poorly written.

To sum things up: common sense goes a long, long way.

Muscle is denser than fat; a pound of muscle "weighs" the same as a pound of fat... what would you rather have.

Timing of your food intake is in fact important, however your overall nutrition decisions are of number one importance. If you make solid nutrition choices through out the day, it gives you more flexibility for snacks and "cheats".

When you are told "not to eat at night" what that means is watch your calorie/carb intake before sleeping. If you are hungry before bed think protein; protein will keep your muscles fed while you sleep and tend not to get deposited as fat.

Remember eat a balanced diet, exercise and you do just about anything you want...with in reason.

Facebook

2010-03-29T21:04:00.000-07:00

Well, now that the site is starting to take shape it is time to get back to spending some time on our Facebook page. It will have many pictures of the various fitness activies in and around the greater St. Louis area.

We will also be posting various events through Facebook. We have access to many forums in which to keep you informed about what is going on and ultimately you will choose how we keep in touch.

As always we appreciate your participation.

Be Healthy, Be Happy, Be Fit St. Louis

http://www.befitstlouis.com/
YOUR Gateway to fitness in St. Louis.

Spring in St. Louis

2010-03-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

BeFitStLouis would like to give a big welcome to a new spring season. Hiking is a great way to get out to see what a truly wonderful state Missouri is and spring time is the time to do it. There are few states in the country with more marked trails than Missouri. The city of St. Louis is not far from many great places to go hiking. You can get started on your hiking quest here; www.befitstlouis.com/Hiking.html

Thanks, www.befitstlouis.com/

BeFitStLouis ~ Training and Learning

2010-03-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

I was doing research on functional training for my website www.befitstlouis.com/Core_Training.html when I came across something that I just had to add to the site. I found what is called a "slosh tube or slosh pipe" It is a pvc pipe 4" in diameter and 7' to 10' in length; the the pipe is capped on one end, filled about 1/2 - 3/4 with water and capped on remaining open end. The sloshing liquid moving back and forth in the tube creates a very difficult functional/core workout. Check it out!