Understanding Your Body Parminder has been training for 10 years. During this time he has been in great shape and not so great shape. But most important, he has amassed a lot of experience and knowledge about diet and training schedules. Parminder has successfully trained many people ranging in ages and body types and helped them attain their fitness goals. For questions on fitness email Parminder@mybindi.com

with Parminder

For example, if you are a person who is very active, your metabolism will most likely be faster than that of someone who slumps on the couch everyday and devours potato chips and other junk food .

METABOLISM is the means by which the body derives energy and synthesizes the other molecules it needs from the fats, carbohydrates and proteins we eat as food, by enzymatic reactions helped by minerals and vitamins. According to Webster, metabolism is "the chemical and physical processes continuously going on in living organisms." Unfortunately, not all of us living organisms have metabolisms that "process continuously" in the same manner. It is very important to maintain a normal metabolism rate for your body, the slower it gets; the harder it will be for you to stay in shape.

There are a few specific ways for everyone to keep their metabolism up to speed:

• Eat smaller meals throughout the day instead of eating 2-3 very big meals
• Do some sort of cardio exercise for at least 30 minutes no less than 4 times a week
• Drink lots of water!

Metabolism is this is the backbone of anyone's healthy diet plan. For more specific details on metabolism, visit the following sites that explain the scientific aspect of maintaining a healthy metabolism:

• www.encyclopedia.com/articles/08370.html
• www.sciencekomm.at/med/assocdb/metabolism.html

Moving on, most people are familiar with proteins and carbohydrates.

Proteins are the chemical building blocks from which our cells, organs, and tissues like muscle are made. Proteins also serve double-duty as hormones, enzymes and antibodies, which help our bodies fight off invading germs.

Carbohydrates are compounds composed of sugars. They come from the starchy part of plant foods, they easily covert to sugar in the body. For this reason, carbohydrates are considered fast fuels.

New research suggests a diet higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates than currently recommended may help people maintain desirable body weight and overall health. By having a good mix of proteins and carbohydrates you can maintain a lean body with the right exercise. When factoring in what foods to eat in order to reach your desired weight, whether it is to loose or gain weight, you should try and eat most of your carbohydrates in the beginning of the day and your proteins in the afternoon to evening.

The reason I mention this is, consuming too many carbohydrates will make you gain weight. By consuming all your carbohydrates by midday, this will give you enough energy for your daily activities and allow you to use up that stored energy instead of it turning into fat. On the flip side, eating your proteins with your carbs and then in the latter part of the day, will balance out your diet and provide fuel to build lean muscle.

The third component to a diet is the right amount of calories and fats. CALORIES are needed to provide energy so the body functions properly. The number of calories in a food depends on the amount of energy the food provides. The number of calories a person needs depends on age, height, weight, gender, and activity level. People who consume more calories than they burn off in normal daily activity or during exercise are more likely to be overweight. FAT should account for 30% or less of the calories consumed daily, with saturated fats accounting for no more than 10% of the total fat intake. Fats are a concentrated form of energy, which help maintain body temperature, and protect body tissues and organs. Fat also plays an essential role in carrying the four fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E, and K. Excess calories from protein and carbohydrates are converted to and stored as fat. Even if you are eating mostly "fat free" foods, excess consumption will result in additional body fat. Fat calories in food are readily stored, while it takes energy to transform protein and carbohydrates to body fat. The only proven way to reduce body fat is to burn more calories than one consumes.

Summing up, you don't have to be an expert in counting calories and grams of protein and carbohydrates. Think logically, if you eat a burger and fries you probably just had the entire fat intake you need for the day and you're going to be full. If you eat a lean steak with a baked potato, you have consumed very little fat and are not going to be stuffed, and you will be able to eat another small meal in 2-3 hours, keeping your metabolism rate up.

The following is a suggestive list of foods that are good in proteins:

BEEF
Blade, steak, trimmed, stewed
Fillet steak, lean, grilled
Kidney, stewed
Sirloin steak, lean, grilled
Topside, lean, roasted

LAMB
Kidney, fried
Leg steak, lean, grilled
Liver, in flour, fried
Mid-loin chop, lean, grilled
Short-cut leg, lean, roasted

CHICKEN
Breast, flesh, grilled
Breast, lean, roasted
Drumstick, flesh, grilled
Leg, flesh, grilled
Thigh, flesh, roasted

PORK
Shoulder, lean, roasted
Loin chops, grilled

FISH AND SHELLFISH
Tuna, canned in brine
Mussels, steamed

If you have any questions of comments please feel free to contact me at Parminder@mybindi.com


NEXT MONTH:

• Sample diets for males and females
• Sample training schedules for males and females
• Contest details