Off Day!!

Today was my off day from the gym. I stayed in and watched "Hachiko" wonderful movie about a loyal dog :) I pretty much cried during the entire movie. I made myself a Caprese salad to make me feel better :D, very simple and delightful (slices of fresh mozzarella and tomato with balsamic dressing).  After the movie was over a decided to hit some golf balls.

Spending my day off at the Driving Range

Having at least a day or two off during the week is great for building muscles; by "off" I mean no lifting weights. Your body goes through a lot of stress and tear when you exercise with weights and eventually your body will need time to recover. When you workout your muscles, the muscle fibers tear apart in a process called hypertrophy which is the major cause of muscle growth. The recovery stage and tightening of these muscle fibers occur on your "off" days. Muscle is essential for the oxidation of fat. Oxidation refers to burning, fighting, or getting rid of fat (however you want to call it). The more muscle you have the higher your BMR (basal metabolic rate) will be, which is the amount of energy expended daily. Fat burning which is known as fat oxidation occurs when the body is needing energy. Increasing your activity will increase your energy expenditure and increasing your muscle mass will also increase your energy expenditure required to sustain the muscle.
One must be aware of not just how fat is oxidized in the body but also how the fat is synthesized. The synthesis of fat occurs from excess fat, glucose, and other nutrients. You want to make sure you are feeding your body and muscles with the proper nutrition. Proper nutrition is crucial when building muscle, getting lean, and overall achieving a healthy lifestyle. There are 4 different types of fat you must be aware of. We have trans fat, saturated fat, mono- and poly- unsaturated fat. The first 2, trans and saturated, are known as "bad" fats and the other 2, poly- and mono- unsaturated are known  as "good" fats. The bad fats slow your progression of oxidizing/burning fat. In the contrary, they will aid in storing fat. However, the "good"fats will help fight the bad fat away. The more of the good fats you see in your diet and the less of the bad fats you see will tremendously increase fat oxidation and help you reach your fitness goals a lot quicker. Overall you will have an increased amount of energy due to the the oxidation of the triglycerides in the body, which are the stored form of fats. Here are some foods that can help "fight" fat.

Salmon- Salmon is packed with Omega-3's which are good fat and help in muscle growth. More muscle = less fat
Greek Yogurt- Greek Yogurt is high in protein and contains probiotics which are essential for a good healthy digestive system which is crucial for the digestion of "good" fats.
Avocado- Avocados are packed with mono-unsaturated fats and act as an anti-inflamatory. Inflammation is caused by stress on the body due to exercise and everyday life! Avocados may help reduce inflammation caused by such stress.
Eggs- Eggs are amazing power foods. Everyone knows that egg yolk contains cholesterol, however, the egg yolk is what contains all the nutrients and is packed with vitamin B's which are needed in the production of energy in the body (fat oxidation). Not to mention the egg whites are high in protein which is essential for muscle growth. I would recommend no more than 2 whole eggs a day due to the cholesterol in the egg yolk, but please don't avoid the egg yolk completely. You are missing out on a lot of good nutrients (such as choline-water soluble essential nutrient) if you do.
Olive Oil- Olive oil is mono-unsaturated fat with a little bit of poly-unsaturated fat, essential for fat oxidation.
Nuts- Nuts are high in "good" fats (mono and poly)
Beans- Beans are high in protein, needed for muscle growth
Green Tea- Green tea contains caffeine which helps increase your metabolism (energy used to construct essential components of life, such as protein, and energy lost when breaking down organic matter in the body such as fat). Green tea is also high in antioxidants which are essential in the process of fat oxidation.
Coffee- Coffee has lots of caffeine which helps start your metabolism in the mornings and is especially good before a workout to aid in the fat oxidation process.

Caprese Salad and Egg Sandwich

I hope some of this information helps and is useful to you as it is to me. If you have any questions please email me at Lynee@letsgethealthyfit.com