Ask the Trainer: Drink Your Water! Plus, Meet David
David at his first weigh-in.
Our tip this week involves water, but not the rain we've been getting this past few days.
First, though, I want to introduce you to David, our 12-week Body Makeover participant. David’s goal is to get down between 10 to 15 percent body fat, lose 25 pounds and tone his entire body. Being a good sport like David is, he has allowed us to take “before” pictures of him, so you could follow visually. We will check in with him once a month for 12 weeks until his last and final weigh in – Friday, May 1st.
Right now, here are David’s stats:
Height: 6’1” — Weight: 230.5 lbs — Body Fat: 38.4% — Neck: 16.5” — Shoulders: 49” — Chest: 44” — Biceps (left and right): 15”/14.75” — Waist: 43.5” — Hips: 45” — Calf (left and right): 16.75”/16.75” — Thigh (left and right): 27”/27.25”
David is starting off his program with the following routine:
5 days a week: Cardiovascular (45 minutes/day with moderate intensity)
3 days a week: Strength Training (Entire Body)
Daily: Stretching (Entire Body)
David is averaging 4 meals a day with a calorie intake of 2,000 to 2,300. He is limiting bad carbohydrates such as pasta, bread and sugary desserts, and in turn incorporating more good carbohydrates like fruits and vegetables. He has increased his water intake to 2.5 liters a day. Consuming 2 or more liters of water daily is just as important as eating the right foods. In short, one of the functions of water is to aid the liver in burning fat more efficiently.
David’s next weigh in is Friday March 6. We are hoping we will see 4 to 8 pounds in weight loss with a precipitous drop in body fat.
Averaging 1 to 2 lbs. of weight-loss a week is a healthy goal to shoot for. More than that usually means a loss of water or muscle mass, not just fat.
Trainer Tip of the Week
This week’s trainer tip is simple in concept but hard for some to institute. As I stated before, consuming at least 2 liters of water a day is very important when trying to lose weight. You will also benefit by looking and feeling better by consuming more water too. The reason lies in the fact that the human body is nearly 70% water.
Broken down; your brain is 75% water, blood 95%, lungs 90%, muscles 75%, skin (largest organ) 80%, bones 22%. Therefore, drinking more of what you are will make you feel emotionally and physically better since water is the catalyst for every chemical process that occurs in your body. It will also make you look better, because your skin is predominantly water.
Your ultimate goal should be to consume more of what you are and less simple sugar containing products like soda (no diet also), and juice, which dehydrate the body.
As a bonus, we at blogdowntown want to extend an offer to our readers. When David has completed his body makeover in May, we will announce the winner of our new blogdowntown 12-week Body Makeover Contest.
In order to win all you need to do is:
- Email us for one month a log of your workouts
- Include what you did and for how long, on the day that the workouts occurred
- Include a picture of five of your workouts
The person who most consistently emails us with their log entries will win a free 4-month membership at Downtown’s The Nine Martial Arts and Fitness Studio on Flower street. Your membership will include a full fitness evaluation, nutritional counseling and a workout program designed specifically to help you achieve your wellness goals.
Check back next week and we’ll answer some of your questions for Ask the Trainer. Remember, just send them to askthetrainer@blogdowntown.com.
Til next time—Exercise More, Play Hard, Work Smart.
Billy Locke
Extreme Natural Fitness Trainer
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on February 06, 2009, at 04:33PM – #1
I wanted to mention that I admire what a good sport David's being about letting us post this. I know I'd be a little apprehensive about posting my shirtless photos here on the site.
Li on February 06, 2009, at 07:16PM – #2
David, thanks for sharing your workout with us. Good luck on meeting your goals!
john jennings on February 06, 2009, at 08:54PM – #3
Kudos to David, I do not have the cahunas to put myself out there. It takes guts to tell everyone you have a goal because then you are accountable to others than yourself. You can always make excuses to yourself, now David has no out, no excuses. If he fails, we all know. Go get it David. I have met Billy and think he can help you do it. Good luck
guest on February 06, 2009, at 11:32PM – #4
are those.....never mind.
guest on February 06, 2009, at 11:59PM – #5
next stop, THE BIGGEST LOSER, oh wait...
Casidee Riley Corcoran on February 07, 2009, at 10:56AM – #6
This looks great, Billy!
I'm excited to watch David's progress on the web . . . I mean, I could just walk downstairs as well . . . but the web makes me feel so much more voyeuristic ;-)
Tara on February 08, 2009, at 06:42PM – #7
I truly admire David sharing his experience, it is an inspiration to me. I will use David as a way to keep myself on track, and compare my progress with his.
David Kean on February 10, 2009, at 12:17PM – #8
My first day of working out.
My first workout with Billy was tough, but I actually enjoyed it. He was very good working with a rotator cuff injury I have. After the workout I felt great. Moving forward towards a goal with the help of an experienced fitness professional. I went t home and ate a healthy lunch. I didn’t want to undo all the good work I just did at the gym.
My spirits were up until I took a look at the photos I took earlier that day at the gym. Yikes! I didn’t know I looked that bad. It can be a bit shocking and disheartening to see reality, opposed to the vision you carry in your head. I tossed and turned in bed wondering how I let my body get into such bad shape. And worse, I had already committed myself to bogging about my fitness process. I would have to post the shirtless photo. Clothes really do cover a multitude of sins. Do I really want people to see the mess that hides beneath? Then I came to the realization “who cares” we all have issues. No better way to incentive to resolve them than to put yourself on public display.
So my journey begins today, for all to see and hopefully be inspired to kick their own butt into gear.
Chapps on February 10, 2009, at 09:39PM – #9
I applaud David for lettin' it all hang out and going for a really worthy goal. I did the same back in college after I ballooned up in weight ... after quitting swimming. I knew there was no substitute for a good diet and lots of exercise, so I got back in shape and lost 60 pounds, and have been in pretty darned good shape ever since (I'm almost 49 now).
One thing I'll take issue with: hydration. Most Americans who follow the above advice over-hydrate. The recipe is simple: drink water when you're thirsty. In some cases, if you have a horrible oral fixation, reaching for the water can short-circuit your desire for a snack. But that's just another substitute and you can easily wind up stressing out your kidneys, as I've known people to do (and they're such a pain - always having to run for the bathroom).
Go for it, David - you'll be amazed at the mental benefits you get from getting into shape. And it'll help you deal with the stress of this lovely economy we all find ourselves in.
David Kean on February 11, 2009, at 05:34PM – #10
I want to thank everyone for their positive comments, and even for the rude ones too. They are all good motivation.
It’s feels good working out again. Billy keeps things interesting by mixing up the routine so I don’t get bored. He is tough but not one of those stereotypical nasty trainers. He pushes me without making me feel bad. My favorite thing is when I complain about getting tired he says “thank you, I’m doing my job”, funny but effective.
The most difficult part about eating healthy is planning ahead. I wish we had a Whole Foods downtown. It’s also more expensive to make health eating choices. Better to spend now than spend on medical bills later. The hardest thing to cut back on is bread. I love hot, crusty, French bread! I catch myself fantasizing about it.
It was much more fun getting fat. But shopping will be much more fun when I’m in good shape. Not that I don’t care about my health, yada, yada, yada.
Billy on February 12, 2009, at 12:50AM – #11
I like that Ask the Trainer is in an open forum for active discussion. As Executive Director of non-profit GooDeed Health, it is my goal to provide you with the most credible health information as supported by scientific study. To my dismay, I have read time and time again contradictory information about health, fitness and wellness. So, I have made it my pledge to cut through all the false and misleading information and provide you with the latest, credible and unbiased facts.
Having said that, I would like to address Chapps comment about if most Americans consumed at least 2 liters of water a day they would over-hydrate. I invite everybody to check with The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, Food and Nutrition Board and multiple Universities. All corroborate with the notion that we need to consume 2 or more liters of water daily. Further, as stated by the Mayo Clinic, it is generally not a good idea to use thirst alone as a guide for when to drink water. By the time you become thirsty, it is possible that you are already slightly dehydrated. Also, as we get older our bodies are less able to sense dehydration and send signals to our brains signaling thirst.
In the end, I would like to remind everybody that I am a certified personal trainer and not a medical doctor. My weekly tips are meant as general guidelines for inspiring and helping you to achieve your wellness goals. When in doubt about something I have written in relation to your health, please consult your physician for more specific information.
Don Garza on February 13, 2009, at 01:45PM – #12
Billy. I have lost 40 lbs . I did it by doing what others have told me and that is to drink water. I need to lose 60 more lbs , but that would take more work, which I am about to undertake. But water is important.
I will listen to Billy. Drinking lot's of water has also kept the weight off.
Billy Locke on February 15, 2009, at 08:02PM – #13
Don,
Great job on losing 40 lbs and thank you for your words of support.
Yes, as you have discovered water is very important when trying to lose weight. It is so often overlooked.
You are right, the 60 additional lbs that you want to lose may be harder to drop. Be assured though by the simple mathematical equation in dealing with weight loss. All you need to do is burn more calories than you put into your body and you will lose weight.
So get busy and burn calories by caring for yourself through regular exercise. It is so amazing what you can achieve with you body when you consistently exercise.
David Kean on February 23, 2009, at 05:51PM – #14
I thought I would give you all a status update.
The sweets cravings have pretty much gone away, Yeah! No more illicit fantasies about cinnamon rolls and pie.
I’m used to working out, if I miss a day of cardio I feel guilty. Billy is keeping it mixed up and interesting for me at our workouts. I’ve discovered cardio is much more fun when you can check out good looking neighbors, or watching music videos on you-tube via my I phone makes the time go by faster. Any distraction is helpful.
People who have not seen me in a while have been mentioning the change. People who don’t really care for me notice, but either say nothing or just make some stupid comment. Success is really the best revenge.
So I’m moving down the scale, feeling better, looking better. Though the progress seems slow at times, I’m still making progress and will reach my goal. I’m looking forward to getting under 200lbs… I think I’ll be there by the end of the 12 weeks…Wait, I will Be there!
David