EPOC

Do you know how many calories you burn during a workout? How about after your workout? After a tough workout instead of being tired have you ever felt totally energized? Maybe you are still sweating a little (or a lot) even after a shower.

Why is this?

Some people call it the after-burn or a workout high. It’s actually called the Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption or EPOC.

Technically EPOC is the increased oxygen consumed after strenuous exercise or activity to reduce the oxygen debt created by said exercise or activity resulting in caloric expenditure. In layman’s terms this means the additional calories you burn after exercise while your body is recovering back to it’s normal resting state. Due to these extra calories being burned because of this “after-burn”, your EPOC can play a very significant role in weight loss.

When we exercise we are utilizing a massive amount more of oxygen than normal, our heart rate and body temperature can greatly increase, we are burning a lot more glycogen from both the muscle cells and blood stores, and we are producing more by-products. So after exercise we need to stock back up on the oxygen and glycogen we have used, reduce our body temp and heart rate, and deal with those by-products.

All of this post-exercise work requires energy and this is where EPOC comes in. The amount of calories burned post-exercise depends on the amount of oxygen consumed during EPOC and how long it lasts. The research is a little vague with studies showing it can last and the amount of post-exercise oxygen consumed can also vary greatly from person to person and is dependent on a number of factors including the person’s level of fitness and type of training.

We do know that EPOC is present after both cardiovascular exercise and strength or resistance training. We also know that one factor that can have a big effect on EPOC is workout intensity. The amount of EPOC is directly related to the intensity of your workout. Both heavy strength training workouts and high intensity interval style training have been shown to have the greatest effect on EPOC.

Here are some tips to help maximize your EPOC:
Add Some Intervals - instead of just aimlessly plodding away on the treadmill watching some reality TV show, shake up your cardio by throwing in some high intensity intervals. Not only will they help you burn more calories while you are performing them, they can also crank up your EPOC levels, not to mention make running on a treadmill just a little less boring.
Lift Heavy - put down those pink neoprene hands weights and start lifting some real iron. Choose weights that make it difficult (but not impossible) to complete 8-10 reps. For the women who are afraid they will turn into a female Arnold Schwarzenegger overnight, don’t worry you won’t. For the guys who wish they could turn into Arnold overnight, sorry it isn’t that easy. Some studies have shown that heavy resistance training can have an even greater overall effect on EPOC than aerobic or cardiovascular exercise.
Reduce Your Rest - Another simple yet highly effective way to increase your EPOC is to reduce your rest intervals in between sets while working out. Instead of taking 1-2 mins between sets, cut it down to 45 secs, and use a timer to keep you on track. Shorter rest basically gives you less time for recovery thus requiring more time after the workout to replenish the overall oxygen consumed during the workout.

One very important point to remember is that while intensity is a key factor in determining the size or amount of EPOC, you still need to have a a balance between high intensity workouts and adequate rest and recovery.

Who is ready to go pump some iron and lose some fat along the way?!

Exercise of the week: Lunges

Have you ever had knee pain while lunging? Try these instructions and see if they help!

Also, learn to get the most out of your lunges with every single rep!

Current Fitness Trends

It is always interesting to see what people are doing out there!  IHRSA (International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association) recently released the top trends in fitness.  http://www.ihrsa.org

1. More people working out in health clubs/facilities
2. Specific Programming for Baby Boomers
3. Youth Programming
4. Social Exercise
5. Small Group Training
6. Technology
7. Convenient options
8. Corporate Wellness Benefits
9. Body Weight Exercise
10. Physician Prescribed Exercise

Here are the top 10 activities in Health Clubs

1. Free Weights
2. Treadmills
3. Resistance Machines
4. Ellipticals
5. Stretching
6. Abdominal Machines
7. Stationary Cycling
8. Low Impact Aerobics
9. Yoga
10. Stair Climbers

Summer Eating Tips

It is that time of year where you will have a graduation party, or 6 this weekend, get together next weekend and a wedding the weekend after that.

How can you stay on track, eat well and still have a good time?  Is it even possible?

Well sure it is, it will take some will power, some saying NO, some limiting of portions, but I promise you will feel better come labor day weekend if you follow these tips!

• Pre Eat!
• Have a high protein, low carb snack or meal before you go, that way you don't have to eat while you are there or at least you will not be starving when you get there.
• Pick alcohol or desserts
• If your looking for a way to limit calories and still taste the good things let yourself have some, but either alcohol or desserts, not both.
• Bring healthy proteins and vegetables
• If it is a potluck bring a protein packed dish to share!  That way you will have something to eat and actually know what is in it.
• Pack healthy snacks
• If your not sure what is on the menu pack some jerky, nuts and/or protein powder.  They will keep all day and help you feel full if you avoid the buffet line.
• Only take 1 plate
• This will make you pick and choose between options so if you don't pick healthy things at least you didn't eat 4 servings.
• Only eat what is on your plate
• You can consume a ton of extra calories by just picking at things while you talk with others in the kitchen.  Limit your eating to what is on your plate so you are at least conscious about what you are putting in your mouth.
• Leave some food on your plate
• A easy way to limit calories is to leave some food on your plate, share a plate of food with someone else or put food on your plate and don't let it touch.  You can fit a ton of food even on just one plate.
• Limit alcohol if your around food
• We all know that after a few drinks the food just keeps entering your mouth.  If your going to enjoy your alcohol do it away from foods you can continue to snack on.
• Dress up
• If your wearing a little black dress you wont want to eat too much for fear your bloat up.  If you wear baggy clothing its easier to eat, and eat, and eat.
• Help with clean up
• It will keep your hands busy and away from continuing to eat.  You might even burn some calories! 
• Use the event as your "cheat"
• Eat really good in the weeks, days and hours leading up to the event.  It will also help shrink your stomach so you can only eat so bad!
• Gum
• It can really be your friend at events.  It keeps a great taste in your mouth and some foods just do not taste the same after gum.
• Focus on friends and the event, not the food
• When dining in a group people tend to eat 44% more calories than they would if they were dining alone.  Try to focus on conversations and the company versus the food/drink being consumed.
• Workout
• If you know it will be bad and there is no way around it, get a good workout in at least before the event. 

I hope you learned a thing or two and are ready to make good choices this summer!

Exercise of the week: Push ups with triceps emphasis

Learn/Review the proper technique when performing a elbows in variation of push ups:

Healthy Pizza

Do you crave a good healthy pizza?  If so you are in luck with this yummy cauliflower pizza crust recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 small head of cauliflower, leaves and stems removed
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Manchengo sheep milk cheese (or Mozzarella)
• 2 eggs
• cornmeal, to dust the pizza stone

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Chop cauliflower florets into chunks. Pulse the cauliflower in a food processor until it resembles a fine grain, like rice or couscous. Pour cauliflower into a large bowl. Add herbs, and salt, then cheese and eggs.
3. Spread a tablespoon or so of cornmeal all over a pizza stone. Place the cauliflower mixture (note- this won't resemble a ball of dough) on the middle of the stone and use your hands to press it into a circle about 1/4 inch thick.
4. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 then an additional 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Crust will be done when it turns golden brown in color.
5. Remove crust from oven. Change oven temperature to 450 degrees. Add pizza sauce, cheese and whatever toppings you would like, then bake again for about 5 minutes or until cheese on top is melted.

I have also made this without the cornmeal and cheese, still turns out just fine!

My favorite toppings are pizza sauce, chicken and bbq sauce!

Bok Choy Recipes

Need some ideas for quick summer veggies? This week, I was introduced to yummy ways to incorporate a new vegetable into my diet: Bok Choy. Here is a link to a recent article from Experience Life that shows 6 recipes for this vegetable. 

 

Even better, all of these recipes can be prepared gluten and dairy free!

Do you have summer recipes and ideas to share? Leave us a post!