Weight loss v Fat Loss
Body weight is used by the majority of people as an indicator of fitness progress. When people try to change their physique and don’t see the figures dropping off the weighing scales each week, they tend to get a little discouraged, even if they feel progress with their actual workouts or in the mirror.
This is a serious flaw in thinking that they must be losing weight in order to change their body composition. People often forget about the fact that muscle, fat, bone, and water all play an important part in what number they see on the scale each week.
Body weight is about so much more than just ‘fat’.
Based on your fitness level, your weight comes from a combination of muscle, fat, water, bone and organs, tissue etc… Losing water weight can lead to the appearance of losing fat, but in reality, body fat % is the only reliable way of telling your real improvement in terms of health and fitness – so the scales can take the back seat for today.
Make sure never to confuse “weight loss” with “fat loss” meaning that if you’re building muscle at the same time, you may actually gain ‘weight’ but look and feel a lot leaner in reality. This is “recomposition,” and requires slightly more complicated measurements to accurately assess your fitness (like body fat %).
So please, please, please, trust us when you start on your new journey of health and fitness. Let us take care of the measurements while you continue the hard work and dedication in the kitchen, at home, and when out and about with friends or family.
If you would like to learn more about your own body fat percentage, why not pop into our gym and speak to one of our trainers today. Call 8534091 to make your first consultation, with no obligation.
Omega 3- Supplementation for health and weight loss
Being overweight or obese (a chronic disease) means the body is constantly in an inflamed state, due to the adipose tissue (fat tissue) becoming swollen (hence the beer belly, big hips and big bum) and producing TNF IL6 which generate PRO inflammatory cytokines (these are the guys that make you feel ill).
Engorged fat cells release more inflammatory proteins in our body than normal fat cells do. That means the more overweight you are, the more inflammation your body produces. As a result, this leads to more pain and more degenerative conditions such as; fibromyalgia, autoimmune conditions, arthritis, migraines and various forms of cancer.
Dr. Nigel Plummer of Cultech Ltd. reports that depression is linked to inflammation and toxins crossing the blood brain barrier. Inflammation in the blood vessels causes an increase in the incidence of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attack and strokes. In light of this information, it is often the fact that those with a tendency to carry more weight often have a much higher risk of certain diseases. So, how do we combat this epidemic, lose weight and consequently reduce the size of fat cells?
Well, we need to firstly detox, by removing all the harmful toxins, in so far as possible, from your diet and surroundings.
DHA: An Omega-3 fatty acid which is important for healthy brain function and cardio protection.
EPA: An Omega-3 fatty acid which helps regulate the pro-inflammatory effects of Omega-6 fats, helping reduce the pain of several age-related diseases such as arthritis.
Omega-3 fatty acids and inflammation
Fish oil plus gamma linolenic acid (GLA) increases the body’s production of good eicosanoids (Anti-Inflammotaries). Therefore taking Omega 3 will help in the reduction of cytokines, which in turn regulates the production of arachidonic acid. This will regulate the heart rhythm, reduce inflammation and will enhance the release of growth hormone from the pituitary gland, thus increasing your lean muscle mass.
The Omega-3 fatty acid-rich oils have also been shown in hundreds of studies to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
They aid the body to turn inflammatory reactions ‘off’ when they are no longer needed, therefore strengthening and restoring the inflamed body.
Note: The quality of your Omega 3 supplement is paramount in your pursuit of health. In the manufacture of our very own Omega 3 Fish Oil, we have produced the highest quality fish oil supplement available on the current market. Its extremely high level of EPA (1050mg) and DHA (750mg) (approximately twice found in the best cod liver oils) are combined with no detectable fishy odour or strong taste. This supplement is now available both in the gym and in our online store.