"Making Sense of Grams and Calories"

A calorie is defined as the amount of heat necessary to increase the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree at one atmosphere. It is used nutritionally to show the energy producing potential of food. Carbohydrates and protein will yield four calories per gram. One gram of fat will yield between eight and nine calories.

This can be misleading. The over consumption of carbohydrates and protein will result in the excess food(fuel) to be converted and stored as fat. It is important to understand that it simply isn't eating fatty foods that can increase your fat stores. The over consumption of proteins and carbohydrates will also lead to an increased level of body fat.

Indoor Cardio Workouts

Doing cardiovascular workouts indoors is not something I like doing. Sometimes it is practical for time and weather conditions. Something about it reminds me of the gerbil in science class running on the wheel. People have asked me for suggestions on what to do and I suggest the following workout.

This format can be used by someone who is in shape or just beginning.

3-5 minute warm up

1 minute at a pace you are comfortable with, call it your baseline pace.

1 minute at a pace that brings you out of your comfort zone, conditioning pace. When you finish this minute return to your baseline pace for a minute and repeat the sequence. I would recommend 6-8 sets following this format. If on a treadmill you can increase the speed or the elevation. You do not necessarily have to run, a higher elevation will get your heart rate up just as well. You are elevating your heart rate but also given it time to recover with the lower intensity. You can manipulate the work to rest ratio as you se fit. Two minutes baseline, one minute elevated or however you see fit. Just remember to finish with a cool down of about 3-5 minutes.

When I train indoors I also like to change machines a couple of times. So I might start with the treadmill, move on to stair climber, and finish up with a easy bike ride. Try to avoid getting on a machine and going a steady pace the whole workout. Also I have a weak stomach so if I ever see one of you on a machine talking on the phone or reading a magazine I might just puke, hopefully all over you!