The Basics: What you need to know to get fit.

Hey all! Welcome to Sound Body. Last week I introduced myself and the blog and discussed a little bit about what this blog is going to be about. This week I am going to be going over The Basics of Physical Fitness. This will hopefully give you a basic understanding on what it takes to get the body that you are looking for.

There are many variables that go into one's fitness levels, but I am going to concentrate on the main ones. These determine your ultimate overall fitness.

That being said...
A Sound Body is achieved through the combination of 4 main things: Nutrition, Exercise, Genetics, and Time.

So, time now for a quick crash course in physical fitness :)

1) Nutrition: Nutrition is the fuel that runs our bodies. So it's obvious that whatever we put into our bodies is going to affect how it performs quite a bit. Eating healthy is the basis to achieving sound body. No matter how much you exercise, if you are eating nothing but sugars and fats, you will never see the results that you wish to achieve. Not to mention that you would probably have some pretty terrible health problems from that. lol.
A simple and easy way to eat healthy is to simply cook at home. This way you can control what goes into your food and what you are getting out of it. Stick to high protein content through lean meats, complex carbs,  and dark leafy greens. If you work, prepare your meals ahead of time for the week and store them. This will keep you from eating fast food, which we all know is terrible for us.

If you are serious about nutrition, do yourself a favor and download yourself a free calorie tracker. These will help track your macros so that you know exactly what is going into your body. I personally use one on my ipod touch called myfitness pal: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools. Using this tool will help you determine what your caloric daily intake should be biased on your weight, height, age, your ultimate fitness goal, and several other factors.

• If you are trying to lose weight, you MUST eat in a caloric deficit. This means that you are eating slightly under your daily caloric intake.Stick to very lean proteins with lots of green vegetables. Don't oust the carbs, just try to minimize them and only eat the good ones (I have a few listed below)
• If you are trying to gain muscle/weight, you MUST eat in caloric excess. This means that you will be eating more than what is suggested as your average daily intake. Eat very heavy protein meals, with complex carbs and plenty of dark, leafy vegetables.You might want incorporate whey protein into your diet to help meet your caloric goals.

Protein: chicken breast, ground turkey [make sure to read the nutrition information that it is a lean ground], salmon (especially good because of the amino acids and omega-3), almonds, eggs, etc...

Carbs: sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, whole wheats, oatmeal

Vegetables: broccoli, spinach, kale, etc... (all are very high in vitamins and fiber and will help your body function the way it needs to

NOTE: I will be doing a much more in depth article on Nutrition and Diet and will hopefully have that out as soon as next week!! So be sure to keep your eyes peeled :)

2) Exercise: This one is a no brainer. Regardless whether your fitness goal is to lose weight or to gain muscle, a good quality workout routine is mandatory for creating a sound body. There are many different workout routines to chose from and it can be hard to know where to start, but to achieve a sound body, you should find a workout that is consistently challenging. (I will go into several workout options in a future post, including ones that I have personally done.) But if you are looking to create a sound body, you will need to incorporate at least 2-3 days of 30 minutes or more of exercise per week. If you are looking to lose weight, you may want to do more since your exercise will mainly consist of cardio. If you are looking to gain muscle, you may want to just stick to 2-3 days of intense workouts. This will allow for maximum repair time on your muscle tissue.  But whatever workout you decide on, make to keep track of what you do and how much you do. That way when you start getting more fit and can work harder, you can compare your results monthly and see your progress.

3) Genetics: Our genetic makeup provides the basis of what we look like. One thing you should know by now is that we are all born different. People come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and just because you want to look like a fitness model does not mean that you are necessarily cut out genetically to achieve that goal. That's just how things are. But with the right diet, workout, and some time, you can be the best you  possible.

In the near future I will delve into the 3 main body types: ectomorph, endomorph, mesomorph and will discuss how this affects our roads to achieving a sound body.  But for now, if you would like to read up on the various body types, check this article out.

4) Time: As the saying goes, "Rome wasn't built in a day." Like most things in life, a bit of patients goes a long way. We are constantly berarded with advertisements for weight loss pill, for shitty diets that don't work, for magic exercise equipment that will  give you the body you want in only 2 weeks, tons more useless shortcuts that DON"T WORK.
You can't expect to pick-up a diet/workout and see a six pack and rippling muscles in just a few weeks, and maybe not even in a few months.... Depending on your diet, workout program, genetics, your current fitness level, and your ultimate fitness goal, you have to appreciate the fact that it will take time to reach that goal. But as long as you are consistent and focused, you will start seeing results. To help you feel you are accomplishing your goals, try taking weekly pictures of yourself to measure your progression.

And remember, your body is an investment. What you put into it is what you will get out of it. If you are willing to dedicate yourself to achieving your fitness goals, eat right, exercise, and give it time, you will see results. Be willing to spend a little money on workout equiptment/gym membership and workout clothes. Healthier foods are always a bit more expensive, but your body will thank you with the results the nutrients help bring.

Next week I will begin to go into more depth on Nutrition and Diet.
If you missed it, last weeks blog can be found here: soundbodylifestyle.blogspot.com (opens in a new window)
where I introduce myself and the blog and discuss what this blog will be about.

If you have any questions about fitness that you would like me to answer or would like me to cover a particular topic in a future post, let me know and I will do my best to help answer them.



Hope you all have a wonderful week and are working hard to be one step closer to achieving a sound body! :)