Your Ideal Body is Measured by Composition Not Weight

There’s a common misconception that needs to end now. We have become slaves to our scales, while we should be slaves to our body’s composition. Day in and day out millions of Americans wake to find themselves mindlessly heading to their scale, only to see a disappointing arbitrary number waiting for them. After the initial let down and discouragement, each and everyone one of us signs a new pact with ourselves that we are going to stop this onslaught of our bodies and do something to fix it TODAY! As you can tell from the obesity numbers (12 states with over 30% of their population being obese) we are failing miserably by utilizing scales and weight alone. It’s time for a change in how we perceive and monitor our bodies.

Body composition, simply put, is the breakdown of our weight into two categories, lean tissue and fat tissue. Body composition is read as a percentage and is most commonly referred to as our body fat percentage. These numbers are vitally important in our quest to good health, well-being and looks. They are much more important than that number on the scale. As we look around we see countless different body types, sizes and shapes. Yet, traditionally we are all held to the same standard of X amount of weight equals healthy and X amount of weight equals obese etc. This type of categorization is unbearably wrong and needs to be stopped.

If I were to walk down the street I could find three individuals that all weigh 200 lbs. yet only one would be healthy, one fat and one obese. How is this possible you ask? The first individual would be 200 lbs. of solid muscle and very little fat. The second individual would be a habitual fitness individual. In and out of fitness centers daily with little or no change to their body in years. They are slaves to the scale and always hover around the 200 lb mark but a body composition test would reveal that while they are “fit” they also have a higher percentage of body fat therefore raising their risk factors for an array of cardiovascular diseases at the same time not giving them the body they want. The third individual is a small heavy set individual. On first glance you might not think they are “obese” because of their stature, but after a body composition we come to realize they have a very high percentage of body fat. Risk factors for disease jump and results never come. These three individuals prove that according to the scale they should all be the same person, but after further more accurate analysis we see the common misconceptions that arise.

How do you fix these misconceptions and start seeing results? For you to finally see results it is important to have a working knowledge of the norms for body composition and to seek a professional to help you understand your personal numbers. A professional would be able to determine weaknesses and strengths of your exercise routine and nutrition patterns. They could then prescribe an exercise plan to help guide you in the path to finally achieving your desired body. Stop mindlessly wandering through your fitness regimen and start seeking professional advice. Our bodies are highly adaptable and ready for the change once we swallow our pride and realize that we might need a little help or jump start from someone else.

Running of the Bulldogs: Chicago

The 4th Annual Running of the Bulldogs 5K Run/Walk and Kids Fun Run event in Chicago.  Proceeds  help to improve the health and safety of Saint Andrew students through programs that build healthy spirit, mind, and body for all.

Top 5 finish overall - 1st in Age Group

Triathlon Coaching

After my performance at the Hy-Vee triathlon I have finally decided to take on a professional swim, bike and run coach to prepare me for the 2013 season. I have spoken with numerous coaches in the area and have decided to go with Bill and Anne Wilson of Camelback coaching.

Both have years of experience racing and coaching. I sat down with Bill and truly had a great experience and knew that we were on the same page. There are plenty of reasons to have a coach or trainer in any aspect of health and wellness. Bill and Anne understood the science side of performance training as well as came across as being truly interested in my well-being and my success. I can not stress enough that anyone about to undertake any type of assisted training from a professional should do their research.

I will be starting with a long base-training phase to build cardio respiratory pathways that will enable my body to utilize oxygen for energy more efficiently at higher intensities and train my body to properly process lactate to minimize fatigue and loss of performace. Simply put I will be able to go faster for longer duration without losing speed or performance. Base training is a big part of any type of training protocol and should never be skipped.

I will be doing all of my initial training using heart rate zones. Utilizing a heart rate monitor in the early stages of base training keeps an athlete honest on where they should be for their training. Often times most athletes will want to go faster or longer then their bodies are trained for, which limits aerobic gains and proper oxygen utilization that will be needed in future months for proper race training.

I will undergo two lactate threshold tests for the bike and run to properly find my designated heart rate zones as well as a run and bike analysis that will show ineffeciences in both my run gait and bike setup. After performing both of these tests I will have my swim stroke video taped and analyzed. We will be looking for excess drag, proper catch and pull of the water and body placement. I have not had formal or proper swim intruction so I am very excited for this. Wish me luck and I'll post my results and findings after the tests.

Hy-Vee Triathlon Sept. 2

The 5150 Hy-Vee Triathlon took place Sunday September 2, 2012 and it was a rough day. I flew back home to Iowa to visit family and race the event. What started as a cool morning, turned into a hot and very humid day for all racers.

I had a great swim and was heading into my bike feeling good, but little did I know how long of a day this would become. About 5 miles into my bike I started cramping, and they didn't go away. I was cramping in my legs and my feet for the remainder of the 26 mile bike and was feeling pretty lousy heading into my 6.2 mile run. At this point in the race I knew I just had to gut it out and finish. Not everyday or every race can be a perfect "A" race. I was a little beat down both mentally and physically, but I garnered what I had left and hit the pavement. I was able to manage 7:00 miles the entire 6.2 miles and felt pretty good at the end.

I took what small wins I could from the race and learned a lot of valuable lessons. I wasn't happy with my overall time of 2:31:00 even though it was a PR. I had been training and planning to be at or under 2:15:00. Everyday is a new day, and its back to Arizona to regroup and continue my training.

Scottsdale Blues Rugby

Shenanigans 7's Tourny



Sun-Rype fruit chews after a long day on the pitch



Welcome

Welcome to my blog. I'm Tyler, a 26-yr-old exercise physiologist, working with athletes and the sedentary population. My focus is on therapeutic lifestyle changes and modifiable risk factors. In my spare time I like to swim, bike and run. My goal is the 2016 Olympics and I want to take you along for the ride.  This blog is about my trials and tribulations I encounter in training to be a professional triathlete, with a lot of facts, tips and exercise plans thrown in the middle. I hope you can benefit from what I learn along the way.