twilight fanatics challenge! get your vamp on by november 1

robston

Loving the challange this week: I just got Jillians 30 Day Shred from Netflix (which means I can keep it as long as I want) and it's likely I will need to..I'm going to start it this Thurs, and see what I'm capable of. Also, already decided to tweak my workouts as I've been doing pretty much the same thing for about 8 weeks..got a new app on my phone that gives all kinds of workouts, so I'm going to see what it can give me!!!

Challange from before, I was trying to drink more water..still working on this..

xxjacqueline

This was originally my blog, but I wanted to share it with you all.

Whole body metabolism is regulated primarily by your hormones. In this post I will discuss some general principles related to energy metabolism and energy balance. Food is the only source of energy and raw materials from which our body is made. In this way, that old saying you are what you eat is entirely the truth. Your body relies on the food you consume to carry out all of its functions and perform its repairs. Between meals the body converts energy stores into smaller molecules that cells can use for energy. When you eat the body replenishes these stores by converting nutrients into energy storage molecules. The way the body stores and utilizes energy - energy metabolism - is influenced by your eating patterns as well as growth, stress, and metabolic rate. In all cases, whether the body stores or uses energy is controlled by endocrine signals. Two critical concepts drive the control of energy metabolism.

1. Because food intake is not continuous, the body stores nutrients during periods of intake and then breaks down these stores during the period between your meals.

2. The brain is dependent on glucose as its primary energy source. Because of this fact, blood glucose levels must be maintained at all times in the body, even between meals.

When we eat, digestion breaks down the large food molecules into smaller molecules which are then absorbed into the blood stream. Carbohydrates are transported in the blood as glucose, proteins are transported as amino acids and lipids are transported in lipoprotiens. Blood flow distributes these nutrients to tissues throughout the body, where they are taken up by cells. Inside cells, the molecules undergo three potential fates:

1. They may be broken down into smaller molecules. In the process releasing energy that can be used for driving various cellular processes.

2. They may be used to create other molecules needed by cells and tissues for normal functions such as growth and repair.

3. If they are in excess they may be converted to energy storage molecules. The two primary energy storage molecules are glycogen and triglycerides, or fat.

Some small molecules can be inter converted. The ability to do this, plays an important role in whole body metabolism. The energy requiring processes of cells fall into three categories: mechanical work, which is movement of cells. Chemical work which is the formation of bonds during chemical reactions. Transport work which uses energy to move a molecule from one side of a cell membrane to another. The amount of energy expended per unit time is the body's metabolic rate. The metabolic rate of a person is influenced by a variety of factors, including muscular activity, age, gender, body surface area and temperature. the basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the rate of energy expenditure of a person who is awake, laying down and is physically and mentally relaxed and has fasted for at least 12 hours. The BMR represents the energy requirement of performing tasks such as pumping blood. Most BMR expenditure is due to activity in the central nervous system, and skeletal muscle. Which account for roughly 40% and 20-30% respectively. The BMR varies from tissue to tissue, muscle tissue has a greater BMR than fat tissue. This is why muscle burns more calories than fat.

For 3 to 4 hours after a meal nutrients are absorbed during the absorptive state. Nutrients during this time are plentiful in the blood. Glucose serves as the primary source of energy for cells, while fats, amino acids and excess glucose are taken up by liver, muscle and fat cells and then converted into energy storage molecules. The postabsorptive state is the time between meals when the nutrients are not being absorbed. Energy stores are mobilized to provide cells the energy they require. During this phase glucose is used primarily for the nervous system while other systems in the body use different energy sources, such as fat, to spare glucose for the nervous system. In summary, energy is stored in the absorptive phase and then used in the postabsorptive phase. This rule is important because despite the fact that we do not constantly consume food, the body provides a steady supply of nutrients to cells. The body must constantly expend energy to stay alive.

The energy needs of the body is primarily met by glucose. Absorbed fatty acids and amino acids can be used for fuel, particularly if diet is rich in these nutrients but poor in carbohydrates. Amino acids may be used to create proteins. Proteins are not created as storage molecules, they have important structural and functional roles in cells. Because of this fact, proteins are constantly being made and degraded. For this reason, the mass of the body that is protein is stable and does not change solely on the amount of amino acids consumed. Consuming more amino acids will not create more muscle for the body. The body will use protein as a nutrient source only if conditions are extreme, because it does so at the expense of losing functioning molecules. 20 - 30% of the bodies energy reserves is proteins, and some can be used for energy without being harmful. But a continual use of protein for energy is harmful and can be potentially fatal.

Whereas the body is limited in its ability to store energy in other forms it is unlimited in its ability to store energy as fats. The creation of fat is the final pathway for all nutrients that are absorbed in excess of the bodies needs. Fat stores represent 75 -80% of stored energy and contain enough energy to last for about two months.

I was hope this was informative. All information was taken from the book, Principles of Human Physiology.

nlsalvatore

My goal for this week is to complete a 30 minute workout 6 times this week. I always have great intentions, but then they get overtaken by desire to take care of someone else's needs. This week, I am putting my workouts first. Hopefully no one will die in that half an hour a day! :laugh:

Great goal! I try for the same. I find that if I don't make myself get up a little earlier and do it before my day gets going, I rarely get to it with everything else going on in a normal day. Good luck!

Alex_is_Hawks

how do you wake yourself up in the morning? I mean to EVERY morning but then the alarm goes off and I'm just UGGGGGGH....and I sleep in for the 45 minutes I should be working out.

I don't know how to kick this....it's killing me because then I'm forced to fit my workouts in during the evening when I'm making supper, helping kids with homework, putting them to bed, eating supper, etc etc etc etc.

lhurtubise

how do you wake yourself up in the morning? I mean to EVERY morning but then the alarm goes off and I'm just UGGGGGGH....and I sleep in for the 45 minutes I should be working out.

I don't know how to kick this....it's killing me because then I'm forced to fit my workouts in during the evening when I'm making supper, helping kids with homework, putting them to bed, eating supper, etc etc etc etc.

Actually my daughter wakes me up. She is 5 months old so she doesn't sleep through the night so when she gets up for her 4am feeding I feed her then workout.

JenniferLynWhat

I'm in! I have a lot more than 25 to lose but, this could be fun

imakimm

how do you wake yourself up in the morning? I mean to EVERY morning but then the alarm goes off and I'm just UGGGGGGH....and I sleep in for the 45 minutes I should be working out.

I don't know how to kick this....it's killing me because then I'm forced to fit my workouts in during the evening when I'm making supper, helping kids with homework, putting them to bed, eating supper, etc etc etc etc.

Actually my daughter wakes me up. She is 5 months old so she doesn't sleep through the night so when she gets up for her 4am feeding I feed her then workout.

Thats a really good schedule you have!! I work rotating shifts 730-330 one week and 8:30-530 the next. On my 3:30 weeks I go to the gym right after work with no problems! But On my 5:30 weeks I struggle when the alarm goes off at 4:15 to get up and hit the gym!

imakimm

I tried the c25k yesterday but ended up stopping...My pants kept falling down!(which is great because it shows that I am loosing weight!) So I went out and got some workout clothes that fit me and was able to do day 1 today!! I was excited:-)

allibabaadw

This looks fun -- I'm in! Any idea of what the challenges will be?

Pebble321

I tried the c25k yesterday but ended up stopping...My pants kept falling down!(which is great because it shows that I am loosing weight!) So I went out and got some workout clothes that fit me and was able to do day 1 today!! I was excited:-)

Oh, that's great, thanks for sharing. I'm giggling on the bus now

I decided that I wasn't going to be "delicate" this morning and went running for 30 mins in spite if the on/off rain showers.

sheffiej34

I have heard that working out in the morning is better for you (jump starts your metabolism). That said, I am a pleasant morning person but I find I have no drive to exercise in the am. I can do 40 minutes on my Gazelle in the evening w/ minimal effort. In the morning, I begin counting down the minutes after 5 minutes. My goal is for 20. I would go back to evenings, but with my job I come home late a lot. Between dinner and the kids - I skip the work out.

Any suggestions on improving stamina and energy in morning hours??

BTW - 2 days and running on exercising in am - go Alice!

imakimm

I have heard that working out in the morning is better for you (jump starts your metabolism). That said, I am a pleasant morning person but I find I have no drive to exercise in the am. I can do 40 minutes on my Gazelle in the evening w/ minimal effort. In the morning, I begin counting down the minutes after 5 minutes. My goal is for 20. I would go back to evenings, but with my job I come home lat a lot. Between dinner and the kids - I skip the work out.

Any suggestions on improving stamina and energy in morning hours??

BTW - 2 days and running on exercising in am - go Alice

I noticed that it helped me if I ate a very small breakfast first. I will usually throw a vitatop muffin in the micro and eat that with some water before my morning workouts.

sherrishift

I would love to join in! Is it to late? Love the idea!

liz11599

This week's challenge is to push yourself in your workout endeavors. If there's something you've been thinking of trying out, do it. If your already a gym rat, push up your time or your intensity. Add five minutes of jump-roping to your routine. Start that C25K. Get your mind to a place where it can visualize your muscles and your arteries - see your blood pulsing, feel it moving. Stretch. Jump. Sweat. Work on your vampire reflexes. Attend to your instincts!

I've decided to give c25k a try because I have a 5k coming up in Sept. that i'm determined to enter on the race side instead of the fun walk. Anyway, with that said, I'll only be able to train every other week (when my son is in camp), so we'll see where I'm at 3 months from now. However, one thing I can do, that I've not done yet...since you mentioned it...is jump rope! Now, if I can only figure out where my son put it.....

pharah

I would also like to join if it isn't to late.

chanstriste13

evening, everyone! i've had a heck of a workout day - a serving of zumba, a serving of step-jump-pump, and a serving of contra-dancing. i think i burned in the vicinity of 1500 calories today! not a typical day for me. glad to see so much interest in the twilight challenge - all are welcome.

DO REMEMBER:

if i don't have contact with you for 2 weeks, i take you off the charts. you can send me your updates whenvever you want, but if i don't receive them by saturday night, they won't be on the chart posted for the week (i'll still record them, of course).

it looks like we're having a strong week so far - lovely!

as for waking up early...could you place your alarm clock out of reach, maybe? on the other side of the room so you have to actually get out of bed? also, the first thing i do when i wake up in the morning is turn on music - as soon as i get some music going, i'm generally good to go. but the earliest i ever have to get up is 6, so i'm sure it's a lot harder for people rising super early - good luck!

i'm freaking exhausted - i'm off to bed!

nlsalvatore

how do you wake yourself up in the morning? I mean to EVERY morning but then the alarm goes off and I'm just UGGGGGGH....and I sleep in for the 45 minutes I should be working out.

I don't know how to kick this....it's killing me because then I'm forced to fit my workouts in during the evening when I'm making supper, helping kids with homework, putting them to bed, eating supper, etc etc etc etc.

I force myself to get up and do it because I got so frustrated with not being able to fit it in in the evening - my nights sound the same as yours - and I was so pleased with the results, that I just do it now. Maybe try for half an hour at first - that's all the earlier I get up. Good luck!

PhoenixRising17

is it too late to join this challenge? I cannot WAIT for this movie to come out and it would be awesome motivation for me to meet my goals!!

lizzybethclaire

My goal this week is to add more reps to my strength training.

chanstriste13

your weekly wednesday twilight wonder - jacob does flips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjWttt9qAbg&NR=1&feature=fvwp

enjoy!