Archive for August 22nd, 2008

Diet and Exercise 101

The most discussed topic at Parrillo Performance is fat loss, because everyone wants a lean, athletic looking body. And whether your fitness goal is to compete or just look as good as possible, control of body fat is the central issue. The Parrillo Nutrition Program is based on losing body fat and gaining lean mass through proper diet and training. There as several basic concepts to the program which are vital to its success. First, food is the foundation of nutrition. A healthy diet of low-fat, natural foods is the best approach. The number one rule of getting lean is to eat a diet filled with healthy food. Second, you must build the metabolism. This is done by eating plenty of calories while building muscle. The conventional strategy used for years to lose weight has been to cut calories. Unfortunately, this has proven time and again to be ineffective. During caloric restriction, as much as half of the weight lost is in the form of muscle. This lowers the bodyís metabolic rate and tells the body to go into starvation mode, which promotes fat storage. Third, there is the matter of what and what not to eat. Good lean protein sources include chicken and turkey breast, fish and egg whites. Good starchy carbs are potatoes, rice and yams, among others while good fibrous carbs include broccoli, green beans and salad greens to name just a few. You should avoid salt, sugar and fat. Also, processed carbohydrates such as bread and pasta as well as dairy products and fruit, which contain the sugars lactose and fructose, respectively. Fourth, is how much protein, carbs and fat should make up the daily diet. From 1.0 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight should be included in your diet each day. No more than 10% of your daily calories should come from fat. The remainder of your diet should come in the form of starchy and fibrous carbs. Fifth, meal structure. Each meal should balanced with one source of protein and one or two sources of starchy and fibrous carbs. Combining these is very important for digestion and release into the bloodstream for use as energy and muscle building. Also important is the number of meals. You should eat five, six or more smaller meals each day, instead of three large helpings. The sixth concept is the use of supplements. Supplements help supply the body with an added abundance of nutrients it can use for involved in energy production and usage and mass-building. The Parrillo Nutrition Program teaches you how to implement these ideas into your own life so you can develop the kind of physique you want to achieve. This article also discusses different guidelines for programs to help you achieve your goals

Friday, August 22nd, 2008