Meal Frequency-Another Myth Busted!

So we have all hear that eating small frequent meals will speed up your metabolism.  Many so called experts will tell you: "it strokes the fire and keeps the metabolism burning".  Sorry to bust you but that is false and read on to find out why.  Thought I would put together a quick explanation on why this is BS!

The theory is based on the thermic effect of feeding (TEF) which is how many calories your body burns off through thermogenesis while processing food.  Think of it like this, ever eat a really big Thanksgiving meal and feel warm after?  That is TEF.  It is one factor among many used to determine metabolism. An estimate of someone's TEF is 10% of the total calories ate that day.  This is a rough estimate as type of nutrients vary a lot in calculating TEF.  One who consumes a lot of protein might have a higher TEF as it is harder to process than some dietary fats.  So the theory of TEF is widely misunderstood and people thought hey!...... TEF burns calories so eating more frequently will increase TEF right?  Wrong, notice how TEF is based on caloric intake not frequency of meals.  If someone eats 3000 calories over 3 meals(1000 cals/each) or 3000 calories over 6 meals (500 cals/each) the TEF is the same.

With that being said I myself choose to consume 5-7 meals a day, depending on how long I am awake for and training days vs non training days.  For me I find it easier as I eat a larger number of calories when I am trying to put on muscle before I compete.  If I broke my meals into 3 they would be quite large and hard to finish.  Some of my clients I make meal plans for go this route because they like to enjoy a snack with        co-workers on a coffee break.  I also have some clients who don't have time during the day to eat 5 or 6 meals.  They might do construction or work in the oilfield where breaks aren't always possible so I base their meals plans eating less frequent meals.  Both different scenarios will not affect metabolism.  So in short do whatever works best for you!  

Muscle Imbalances

Ok, so we have all seen the senior walking down the sidewalk who is so hunched over they are almost walking looking at the ground, or perhaps know the person who goes to the chiropractor on a weekly basis and wonders why the problem goes away? hmm.

Well good news is you don't have to let this become you!

People have their posture become like this through muscles imbalances, this means certain muscles are stronger and/or tighter while the opposing muscles become weaker and/or more flexible.  While you may think wait more flexibility is a good thing(and it usually is), as long as the opposite muscles are just as flexible.
These imbalances are developed through or jobs, everyday life, injuries, sports, improper resistance training programs, nutrition, dehydration and many other factors can cause imbalances and loss of flexibility.  For example the posture displayed in this picture is seen a lot among someone who has worked at a desk job for many years.  People usually ignore this until they develop problems like low back pain, neck pain, headaches, knee pain, scoliosis, kyphosis, lordosis, as the list could go on FOREVER. When the problem arises people want it fixed instantly!  Well sorry to be the bearer of bad news but as the problem developed over TIME it can only be fixed over TIME.

A good fitness coach (aka Dan The Man!) can have you working on these imbalances before they become a serious problem.  By assessing  your posture and figuring out what muscles lack strength. A good coach can set up a resistance training  program that helps reverse these imbalances.  Certain exercises combined with stretches will help the body stay aligned.  That is why many of my clients who have relied on the chiropractic route alone find these problems always persist.  Get adjustments all you want but without the imbalances fixed you haven't gotten to the route of the problem.  Combine your chiropractic with resistance training and flexibility to get results that last.

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