- Chris Chinn
Calling All Superheroes
There's a crisis at hand that could be the downfall of our nation!
The Blob, Fat-Man, and Mr. Mayonnaise have secretly been assembling a team of super villains to take down America. And they're hitting us where it hurts: our health. They've put soda machines in every restaurant, added trans-fats to our snacks, and fried everything from catfish to oreos.
Their diabolical plan is spreading fast! Over 78 million Americans have become obese (over 30%) and something needs to be done! But have no fear, our mascot Lil Sweaty has put together 3 Super-Fit Heroes to help us lose the weight. But they need your help, SweatCommunity!
What's that? You don't have enough time in the day? You're too tired? You already do some light walking on your own?
Well the following tips from our Super-Fit Heroes are designed to help you work out smarter and more efficiently. This way you can still work your day job and spend time with your family, but still hide the fact that you're secretly a superhero working to save the world!
SUPER-FIT HERO #1: CAPTAIN AMERICA
"Strength training is the key to losing weight."
Take it from the Captain, strength training is imperative to burning fat. And while you may not go around beating up villains during the week like Cap, you can both have killer 6-pack abs by the weekend.
But your abs aren't a result of just having strength in your mid-section. Good-looking abs are visible because of low body fat percentage. And how do we lower your body fat? By blasting calories with strength training!
With strength training, your muscles continue to burn calories for the next 2-3 days as they go through a recovery/rebuilding process. This is called the "Afterburn" and it's estimated you'll burn an additional 500 calories in the 72 hours AFTER your workout.
Oh and if that's not enough reason to strength train, don't forget about the lean muscle tone, stronger bones, and injury prevention benefits that come along with it.
The fate of our country depends on it!
SUPER-FIT HERO #2: THE FLASH
"High-speed cardio burns more calories!"
Back in the 80's when fitness-enthusiasts believed that long, slow jogs were the key to losing weight, The Flash was out on the track running wind-sprints. That's because he was ahead of his time and knew that high-intensity cardio has the same "afterburn" effect that strength training does.
That's right, high-intensity cardio burns more calories than slow cardio. How much more? About 150% more!
So instead of going for a 30-minute jog, try this:
Pick a high-intensity cardio exercise: sprinting, jumping, burpees, fast high knees, mountain climbers
Do it for 20-30 sec at a time, as fast as you possibly can
Rest for 30-60 secs
Repeat!
Not only is this type of "interval training" more exciting to do, but you will get stronger, faster, and leaner from it. And if you do enough of it, maybe you'll get fast enough to become a superhero like The Flash! Or even faster, like Coach Chris!
SUPER-FIT HERO #3: EXCELLENT NUTRITION MAN
"Instead of burning off calories, just avoid excess ones in the first place!"
The difference between eating similar sized portions of a healthy chicken/veggie dinner versus McDonald's is about 400 calories (and that's being lenient). How much exercise does it take to burn off 400 calories? Go run 4 miles.
Well, we're on to my personal favorite superhero, Excellent Nutrition Man. You've never heard of him? He's the super ripped stud equipped with a celery-sword, lean protein laser, and an impenetrable shield made of unsaturated fat. But his greatest power is his ability to always make healthy decisions. Criminals don't stand a chance!
But what are "healthy decisions?" Here are a few:
Eat breakfast every morning
Eat healthy high-protein snacks in between meals
Eat veggies with every major meal
Drink at least 10 glasses of water per day
Eat 6 small/medium meals a day instead of 3 large
Eat complex (brown) carbs instead of simple (white) ones
Eat carbs earlier in the day rather than later
Get some protein in immediately after working out
Alright, SweatHeroes, we've done everything in our power to prepare you for the tough battles you're about to face. Can you handle your fight? And more importantly, can you recruit others to join the fight?
Still not ready to face the battlefield alone? Come back to Super-Fit Hero school (aka Sweat City) and we're happy to help you train!
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility,
The Incredible Chris
President | Sweat City
650-759-2390
www.sweatcityfitness.com
