June 27, 2008
Build Your Metabolic Momentum
I just read a great post over on Mike Robertson’s blog, titled Metabolic Momentum.
Have you ever noticed that there are some people who are in great shape and have low body fat, but don’t exactly strike you as perfect eaters?
I know I have..
You may see someone who likely has a six pack out at a sports bar having beer and wings on the weekend.. or munching on a few fries. Heck, I know some people with great physiques who seem to have a terrible sweet tooth on occasion.
So what’s the difference between this person and the person who is frustrated and fed up, having troubling reaching their goals, even when they try to eat healthy?
The answer (or at least part of the answer), as Mike pointed out, is that the fit person has Metabolic Momentum working in their favor.
What do I mean by this?
While you may see someone with a killer body treating themselves to something sweet or greasy on the weekend, what you may not see is that they have been disciplined in their eating for a decent period of time before this “cheat meal”. They are exercising and working their butt off in their training sessions and are consistently eating high quality foods–and often enough to keep that metabolism churning like a madman.
Their metabolism is at such a high level from having a healthy routine of exercise and proper nutrition, that a couple of fries or wings isn’t that big a deal–their body has become a super calorie-burning machine and sure as heck won’t be stopped by a couple of pieces of fried grease.
It’s because of MOMENTUM..
Think about when you ride a bicycle.
If you start off from a stop, you have to pedal really hard in order to get the bike moving. As you keep pedaling hard and putting in the necessary work, the bike begins to move faster and pedaling gets easier until you’re at a relatively high speed.
So what would happen if you came across a small incline in the road that lasted a few yards?
Well if you had enough momentum, it wouldn’t be that big a deal–you’ll coast up the hill, not have to pedal much harder, and keep moving relatively quickly and easily once you’re over.
The same principle applies when burning Calories. You’ve worked hard all week, have eaten the right foods with the right frequency, and you have been busting your hump during the week at the gym.
With all that momentum you’ve built up, do you really think a couple of chicken wings and a beer is gonna slow you down?
Hell no.
So ask yourself a question. When I eat garbage, is it the norm? If it is, you need to stop it.
Your thought process should go something like this: “I know this is not a great thing to put in my body, but I can get away with it because it’s not something I eat very often and I know I’ll get back on track with my diet right away.”
So get on track with your diet, and get your hard exercise in during the week.
Start building yourself some momentum!
Filed under Fat Loss by Doug Groce, CSCS







