Fat Vs. Weight

The numbers on your scale do not indicate whether you are fit or fat. Far more significant than your total body weight is the composition of your body tissue. If a man’s fatty tissue is bigger than 14% up to 15% of his body mass, or if a woman’s is more than 20% to 22%, he or she is overweight, or more precisely, overfat.

A small amount of fat is needed for padding the internal organs and as insulation under the skin. Excess fat leads to such diseases as diabetes, gout, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, and gallbladder problems. There are very few, very fat persons. The reason is that the fittest, not the fattest survive.

The problem now is focused on how to resolve the problem. The problem with most people who want to lose weight is that they have the propensity to concentrate more on getting those numbers lower than what they are seeing now. What happens next is that they strive harder to achieve a lower weight, according to the “ever reliable” result of the weighing scale.

It would be more important to think of the human body as a heat-exchange engine that works on the basic principles of energy physics. The caloric balance equals the total calorie intake minus the total calorie expenditure.

Some of the calories people ingest are used for basal metabolism. As people get old, their bodies require fewer calories for this basic upkeep. Some calories are excreted as waste products. Some go into “work metabolism,” the energy expenditure required for any physical activity.

Hence, if people take in more calories than are used by these functions, there is a definite caloric excess. By the laws of physics, energy is transformed rather than destroyed. In this case, each excess of 3,500 calories is changed into a pound of fat. If people want to reverse this process, they have to burn up 3,500 calories to lose a single pound.

Winning the War Against Fat

When you think of fighting fat with exercise, you probably think of hours of hard, sweaty exertion. If this is the case, then, you will not get any farther. This is because people who are so much into losing more by exerting more effort tend to get bored easily.

Why? Because experts contend that when people exert more effort than what they are capable of doing creates a tendency to develop weariness and ennui. Hence, they give up, stop doing their routine exercises, and end up sulking in the corner with a bag of chips that seems to have all the bad calories in this world.

Now, you might ask, “What should be done instead?” The answer: cross training.

After some intensive studies and experimentations, health experts were able to come up with the concept of incorporating cross training in order to overcome or break the monotony or dullness in an exercise program.

Cross training refers to the integration of diverse movements or activities into a person’s conventional exercise routine. The main purpose of incorporating cross training into an exercise program is to avoid overdoing excess muscle damages and to put a stop to an imminent boredom.

Three of the most commonly used activities whenever a person decides to engage into cross training are swimming, running, and cycling.

In cross training, distance is one way to extend your activity as your condition improves. For this reason, you need to traverse a measured distance.

If possible, swim the course and measure the distance. If you will be using a running track, such courses usually are a quarter-mile per lap for a complete circuit.

Cross training offers a variety of benefits for fitness and fatloss. It builds up the strength and endurance of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels. It has also some tranquilizing effect on the nerves, and it burns up calories as much as it makes your “losing weight” more bearable.

Cross training has three basic components:

1. Endurance exercises to condition the heart, lungs, and blood vessels and to induce relaxation. These begin with a careful planned walking and jogging regimen, depending on fitness level.

2. Exercises to strengthen the muscles, particularly those important to good posture. These include some activities that are selected to encourage some people who are already burnt out with a particular routine.

3. Exercises to improve joint mobility and prevent or relieve aches and pains. These consist of a series of static stretching positions that are safe and effective for most of the people who wish to try to lose some fat.

Indeed, cross training is a great way to modify the concept of exercising and losing fat without having to endure monotonous activities. In fact, the idea of exercising is to like what you are doing, hence, if you engage into cross training, you will be aware of it that you have already achieve your desired weight.

Boiled down, cross training is, certainly, one way of having fun.

Our Services

Dr. Iris Zhao
D.C., M.S.O.M., L.Ac.

Dr. Graham Pommerehn
D.C.

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The doctors here are wonderful. Dr Pommerehn helped me find ways to take care of my back after it had left me immobilized and unable to go to work.
Sean
Let me first start by saying that I was totally against any type of chiropractic care until I hurt my back earlier this year.  After some nudging from a coworker, I decided it was time to get help.  I searched for a Chiropractor in my area and the Chicago Whole Health Center came up.  I called immediately and spoke with Dr. Graham Pommerehn aka "Dr. Feel Good"!  I was truly surprised and overjoyed that I felt so much better after my first visit!  "Dr. Feel Good" worked his magic on me and did it with the best bedside manner I ...
Carolyn
Great service and great people.  I've had chronic back problems over the last 20 years and have been to a number of loop area places and Chicago Whole Health is definitely the standout.  On my first visit it was clear that their interests truly lie in resolving the issue rather than ensuring a larger number of visits (they showed me how to effectively self treat to the extent possible).  While I went there only for lower back issues, they offer a pretty expansive line of services.  I highly recommend this place to anyone.
Paul
I had broken my tailbone a few years ago and recently was having more pain around it. I thought surgery may be my only option, but decided to try chiropracticcare for the injury and I'm so glad I found this place! Dr. Pommerehn is amazing! He was very upfront and honest during our initial exam and thoroughly explained every part of the treatment plan. Given the extent of my I injury we weren't sure treatment would help, but his patience and treatment paid off!After a few weeks of intense treatment (three times a week) I have been able to manage ...
Kassandra
This is a great place.  Dr. Pommerehn was so good. I had lots of problems with my shoulder, which we tried therapy on to fix.  He explained everything in detail, and finally when my shoulder did not get completely better, he sent me for an MRI, which showed a tear.  He said I would might need surgery.No one could believe that a Chiropractor was helping me so much - I really appreciated the work that he did with me, and the honesty with which he treated me.I will definitely use this place again.
Ellen
I have had some medical issues that I have not been able to resolve for the past few years. Having tried Western medicine and holistic methods, I decided to try out acupuncture.I was not sure where to find a good acupuncturist (other than Chinatown). I really wanted someone I could communicate my problems to and who could communicate with me so that I could understand everything. Dr. Zhao was the answer to my problems. She speaks English and some Mandarin!I had told Dr. Zhao that it was my first time to acupuncture and told her my problems.  She explained everything ...
Janet