Calories

Yes, it is true that if you are trying to lose weight you need to be in a caloric deficit and if you are trying to gain weight then you need to be in a caloric surplus, but there is more to the story than just the quantity of calories that you consume. Yesterday, I was eating with a friend of mine and he was shocked when I wouldn't eat a certain food. My friends justification was that the food only had 60 calories so what was the big deal. I then proceeded to look at the ingredient list on the box. One of the first ingredients listed on the box was maltodextrin. Maltodextrin is basically corn sugar and it is something that I would put into the post workout shake of an extremely lean individual who is trying to gain weight. Some of the other ingredients on the box were high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oil. Both of these ingredients are deadly substances. High fructose corn syrup is probably one of the biggest reasons why the western world is obese. High fructose corn syrup is a horrible combination of sugars that not only cause obesity but also accelerates aging, it should really be made illegal. Hydrogenated oils are oils that have been altered to prolong the shelf life of a product. These oils actually change the structure of our cell membranes which lowers our insulin sensitivity. Low insulin sensitivity leads to weight gain, trouble gaining muscle, diabetes, heart disease, poor cholesterol, high triglycerides, vision problems, nerve problems, accelerated aging, and many other problems in the body. It is very frustrating that we still live in a world that is so fixated on just calories. There is more to the story than just the calories. The calories do matter but the quality of those calories is probably even more important.

Workout of the Day
Row 250 meters and then perform 4 rounds of 7 med ball cleans and 15 burpees