San Diego elephants lose weight on ‘dumbo’ diet

Over the past 9 years 7 Elephants of the San Diego Zoo have lost a combined weight of 11,314 lbs.  Most of the captive elephants we see are much more passive then their wild counterparts and so they tend be a bit more overweight.

The elephants lost this weight through an increase in activity and a decrease in the amount of calories consumed (diet & exercise).  The weight loss was calculable and consistent.

So what does this have to do with you?  I’ll admit, we as people do not have a lot in common with elephants.  But we do share a similar metabolism when it comes to energy in and energy out.  

So why do you have so much trouble losing weight and the elephants seem to be rock stars at it?  

Two things.

1.  You think too much.

2.  You have a choice.

Mind set is the number one reason why so many people have trouble when it comes to losing weight.  Some believe that they are somehow magically destined to be obese their entire lives.  Unless of course they find that magic diet or pill to counteract the magic curse.

Remember, it’s not so much the diet or routine you’re on.  It’s more about your ability to stay consistent and follow things through to the end.  These elephants don’t have a choice in the matter.  You do.

The snow has me trapped in my house and I can not get out.

In an effort to entertain myself I came across this little gem.  Japanese, monkeys, bulldogs and fitness.  Enjoy!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably have heard of a squat.  It’s one of the most fundamental movements in fitness.

Today I’d like to share with you my favorite variation.  The Front Squat.

As opposed to the more popular back squat; the front squat has you positioning the weight closer to the front of you body.  This allows you to keep a more upright posture thus reducing the risk of back pain/damage due to excessive compression.

Tips:

1.  Before descending into the bottom position, really brace your abdominals and make your belly as big as possible.

2.  Keep your heels on the ground and your eyes on the horizon.

3.  Try to keep your elbows high and your upper arms parallel to the floor.

4.  This movement requires a lot of ankle and hip mobility as well as shoulder flexibility.  You may not be able to complete the movement with the same range of motion that I can so work to your own abilities.  Start with half of the range you see here and progress as you feel comfortable.

It was my sister who recently brought my attention to this video.

The best part is that the kittens actually appear to be taking turns.

Fitness advice from a bum?  Nope, it’s just me looking very homely today.

Listen to me ramble a little bit about the use of exercise equipment and why I don’t believe machines are gods gift to the gym.

How do you feel about training with machines?  Good?  Bad?  Is there a place for them in a solid fitness routine?  Let me know how you feel.

The following is an email I received from Eric a reader and his friend Sadie (the red menace).

I’m not a runner.  I hate running. But yet I run every single morning.  Why?  Because each morning I get a cold wet nose in the eye and then there’s an Australian Cattle Dog at the side of my bed making a sound that I can only compare to an air-raid siren.

6 months ago I rescued the cutest dog in the world from a county pound.  I was only marginally aware of the intense exercise needs of the Australian Cattle Dog.  She needs one (preferably two) hard runs a day.

And each morning - and I literally mean every morning - when I wake up I have the same thought:  I can’t believe I have to go out and run now.  And as soon as I’ve taken my second or third stride outside, I have the same thought:  This is so great.  I’m so lucky I have such a beautiful, sweet dog that gets me out every morning to run (at a pretty decent pace).  When I get home, I feel like a million bucks.

I’ve lost 40 pounds.  My sport (judo) has improved.

And I owe it all to my very personal trainer.

Tell your readers that there are plenty of dogs in pounds in shelters that would love to be a personal trainer, too.  And unlike the ones at the gym, you can snuggle them after the workout.

Best,

Eric

Thank you very much for the inspirational story Eric.

For those of you out there who may be curious in adopting your own personal trainer you can find hundreds of pets in your area in need of a home through Petfinder.

Or if you’re just feeling charitable go ahead and visit ASPCA.

And if you have a similar story or anything else entertaining or inspirational please email me at thebuffgeek@gmail.com.

Have a happy Thanksgiving everybody.

Although working out strengthens your immune system in the long run.  If you get sick it may be best to take a much needed rest.

/sarcasm

Brilliant!

Bravo to the people who made running outdoors possible.  I never thought I’d see it accomplished in my lifetime.  Ah the miracle of invention.

/end sarcasm

In an atempt to make my blog better I’m looking to hear from you the reader.  I want to know what you would like to see more of on this little blog of mine.

I am making it my goal to create a website full of quality content which will help to educate and entertain people of like interests.

Please email your questions and suggestions to thebuffgeek@gmail.com

Some suggestions

geek fitness

posture

pain relief through exercise

fat loss

exercise descriptions

warming up

gaming

animals

exercise science

chemistry

biomechanics

comics

movies

workout programs

fitness news

fitness tech

body weight training

Again please email any suggestions to thebuffgeek@gmail.com

Goal: To keep my metabolism up through the fat season and avoid putting on any excess lbs.

Since my last update I’ve only gained 2 pounds of body mass.  Not bad considering all the chocolate I got into during the last couple weeks.  The kicker; although my bodyweight has gone up, my waist size has dropped by two measures.

This is a great indication that I have gained or maintained a good amount of lean mass while dropping some fat mass.  I’m happy with that.  Let’s see if I can keep it up.

Here’s what I did this past month.

Lifted weights three times a week alternating between these 2 routines.  Each routine takes about 35 minutes with warming up.

Workout A

Superset
Deadlift 150lbs x 20reps x 2sets
Bodyweight Rows x 20reps x 2sets

Superset
Alternating Lunges 10lbs x 20reps x 2sets
Push Ups x 20reps x 2sets

Plank :50 seconds

Workout B

Superset
Stability Ball Leg Curls 20reps x 2sets
Assisted Pull Ups 7pl x 20reps x 2sets

Superset
Step Ups 20reps x 2sets
DB Military Press 20lbs x 20reps x 2sets

Side Plank :45 seconds

I also did cardio three times per week on my non weight training days.  I use an elyptical/cross trainer.  Here is what that looked like.

4min warm-up at level 5

4min HIIT :15 sprint :15 moderate on level 10

And those 8 minutes is really all I do for cardio.  I find if I try to throw in another set of intervals I lose weight much too fast.  You can hate me if you want but when I do those sprints I am in lots of pain, trust me.

I’ll be switching my routine up through November and see if I can’t keep this momentum up through New Years.

I’d love to hear what everybody else is doing to keep off the fat during fat season.  Please leave your comments below.