10 Not-So Stupid Questions About Your Body

Remember grade school—sitting next to Little Laura Ingalls, playing with your abacus and watching dinosaurs frolic in the meadow?

Seems like only yesterday.

I want you to think about a particular time when you were just dying to ask the teacher a question but didn’t because you thought it was too stupid. So you just sat there, wiggled in your seat and ate paste instead. 

 No? Was that just me? 

Geez, I hope not because today I’m hoping to answer a few of those “stupid” questions that you feel you should know the answer to by now, but don’t. 

Answers to 10 Not-So-Stupid Questions

1. What are my core muscles?

Seriously? You just asked that? I can't believe it … just kidding. Core muscles consist of all parts of the abdominals including obliques, lower back, and you could even consider the hip flexor muscles. Think about it as being your center, your “apple core.” It's where all movement starts, so these muscles had better be strong.

 2. What does functional training mean?

In simplest terms, it’s training with a purpose. That could mean sport specific—such as doing exercise that increases power for football. Or it could mean training for life fitness, such as learning to properly lift a box and put it on a high shelf. 

3. How much protein do I need? 

Generally speaking, Americans get way more protein in their diet than they need. Only about 15-25 percent of your diet should come from protein. That translates to 0.6-0.8 grams per pound of body weight for the average person, and 0.8-1.2 grams per pound for serious exercisers and athletes.

So lay off the “80 grams of protein per scoop stuff.”  You’re not the Hulk, or a Doush Bag.

4.  How many calories should I be eating?

Good question! Let’s see what your BMR is—Basal Metabolic Rate. These are the calories it takes to keep you body functioning to stay alive. A very basic formula would be to add a zero to your weight. Another is more complex and probably more accurate:

Woman—BMR = 655 +(4.35 x weight in lbs) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)

Men—BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in lbs) +(12.7 x height in inches) – (6.8 x age in years) 

5.  Is being a vegetarian the healthiest way to eat?

If you hate meat or have weird issues with it, then that’s one thing. However, do not go vegetarian because you think it’s the healthiest eating plan. You would be missing out on too many important nutrients, things you can’t get from plants. Just stick to leaner cuts and lower fat meat. 

6. Should I eat before a morning workout?  

Well, there is some debate on this. Some say if you work out on an empty stomach, you burn your fat stores. I agree on this to a point. My opinion is to eat a little something like toast with peanut butter. This will give you the energy you need to sustain a tougher, longer workout. 

7.  Should I stretch before or after a workout?

Absolutely, 100 percent after a workout! Think of your muscles like a rubber band. If you first stretch a rubber band, it's pretty tight and doesn't have much give. But the more you pull it, the more give it has. Same with your muscles. If you wake up in the morning and go right into a hamstring stretch, you're putting yourself at risk for pulling something. If you feel you need to stretch in the beginning, warm up really well.  

8.  How much weight should I lift? How many repetitions?

This is tough because it's subjective and most people don't like to work hard.  Sorry, but they don't. If you are just starting out, go for time rather than repetitions. So instead of doing 20 push ups, go for 20 seconds and see how many you can do. Same for squats, biceps curls, shoulder press, etc. You'll have to play with the different weights and find one that makes you work, but doesn't strain you. Start heavy (relatively speaking), you can always go down the more fatigued you become, but try to keep moving during your prescribed time. 

9. What's the secret to looking lean? The Ultimate Question. 

The bottom line, you must decrease the amount of fat under the skin in order to let the muscles show through. So you can do all the crunches you want, but unless you burn off the belly fat, you'll never see that six-pack. The best way is to increase your vegetable intake combines with lean protein, whole grain carbs, fruit ... blah blah blah. I've said it a thousand times by now. Also, increase your cardio training combined with strength training. 

10. Is Jaime Jereb a natural blonde?

Um, like, OMG—totally, dude.

I'm sure you were just dying to know that one.

Remember, there really are no stupid questions. So stop wiggling in your seat and eating paste. Just ask!