Are You Applying the '5 And 5' Rule? Fitness Article by Mark Woodgate: Body Blueprint Personal Training, Mt Maunganui, New Zealand

What is the "5 and 5" rule?

Quite simply, it's the recommendation to eat 5 times per day and work out 5 times per week... In other words, 5 is the magic number!

Why eat 5 times per day?

It has to do with your body's metabolism or the rate at which you burn calories. Eating frequent small meals raises your body's metabolic rate and turns your body into a fat burning furnace! One example I often use with my clients is when you light a fire. If you regularly add fuel to the fire, the fire keeps burning. Similarly, if you wait too long before adding fuel to the fire, the fire burns out..

So it is with your body's metabolism. If you only eat 1 or 2 large meals per day your insulin levels spike (resulting in a short burst of energy) followed by a rapid decline in blood sugar levels and low energy. A classic example of this is the afternoon 'lull' which is usually the result of skipping breakfast and compensating with a high calorie lunch.

If you want to burn body fat all day long and have consistent energy levels throughout the day, eat small and often. 5 times per day is ideal. For example, your meal and snack times on an average day might be as follows:

7.00am : Breakfast
10.00am : Morning snack
1.00pm : Lunch
4.00pm : Afternoon snack
7.00pm : Dinner

Just as important is to remember to include some of form of protein with every meal or snack. Great sources of protein include raw nuts, cottage cheese, hummus, tuna, salmon, chicken, fish and whey protein powder. By eating protein every 2-3 hours you'll burn calories faster than eating carbohydrate only meals. It has to do with something called the thermic effect. This means that your body has to expend more energy to burn protein than it does carbohydrate or fat. (If you're struggling to lose weight, this tip alone is worth it's weight in gold)

Why work out 5 times per week?

Just as meal frequency and the type of food you choose impacts on your body's metabolism, so too does the frequency and type of workout you choose.

It's been discovered that certain types of training (such as interval training) elevate the body's metabolism for up to 48 hours after the workout itself. In other words, when these training methods are employed you'll continue to burn calories at a much faster rate long after you've completed the workout itself.

For example, someone who exercises for only 2 days per week as opposed to someone who works 5 days per week, would not experience the same kind of metabolic 'overdrive' as the latter.

If you're wanting to change your body composition (less bodyfat and more muscle tone) the body responds best to a balance of resistance training and cardio. Also, to allow sufficient time for muscle recovery it is recommended to train with weights no more than every 48 hours.

Here is a sample week of workouts:

Mon: Resistance training + cardio
Tues: Cardio + core
Wed: Resistance training + cardio

Thurs: Cardio + core
Fri: Resistance training + cardio
Sat: Rest
Sun: Rest

Interestingly, the A.C.S.M. (American College of Sports Medicine) has recently determined that the desired number of training sessions per week for optimum health is also 5.

Conclusion: When you consistently apply the 5 and 5 rule, you'll notice considerable changes in your body composition and fitness levels on an ongoing basis.