A Healthy Ferrari

Are you what you eat? 

Maybe you are watching what you eat? 

I guess this means that any food you can watch you can eat? 

If I am even in the ballpark of describing your nutrition so far, you may want to tune in.  Ok, now that I have called you out, it is time to help you.  I’m sorry to rain on your parade, but french fries are not vegetables and froot loops don’t give you a serving of fruit. 

Seriously, there is a lot of misinformation out there.  Consider the food pyramid…turn it upside down, shift this over there, take this out, move this down, why isn’t this in there?  I think you get my point.  It can be like trying to find your way through a dark jungle.  This is why it is good sometimes to just breakdown and let someone who knows what they are talking about help you. 

“I don’t need help with my nutrition, I know what I should be eating.”  Ok know-it-all, then why are you 50 pounds heavier than you were 5 years ago and on your way to some major health issues? 

Alright, what I am trying to say is that whether you are lost in the jungle with your nutrition or you think you already know what to eat, you can benefit significantly from someone like qualified personal trainer or holistic nutrition specialist.  Hey, it may even save your life and will surely add life to your years and years to your life.

Of course, nutrition may not be the only thing that you need to consider getting on track with… 

If you are anywhere between a couch potato and a bodybuilder…listen up!  It is not just about putting premium fuel in your Ferrari and expecting it to get you to where you want to go.  You also have to take it into the shop for “regular maintenance” or in other words, get your butt up off the couch or out of the chair and get moving.  That Ferrari does no good just “sitting in the garage” right?

You take your car into the shop, so why not take your body into the “shop?”  How much more important is your body than your car?  Take proper care of it and it will not only last you a long time, but also give you many quality miles.  A qualified health AND fitness professional may be your solution to putting the right fuel in your body and combining that with getting all the parts working the way they were designed to work.  Remember, you can’t drive a Ferrari if it stays parked on the couch.  Take it out and drive it and put premium fuel in the tank, unless of course you are content with putting around on an over-sized moped. 

You don’t get to trade this Ferrari in for a newer model…you just need to take proper care of the one you’ve got.  It’s time to REV up the engine and transition to some premium fuel…what are you waiting for?

Eat More and Exercise Less To Lose Weight?

What?  This concept is a monumental shift for most people as usually, when someone is trying to lose weight, they buy into the idea that they have to restrict calories and exercise their brains out if they want to shed the FLUB.  Ok, let me give you an extreme example that will truly put this into perspective for you.  I had a client a few years ago that was very frustrated that she had been gaining weight for 1 year.  She thought she was doing everything perfectly, yet she still gained 10 pounds in 1 year.  What was she doing?  Well, she exercised for an hour or more per day 6-7 days a week and ate under 1,000 calories a day!  WOW, I sometimes eat that much in one sitting.  Anyways, I'm sure the average person would be stunned that she GAINED weight doing this.  Not me!  I knew what her body was up to.  What do you think was happening in her body?  You have to keep in mind that our bodies are designed with incredible complexity.  They are pretty smart too!  You see, when our bodies sense that we are not eating enough calories to "fuel the fire," it goes on preserve mode.  It turns down heat and uses significantly less "fuel" for the fire.  Essentially, it holds onto fat like a bear hibernating in the winter.  It realizes that if it keeps burning fat, there will eventually be nothing left of it because of the minimal amount of calories coming in.  Some people may lose weight initially, but you can't get away with tricking your body forever.  That is why DIEts never work long-term.  People, you can only trick your body so long before it realizes what you are doing to it. 

Now, regarding exercise, we are basically looking at the same idea...especially considering there is the combo of a lot of exercise and a little amount of calories.  My client's body was like one of those little economical cars on cruise control when she exercised.  Her body was in preservation mode and was burning minimal fuel as she exercised.  She was burning about as many calories as a bear does while snoring in hibernation.  To make a long story short, as soon as we started to bump up her calories and shorten her exercise duration and add in an extra rest day, her body began burning fat like an old muscle car burns fuel in a wide open throttle.  You may not be this extreme, but many people fall somewhere into the category of not eating enough and exercising too much or too long.

You don't necessarily need to become a calorie counter, but you do need to understand how much food you should be eating everyday to unlock your metabolic furnace.  And it is not just any calories, but the right calories and combination of protein, carbs and fats.  That is for another day though.  So, a good place to start is take your bodyweight and multiply it by 10.  You should at least be eating around that number of calories per day.  Then, you can add on 10-25% depending on your activity level.  If you are trying to gain weight, that is a whole different story.  Then, you should do your best to break this number into 4-7 equal portions.  How many times you eat depends on your age, gender, activity level and your daily schedule.  Remember, it takes calories to burn calories.  You can't burn fat if you're running on fumes. 

When it comes to exercise, the intensity is more important than the duration.  It is also critical that you take rest days so your body can recover and progress.  Unless you are training for a long distance sport or event, more than 60 minutes can have adverse effects on your body.  As a matter of fact, I reccomend 30-45 minutes of higher intensity exercise most days of the week taking 1-2 days off for rest as needed.  You burn just as many, if not more calories in less time and get your metabolism charged up more post-exercise.  Steady state exercise, especially for 60 min or more can cause cortisol release in your body which can cause your body to hold onto fat while you exercise and burn muscle.  It can also cause your body to go on cruise control and conserve calories burned during exercise.  I reccomend interval training (H.I.I.T.) for most of your cardio days, and on your resistance training days, you should minimize rest time inbetween sets.  String the exercises together and keep moving.  Get the job done in 30-45 minutes.  You will spend less time and get better results. 

So yes, I am telling you to exercise less (but more intense) and eat more (of good quality foods) to unlock the fat burning furnace in your body.  I am proof that it works.  There you go, I have just given you one of my secrets to staying lean and fit!  Now, go rev up that muscle car engine! 

Ditch The Resolutions As You Know Them

          Honestly now, lets call New Year's Resolutions what they really are...WISHFUL THINKING!  People have a habitual tendancy to start every year off with good intentions, but you know what they say about good intentions don't you?  "The road to hell is paved with them."  Why don't you quit kidding yourself every year with making another round of New Year's Resolutions, only to realize at the end of the year that all they amounted to were good ideas on paper.  I've got a challenge for you...why don't you make this year different? 

          Before you make the resolution (and don't make more than 3), take 3 action steps towards your goal and do these for 3 straight weeks before you even decide that it is a resolution.  Don't even give the resolution "credibility" until you have "built its reputation."  Prove to yourself first that it is truly worthy of even considering it a resolution.  After 3 weeks, you should have solidified some healthy habits through implementing your action steps.  So, then after 3 weeks you can say that you are "in the process" of creating your resolution.  Now, consider that most people fail with their resolutions after 6 weeks, so lets double that to 12 weeks or 3 months.  After 3 weeks, your focus is now 3 months where you continue your 3 action steps and add to them 3 more.  You also need to tell at least 3 people that can hold you accountable your first 3 action steps as well as your second 3. 

          You should write down your 3 action steps each time and put them up in 3 different places that you will see EVERY DAY.  Each day, take 3 minutes to BOLDLY DECLARE those action steps with declarations like..." I will not fail to (fill in the blank)."  "I will not allow the enemy to rob me of accomplishing (fill in the blank)."  "I am going to make (fill in the blank) a reality and not allow myself to make any excuses."  Create your own declarations and speak them boldly.  If you want to even get to calling something a resolution, you must convince yourself everyday that it is more important to get to your goal than not.  You must also dig deep for a conviction that you do not want to face the consequences of not achieving your goal.  Remember, your true resolution doesn't even get established until 90 days after the year starts.  After 90 days of following your action steps, you will have built a foundation that your New Year's Resolutions can stand on. 

          You don't want to just prop up your resolutions like the government is doing to our economy.  If so, you are just setting yourself up for failure.  I encourage you to make this year different.  Your resolutions are important because they are positive changes that are on your heart to make.  They are things that can make your life better, but you will NEVER see them come to pass if you go about them the same way year after year.  Listen to what is on your heart and turn it into a reality so you can live a better life.  Don't waste another year with wishful thinking.  Now is a perfect time to start becoming a better you!  You could change your life and have the potential to be a better version of yourself this time next year.  Don't wait...a year goes by fast and most New Year's Resolutions don't last!