True Beauty: the reality check

This post is for you ladies, mainly.  There’s an enormous pressure to remain stick thin and look impossibly youthful these days, especially if you’re in the entertainment/fashion industry, but that pressure is also felt by any young girl across the world.  I’ve come across so many young women who are taking extreme measures to stay thing: harsh diets, diet pills, skipping meals, barfing, miracle drugs, starvation, and now there’s a new term out there – “drunkorexia”. Growing numbers of young women skip meals to allow them to binge drink without putting on weight.  This “image” problem has been heightened by images of celebrities “lauded” for staying stick-thin while maintaining a hectic social schedule and by all these gorgeous magazine covers which shows them as being absolutely PERFECT.   Just take a look at these before and after photoshop covers, and please bear in mind, this is simply for a reality check.  I don’t want to come across cruel or judgmental to the celebrities show in these pictures:

before and after photoshop

Madonna before and after photoshop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kim Kardashian before and after photoshop

Faith Hill before and after photoshop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eating disorders have reached epidemic levels in America– all segments of society are affected: men and women, young and old, rich and poor, all minorities, all socio-economic levels 

�Seven million women �One million men

So don’t get caught up in the fiction and the pressures of staying thin.  You just have to commit and do the work, like the rest of us.  I’m not going to lie and say it’s easy to stay in great shape.  You have to change your lifestyle, commit to eating healthy, and get into a work out routine that works for you.  Also, pick a realistic role model, and not just someone you see on one of those covers.  
YOU have to put in the work — don’t rely on some magic pill or potion, or some fake diet fad, or start drinking senselessly so you can replace your calories, all those things don’t work.
It’s time for a REALITY CHECK, and that’s what we’re here for, to help you or someone you know, go through the rough times, and help you set and attain REAL goals.

The trouble with crash diets (1)

Good morning friends.  Many of the people are fat specially pregnant women.  They eat a lot for herself and for the baby.  But after the giving birth, that’s the problem of most women.  How can they lose weight in just a month, because after their maternity leave they have to go back to the office.  And with that, they want to be in figure again so they have to do a crash diet.  But you know there are some disadvantage of a crash diet.  One article I read is that she wanted to lose her weight.  When she reached a certain pounds which she didn’t expect she goes to a crash diet.  Let me share this with you.

Q. I am a 36-year-old mother of two who has been waging an unending battle with my weight in the last few years. My desirable body weight is around 110 pounds, but my weight swings between 120 and 150 pounds. When I hit 150, I go on a crash diet. I usually lose 20–30 lbs in three to four weeks. The problem is I very easily gain back the weight I lose. What should I do to be able to reduce to and maintain a desirable body weight?

– Irma C., Makati City

A. Excess weight is a risk factor for many chronic diseases, that is why you will really be better off without the extra poundage that you now carry. However, your practice of repeatedly losing and gaining weight or “yo-yo” dieting may be as dangerous as being overweight. In the end, you might only lose your self-esteem instead of your unwanted pounds.

Whenever you go on your “get-thin-quick scheme” or “crash diet,” you run the risk of suffering from fluid-electrolyte imbalance and protein, calorie, and micronutrient (i.e., vitamins and minerals) deficiency, which could compromise many of your body functions and even irreparably damage some of your vital tissues and organs. You also increase your risk of developing gallstones.

Crash dieting works in that, as in your experience, one can lose as much as 20–30 lbs in just a few days or weeks. The trouble is, the weight one loses in crash dieting does not really result from the burning of fat alone; in fact, most of it is the result of dehydration and muscle waiting. Furthermore, it is next to impossible to keep the pounds that one loses by crash dieting permanently off. They promptly return, and with vengeance, when the person starts to eat “normally” again. – Edu

(Email inquiries on health matters to: medical_notes@yahoo.com.)

10 Fat smashing exercises you must do!

I want to take a minute to share with you 10 Rapid Fat Loss exercises that you can’t go with out if you’re going to build a leaner more sexier body. They are the exact exercises I use within my Atlanta Fitness boot camp these are some of the world’s best exercises and they’ve literally helped hundreds of people lose thousands of pounds of fat.

I’ll try my best to keep this as simplistic as possible. The top exercise for lean muscle just happen to go hand in hand with the top exercises for fat loss. The common theme from these exercises: they incorporate major muscle groups in your body and they UNIQUELY challenge the body to create an amazing effect.

Seriously, there’s too much evidence that supports the claim that Full Body workouts rank supreme for rapid fat loss and muscle gain. But we can even take this a bit further…

You can drastically accelerate your results by selecting Unique FULL BODY EXERCISES within every FULL BODY WORKOUT!

For example, squats are probably best known for being of the top muscle-builders. They also stand at the top because of the serious a fat-melting effect they have. However, you can make that same squat and take it from great to flat out UNSTOPPABLE. An additional movement with this exercise can change your body for the better when you turn the squat into a combination movement.
How do you do this? It’s simple. You do this by adding a press, row or curl to each rep. Now here’s the another tip. If you look to add a press, you should think about driving your heels all the way through floor. Generate as much force as you from your legs and lower body to get the press up. There’s multiple variations you can perform but the squat to press or squat to curl are my favs.
You don’t have to be have an MD or be an exercise physiologist either to see and feel benefits from adding the variation to this movement. Just think about it logically. You’ve taken on of the better lower body exercise and now incorporated an upper body movement.
It’s as simple as the Better Summer Body Equation below:

Perform Total Body Exercises Within Each Total Body Workout →

More Muscles Involved at once = More Calories Burned + Greater Muscle-Building Stimulus =

Greater Fat Loss + Greater Muscle Gain= A Leaner Sexier Body!

I’ve got to be honest with you I have a true love-hate relationship with the following movements I’m sharing with you. I Love them due to the unparalleled fat-melting, muscle-building results they provide to help maximize my sexiness. But I hate them because they break me down. I always wonder just what’s the difference in the way I feel the exercise vs others? All my muscles are firing and incinerated on all cylinders. In other words, these movements are not for the weak or faint at heart! You push yourself to levels where your mind have to tell your body….”I’m not listening” and you keep pressing through!
Ok enough jibber, here my 10 moves for fat loss and lean muscle gain:

Exercise#1- Power Clean + Squat to Overhead Press Combo

Exercise#1- Any Squatting Combination Exercise- Squat Thrust/Burpee Variations, Squat to Overhead Press, Squat to Row, Squat to Chest Press, Braced Core Squat, Single-Leg Squat plus Curl to Press, etc.

Exercise#2- The Swing- Dumbbells/Kettlebells, Med Balls, or Sandbags

Exercise#3- Any Lunge Combination Exercise- Alternating Lunge plus Curl to Press, Alternating Lunge plus Twist, Alternating Lunge plus Chest Press, Alternating Reverse Lunge plus Row, Split Jump plus Jerk, Split Jump plus Curl lunge to press, etc.

Exercise#4- Any Push-Up Combination Exercise- Push-ups plus Knee-Ins, Push-up Rows, T-Push-Ups, Spiderman Push-ups, Scorpion push up, Squat Thrust Push-Ups, Four-Way Push-up Crawl, 3point push up etc.

Exercise#5- The Chop- Resistance band, Dumbbells/Kettlebells, Med Balls, or Sandbags

Exercise#6- Olympic Lifting Variations: Dumbbell/Kettlebell Cleans, Snatches, High Pulls

Exercise#7- Dynamic Front & Back Pillar plus 1-Arm Dumbbell Chest Press or 1-Arm Dumbbell Row

Exercise#8- Rear Foot Elevated Deadlift plus Curl to Press

Exercise#9- Med Ball Snatch-Slam Combo

Exercise#10- Dumbbell/Kettlebell Single-Leg Romanian Dead Lift (RDL) plus Row

There you have it. I hope you take my expert advice, take your training up a notch and get your breakthrough with these 10 fat smashing total body combination exercises. If you implement these exercises into your workouts I personally guarantee you’ll get better results. Of course it’s now up to you to take your workouts, and your body, to the next level. Make it happen!

Fitness: Starting Young - Fitness for kids

Fitness for kids: Getting your children away from a computer  

Kids exercising

Children often have a natural tendency to play hard. It’s never too early to start directing your child’s energy into a lifelong love of physical activity.  For many children, biking around or playing kickball in the backyard have given way to watching television, playing video games and spending hours online. But it’s never too late to get your kids away from that computer or off the couch.  As a kid, I was fortunate enough to grow up in the era of no cell phones, no computers or videos games, or even great TV programs.  I grew up in Russia.  What did I have at my disposal?  Sports & arts.  And for that I’m so grateful!  My parents signed me up for every possible sport and I fell in love with being physically active.  I did it all: gymnastics, ice skating, track & field, skiing, hockey, soccer…what are the advantages of being physically active as a kid?  It kept me busy, in great mental form, I never had any issues with weight, I was always in great spirit…it kept me balanced.  And all that translated into a healthy adulthood.  I truly believe that.  I definitely have my parents to thank.  They knew what was best.  However, in this day and age, things are a lot different and parents might need more help than ever.

Be a great example

If you want active kids, be active yourself. Go for a brisk walk, ride your bike or spend some time gardening. Kids ages 6 to 17 years old need at least an hour a day of such moderate activities. Three or more days a week should be more vigorous activities such as those that include running or jumping rope. Adults need at least 2.5 hours a week of moderate intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous activities.

Invite your family to play catch or to join you on a walk. Talk about physical activity as an opportunity to take care of your body, rather than a punishment or a chore. Praise, reward and encourage activity. Set goals and have everyone track their activities and progress.

A parent’s active lifestyle is a powerful stimulus for a child. You are a role model for your children; set a good example by making physical activity a priority in your life.

Limit screen time

A surefire way to increase your children’s activity levels is to limit the number of hours they’re allowed to watch television, play video games or text on the cell phone each day. You might limit screen time — including television, video games and computer time. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than one to two hours a day. To make it easier, don’t put a television in your children’s bedrooms, and keep the computer in a family area. Also consider limiting other sedentary activities, such as text messaging or chatting on the phone.

If your children play video games, opt for those that require movement. Activity-oriented video games — such as dance video games and video games that use a player’s physical movements to control what happens on the screen — boost a child’s calorie-burning power.  

Establish a routine

Set aside time each day for physical activity. Get up early with your children to walk the dog or take a walk together after dinner. Start small, gradually adding new activities to the routine as you — and your children — become more fit.

Let your kids set the pace

For many kids, organized sports are a great way to stay fit. But team sports or dance classes aren’t the only options. If your child is artistically inclined, take a nature hike to collect leaves and rocks that your child can use to make a collage. If your child likes to climb, head for the nearest neighborhood jungle gym. If your child likes to read, walk or bike to the neighborhood library for a book. Or simply turn on your child’s favorite music and dance in the living room.  Every child is wired differently. We all have certain strengths and characteristics that influence our interests. The key is finding things that your children like to do.  Just like my parents did.

Promote physical activity, not exercise

To keep your kids interested in fitness, make it fun.

• Get in the game. Play catch, get the whole family involved in a game of tag or have a jump-rope contest. 
• Try an activity party. For your child’s next birthday, schedule a bowling party, take the kids to a climbing wall or set up relay races in the backyard.
• Put your kids in charge. Let each child take a turn choosing the activity of the day or week. Batting cages, bowling and neighborhood play areas all count. What matters is that you’re doing something active.
• Give the gift of activity. Make gifts and rewards things like activity-related equipment, games or outings.

Incorporating physical activity into your children’s lives does much more than promote a healthy weight.  It sets the foundation for a lifetime of fitness and good health, and remember it’s never too young to start.

How to loss weight tips

Making your diet low carbs and thus, reducing modestly carbs from your food may help weight loss. A new study shows that eating fewer carbs might cut food cravings by making us feel fuller longer. The study has implications for weight loss that go beyond traditional methods of losing weight that focus on calorie restriction and low to no carbohydrate dieting.

According to coauthor Barbara Gower, PhD, a professor in the Department of Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham, “There has been great public interest in low-carbohydrate diets for weight loss, but they are difficult to maintain, in part because of the drastic reduction in carbohydrates.”

The new study, presented at The Endocrine Society’s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. shows that modestly reducing carbohydrate intake was enough to stabilize blood sugars and reduce insulin levels on a moderate carb diet – an important finding for reducing risk of diabetes, and in the long-run for facilitating weight loss.

Dr. Gower explains that most Americans get 55 percent of calories from carbohydrates in the form of sugars, starches and fiber. For the study, sixteen adults were assigned a diet consisting of 43 percent carbohydrate, with more fat to keep calorie intake the same. Fourteen adults received a standard diet as a control. Weights, glucose levels, and feelings of hunger were monitored.

The moderate carb diet consisted of 39 percent of calories from fat, versus 27 percent of calories for the control group. Both groups consumed enough calories to maintain their weights. The findings showed that even when weight loss is not the goal, the group who ate less carbs stayed fuller longer and had healthier blood glucose levels and lower insulin levels.

According to Dr. Gower, “Over the long run a sustained modest reduction in carbohydrate intake may help to reduce energy consumption and facilitate weight loss.” The study is good news for dieters who drastically cut carbohydrate intake and have frequent food cravings that lead to failure. A modest reduction in carbohydrate intake may be enough to cut food cravings by keeping us satisfied longer, thus facilitating weight loss.

Destination Fitness Los Angeles

I love L.A. for everything it has to offer for fitness: the beach, the farmer’s markets, the mountains and the ocean…

What I wanted to do is take you to some of my favorite locations in L.A. for workouts, shopping and sport.  Everything that we do here you can incorporate into your workouts or general fitness routine. As you will see, the variety is just a quick drive away. (Don’t mind the gratuitous car shots, I just got it back from my awesome mechanic from being restored so it probably will be in most of these videos we do.) Come on out with me to my first location and first workout in my home town.

Allergic? Staying alive and healthy

Allergies suck.  Lots of people don’t tolerate milk, or wheat, or some kinds of fish.  Me, I got all three.  Wheat gluten — I itch, I ache, and the next day I’m serial killer crazy.  Shrimp —  I puff up and die.  Milk, never mind what happens.  You don’t want to know.  So I’ve had to develop some serious strategies to stay alive and healthy.  I share them because you might have some of the same issues — or your guests might.  Nothing kills a dinner party faster than a trip to the emergency room. Here are two recipes with my favorite gluten-free grain, quinoa (keen-wa), the ancient grain of the Incas.  Easy to prepare, and filled with vitamins and protein. Home cooking — allergic-style This one has no dairy, no gluten, no corn, no shellfish, no peanuts, no soy. Equipment: wok,  wooden spoon plates, forks, napkins Ingredients (figure out the amounts based on how many people you’re cooking for): chicken, cut in chunks red pepper, cut up green onion, cut up cashews (T. Joe’s lime/chili are awesome — failing that, plain cashews, lime juice, chili powder) brown rice and quinoa mix, pre-cooked (Seeds of Change has a really nice one — or pre-cook your own mix) raw spinach Get out the wok.  Heat it up, add a dab of coconut oil.  (Wok cooking is done fast and hot, constant stirring — so don’t wear your good clothes, or find an apron.) Add chunks of chicken, sear them, cook them almost to done, then take them out and keep them aside. Throw in chunks of red pepper, sear them. Stir them up. Add green onion. Sear it. Throw in some lime/chili cashews. Still stirring. When it’s almost cooked, put the chicken back in. Add brown rice/quinoa mix.  More stirring. At the very end, top with a lot of spinach, stir it up until it’s wilted. Add some Himalayan Pink Salt if you need to, and plate it up.  Sit down.  Eat. Pot luck — allergic-style Here’s what to bring when you don’t want to poison yourself or anyone else who has food sensitivities.  Again, no on the dairy, gluten, corn, shellfish, peanuts, soy. Equipment: saucepan, strainer, bowl Ingredients: red quinoa (try to get pre-washed, way easier — Ancient Harvest is an excellent brand) organic Granny Smith, Pink Lady, or other tart apple yellow or white onion walnuts Cut up apple and onion, toss them in a mix of boiling water and no-salt organic chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you like), and cook them until slightly underdone. Strain them out, put them aside, reserve the broth. Cook quinoa according to package directions, using the broth and adding water if necessary to get the amount right. When the quinoa is cooked, fluff it, and add the apple/onion/walnut mix. Put it in your carry container, and reheat slightly before serving. See?  There we are.  We all lived.  Nobody scratched, nobody sneezed, nobody got CPR, and we all got fed.  Nicely done.

Allergies suck.  Lots of people don’t tolerate milk, or wheat, or some kinds of fish.  Me, I got all three.  Wheat gluten — I itch, I ache, and the next day I’m serial killer crazy.  Shrimp —  I puff up and die. Milk, never mind what happens.  You don’t want to know. So I’ve had to develop some serious strategies to stay alive and healthy.  I share them because you might have some of the same issues — or your guests might.  Nothing kills a dinner party faster than a trip to the emergency room.

Here are two recipes with my favorite gluten-free grain, quinoa (keen-wa), the ancient grain of the Incas.  Easy to prepare, and filled with vitamins and protein.

Food Allergy

Home cooking — allergic-style

This one has no dairy, no gluten, no corn, no shellfish, no peanuts, no soy.

Equipment:

• wok,  wooden spoon
• plates, forks, napkins

Ingredients: (figure out the am:ounts based on how many people you’re cooking for)

• chicken, cut in chunks
• coconut oil – or canola if you like, but it has no flavor
• red pepper, cut up
• green onion, cut up
• cashews (T. Joe’s lime/chili are awesome — failing that, plain cashews, lime juice, chili powder)
• brown rice and quinoa mix, pre-cooked (Seeds of Change has a really nice one — or pre-cook your own mix)
• raw spinach
• Himalayan Pink Salt (soooo good, flavorful, you just need a little)

1. Get out the wok.  Heat it up, add a dab of coconut oil.  (Wok cooking is done fast and hot, constant stirring — so don’t wear your good clothes, or find an apron.)
2. Add chunks of chicken, sear them, cook them almost to done, then take them out and keep them aside.
3. Throw in chunks of red pepper, sear them. Stir them up.
4. Add green onion. Sear it.
5. Throw in some lime/chili cashews. Still stirring.
6. When it’s almost cooked, put the chicken back in.
7. Add brown rice/quinoa mix.  More stirring.
8. At the very end, top with a lot of spinach, stir it up until it’s wilted.
9. Add some Himalayan Pink Salt if you need to, and plate it up.  Sit down.  Eat.

Pot luck — allergic-style

Here’s what to bring when you don’t want to poison yourself or anyone else who has food sensitivities.  Again, no on the dairy, gluten, corn, shellfish, peanuts, soy.

Equipment:

• saucepan, strainer, bowl, carry container

Ingredients:

• red quinoa (try to get pre-washed, way easier — Ancient Harvest is an excellent brand)
• no-salt organic chicken or vegetable broth
• organic Granny Smith, Pink Lady, or other tart apple
• yellow or white onion
• walnuts

1. Cut up apple and onion, toss them in a mix of boiling water and no-salt organic chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you like), and cook them until slightly underdone.
2. Strain them out, put them aside, reserve the broth.
3. Cook quinoa according to package directions, using the broth and adding water if necessary to get the amount right.
4. When the quinoa is cooked, fluff it, and add the apple/onion/walnut mix, add a little pink salt if you need to.
5. Put it in your carry container, and reheat slightly before serving.

See?  There we are.  We all lived.  Nobody scratched, nobody sneezed, nobody got CPR, and we all got fed.  Nicely done.

Losing Fat And Losing Weight Are Different

If you are trying to find some solutions to lose weight then you might actually want to lose fat. The weight of the body can lead you to confusion. What I am trying to say is that you if you can look really good like one of those magazine models and have a lean set of abs, you would not really care about how much you would weight on the scale.

Now that we have started making it clear that you really want to lose your body fat instead of your weight then we can now start looking at the things that are needed to be done in order to make progress on your fitness.

When you try to observe individuals that are in good shape especially those models in the magazine as I have mentioned above, you are really not thin. They have a good built, they are not thin but they are not fat either because they have well tone muscles covering their body. If they are not covered with well toned muscles then they would not look attractive as they are. So as you exert some effort to look good, keep in mind that you have to focus on building muscles in your body.

The good thing I can give you right now is that losing fat and gaining muscles can be a good combination and they can work so well together. While you are focusing on just one thing at a time, doing the things the right way would be able to help you steer yourself back to the right direction while having less fat and toned muscles in your body.

Before everything else, you would have to work on your diet. You should be eating a fat free, healthy and a nutrient packed diet. To get your metabolism going, eat a lot of smaller meals in a day. If you can, try 6-7 small meals in a day instead of the usually 3 meals a day which is what most people do these days.

The next aspect of the equation is simple but regular exercise such as jogging every morning. This is needed not only for burning fat but for replenishing your body by increasing the circulation of bloody in your body.

Your Diet Solution: Calories Good Or Bad?

Are Calories Good or Bad?

 

Q. Is calorie a bad word?

A. No, it’s not bad—just misunderstood! Most people who use the word calorie simply don’t know what it means. Also, in my experience, most people to go pale at the mere mention of the word. Based on those facts alone, I would eliminate calorie from the English vocabulary if I could.

Q. Why is calorie such a misunderstood word?

A. The American public has been told, time and time again, that people who consume more calories than their bodies burn will gain weight. As I explain in The Diet Solution: Start Eating and Start Living, this statement is only partially true. All calories are not created equal; calories consumed from healthy foods and unhealthy foods are quite different.

Q. What exactly is a calorie, then?

A. According to Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (11th edition), a calorie is “a unit equivalent to the large calorie expressing heat-producing or energy-producing value in food when oxidized in the body.” In plain English, a calorie is a unit of energy released from the food you eat to power the body.

Q. How are calories “burned”?

A. The body needs energy from food—calories—to perform many functions, the most obvious of which are physical activity and exercise. However, the body also requires energy to function at the most basic level: to breathe, digest food, and maintain organs and systems.

Q. How many calories should I eat each day?

A. The short answer is “enough.” The calories you consume must provide enough energy for your body to perform all necessary functions and activities—and bring about optimum health. The long answer is that the number of calories needed varies from person to person and depends on weight, foods consumed, sleep, stress and activity levels, age, and a long list of other factors that affect metabolism. In The Diet Solution: Start Eating and Start Living, I provide a calorie equation to help you estimate, according to these factors, how many calories you should consume to lose weight or maintain weight. It also includes charts to help you choose the right sources of those calories to support your efforts.

Q. Is it possible to eat too few calories?

A. Believe it or not, yes! The most serious problem with low-calorie diets is that although they may bring about weight loss, they also can cause serious health problems. One common side effect of low-calorie diets is muscle breakdown, which can occur when the body doesn’t consume enough calories from protein. Especially vulnerable is the heart, a muscular organ. If a person does not consume an adequate amount of calories each day, the heart muscle begins to break down, possibly leading to serious cardiac conditions (e.g., cardiac atrophy).

Q. What are the consequences of following low-calorie diets off and on over time?

A. Low-calorie diets typically do not supply enough energy to keep organs and systems healthy. In effect, they can lead to malnourishment. For clients who have repeatedly followed such diets, I recommend high-calorie meal plans that will provide their organs with adequate fuel to repair themselves and regain healthy function. Most of my clients are surprised, at first, to see how much food they can consume on a healthy weight-loss diet—not to mention the high level of health that they can achieve.

Q. Hey, wait—didn’t you say that you don’t like the word calorie? Then why does the Diet Solution Program suggest calculating calorie requirements?

A. In the Diet Solution Program, calorie calculation is simply a means to an end. You use the ideal number of calories that results from the equation to determine the correct number of servings of each food type for each meal. That’s it—from that point on, you can forget about counting calories!

Q. If I don’t count calories, then how will I control my eating habits?

A. Use the Allowable Servings Guide in The Diet Solution: Start Eating and Start Living to plan meals. However, over time, you will learn how to meet your body’s nutritional needs without referring to the servings guide. Humans are born with the ability to “know” when the body has received enough nourishment and when it needs more. My professional experience indicates that, unfortunately, most yo-yo dieters and other people who have battled weight problems don’t know how to “listen” to the body’s cues in response to the foods and portions they consume. The good news is that this ability can be (re)learned.

Q. What do you mean by “listen” to my body?

A. The Diet Solution Program is a lifestyle shift that teaches you how to determine the best foods and portions for your metabolic type. Even after just days on the plan, you will learn to pay attention to how you feel after eating. For many people, this experience of “listening” to the body will be new. However, by letting your body be your guide, you will learn how to eat your way to optimum health.

Q. Can I really expect to maintain a healthy weight without counting calories or referring to servings guides or other charts?

A. Yes! It’s how I live my life now, and you, too, can learn to recognize when your body is adequately nourished. After many years of dieting, I reawakened my body’s innate ability to tell me when I’ve had enough food and when I need more by following the same plan I present in the Diet Solution Program. Every day is different; some days I require more food and others less, depending on my levels of exercise, stress, and even hormones. But I don’t need to count calories to know whether I’ve had enough; my body tells me, and I know how to listen. Whatever you do, don’t be lured into the trap of forever counting calories, because that approach is not sustainable—or healthy—in the long term.

 

Stop counting calories and download your own copy of these Fat Burning and Healthy Meal Plans right away.

Stay up to date with all of the Best Nutrition Information available

Cooking healthy with the ResultsBy Chef - Tim Trost

Hi everyone! I’m starting something new — each Friday night I will be introducing you to the cuisine from across the world.  Tonight I will start off with one of my favorite locations –   Mexico, next week is the Mediterranean.  Both offer such fresh and delicious flavors, I love the Mediterranean for its fresh veggies and wonderful meat dishes and Mexican for its fresh avocados, salsas and spicy flavors.   Here are the two dishes I picked up along my travels and over the years added to them and gave them my own spin. Let’s start with the stove top and my Mexican red pepper, mango, avocado and chicken burritos.

Shopping list:

Your ingredients

4 fresh organic chicken breasts

1 ripe mango

2 red peppers

2 ripe avocados

olive oil

cinnamon

pam

Whole wheat or tortillas with at least 4 grams of fiber

hot sauce of your liking (my favorite is challulla)

We have the ingredients now lets get it prepped

prepped ingredients

Cut the peppers into spears and deseed

Cut the mango into cubes

Cut the avocados then cut in half remove the pit, then cut long ways into 4 slices then short way in half

Cut the Chicken into cubes

Now lets cook…

Cooking peppers

In a large frying pan with pam, add the peppers and 2 tblsp. of olive oil and 2 dashes of cinnamon, let cook until they are slightly blackened stirring occasionally.

In another pan, add the chicken and cover. Make sure the chicken gets thoroughly cooked!

Now go back to the peppers and add the avocados and mango and stir all together adding the hot sauce until you get it to your liking.

Add the chicken and stir all together and let sit on a low heat for 20 minutes so all the flavors come together.

On one of the burners carefully place your tortillas on a medium flame and cook for 30 seconds on each side.

Simmer ingredients together

Then scoop in the chicken mix. I like to have some black beans on the side for a little more of an authentic feel, and a little more fiber never hurt any one.

Enjoy your healthy dinner!

Serve and Enjoy! Oh and these make for probably my favorite leftovers so you can make a little extra.

Cooking at home is fun and healthier than going out, you always know whats in your food. The chef will be back next week with two quick minute recipes so until then, Happy eating!

Wow...so delicious!

The Treadmill Deathtrap kills 2 more American spokesmen!

If you’ve been long time subscriber to my emails, you’d already know I’m not a my thoughts and feelings about
doing low intensity levels on treadmill and under the false pretense that it’s your cure to lose lbs, be heart healthy,
increase lung capacity and so forth.

Just like my blog when the great Isaac Hayes died on the treadmill it seems like two other American lives have come
to an end when the slipped in this “cardio coma”. Both Tim Russert and Randy Smith both die on the treadmill yesterday. Tim Russert
the guy who hosted Meet the Press, was diagnosed coronary heart disease sometime ago and had a heart attack on the treadmill.
The cause of death was ventricular arrhythmia. Tom Brokaw was quoted as saying “Russert after being made aware of his enlarged
heart Russert was trying to manage his weight and had lost 10lbs over the last several months.” If you have seen or look at pictures
of Russert, you may not even think seriously overweight/obese or that his health complications are deadly. But the truth is he died at
the young age of 58.

Well, if I do go before the age of 58, so be it, but I definitely don’t plan on leaving this earth in 21 yrs. And I’m going to see to it that
I can do everything in my ability’s to not let that happen (Lord willing). Perhaps he was like most people, under the false pretense the
treadmill would help lose weight? Perhaps he never once thought to clean up his eating habits first? Perhaps he never imagined he was
in enough shape to begin an interval training program. Or maybe he was under the impression that he was “just a little bit out of shape”
or “just a little bit overweight” and never understood fully that his life could be in danger.

Ironically, another unexplained death on the treadmill happen to a former NBA star Robert Smith on the same day. Smith like Russert was only 60 yrs old. Again not the age I plan on leaving this earth and especially not on the treadmill. It’s not reported just yet if he had weight management issues, but here’s 3 nutritional and exercise tips I want to share with you if you’re looking to manage your weight and or improve your cardiovascular system.

If you want are looking to lose lbs,
1.) Check and access your food intake first!
Even before you begin to think about an exercise program, you should always assess what you’re nutritional intake is. If you’re serious and looking to lose weight, 80 if not 90% of the results are going to come through your nutritional program. Here’s some tips you can begin implementing right now to help you see fast results in regards to your weight.

2.) Read the first 5 ingredients on the labels- One of the biggest problems people have is they don’t take the time look and read exactly what it is they’re putting in their bodies. By reading the first 5 ingredients, this will give you a general a good idea if it’s ok or not. There are some ingredients you want to steer away from. Enriched, bleached, high fructose corn syrup. If you’re not careful and not reading the labels on the back you may be tricked into believing something that says “no sugar added” is ok but they’ve actually exchanged the the sugar for a different name.

3.) Eliminate Sugar from your diet- Don’t kid yourself, we who live in the western hemisphere and in particular Americans consume way too much sugar. Sugar comes in many forms. Avoid sugars or drastically reduce the foods you’re consuming that end with “ose” That’s dextrose, maltose, sucralose, fructose, glucose…and get rid of it. You don’t need it! The Over-consumption of sugar is leading lead to your increased waistline, double chin, and you can pretty much kiss your weight loss dreams good bye if you don’t get rid of them. When the sugar rises in your blood, it causes insulin to be released. The insulin makes the sugar go into both fat cells and muscle cells. The sugar is used in the fat cells to make even more fat. In the U.S. Americans on average are consuming 2-3lbs of sugar per week and more than 20 teaspoons pr day. It’s so easy to consume too much sugar. Just take bowl of sweet cereal, 8oz of a fruit yogurt (33g of sugar) and only one scoop of ice cream and you will skyrocket well over 20 teaspoons of sugar. Sugar also comes in many different forms. Sugars are found in a plethora of foods and condiments like cereals, breads, soups, microwavable meals, processed (canned) spaghetti sauce, peanut butter ketchup and mayonnaise etc. Remember this, added sugars equals adding empty calories without any nutrients, minerals or vitamins. You seriously must break the habit and get off the sugar if you want to see your weight drop.

1.) Get out of the mindset you’re helping your heart or losing weight by doing long duration cardio.
Back in the 80’s we were under the belief system that you needed to spend 45min-hr doing a slower steady rate to lose weight and improve lung power. But the truth is you do enough aerobics and it will make you sick, tired and old way before your time. That’s why I’m always confused when Atlanta Personal Trainers and Boot Camp Instructors force their clients to run for these long periods. I’m really confused because there’s too much research that says if you only exercise in your current aerobic limits, you’ll never improve your aerobic capacity. And if you don’t improve your aerobic capacity the end result is smaller lungs, smaller reserve capacity, and smaller muscles. When your reserve capacity begins to shrink you place a great deal of stress on the body. Thus, making it harder to deal with stressful situations like physical trauma, an injury, an emotional shock, even a very intense bedroom moment. When you don’t have a strong reserve capacity there’s no way for the heart to pump blood during these stressful periods. When you don’t have reserve capacity, you’re more likely to die from a fatal heart attack or bronchitis or pneumonia when the body is faced with stress.

2.) The Power is in circuit training in intervals
Today’s athletes already know the secret. And many fitness professional are implementing them too. However, when I look around at the Atlanta Boot Camps and Atlanta Personal Trainers, it seems as if they’ve missed it. The true power of increasing your chance for fat loss and your reserve capacity is in brief bouts of exertion, followed by a brief rest periods. This is the exact opposite of the long duration of exercise. Instead of your lungs shrinking and becoming nonexistent you actually make it stronger, more fit and this is the only way to fight heart attacks and living life disease free. In our Atlanta fitness boot camps we run a variety of intervals. We use circuit training as this is the supreme lean muscle builing form of exercise for fat loss. We also perform Total Body movements, working multiple muscles at once to create the fat burning effect for our clients. Inside our circuit training workouts we used timed based intervals like 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest, 30 seconds of work followed by 30 seconds of rest, 40 seconds of work followed by 20 seconds rest and my all time favorite 50 seconds all out work, with only 10 seconds rest.

As you can see, this fat burning technique never exceeds more than a minute worth of work. The reason is yes, long duration exercise may burn during the workout, but it will not burn fat post exercise.

3.) We use interval training for cardio too
We prescribe our clients to perform their cardio in the forms of interval trianing on their non resistance training days. We also ask them to stay with the time frame of 20-30 minutes. The intervals may be a 30 second all out sprint, followed by 90 second active recovery stage (slower stage), or a 45 second all out sprint, followed by a 60 second recover, or 60 second all out effort, with 60 second recovery. We also don’t recommend people to use the treadmill as much. I’ve notice myself and clients can get some serious work and results following the same principles explained on an exercise bike, using the stairs, at home doing body weight and agility exercise, hill sprints. There’s endless variations but you most certainly don’t have to hop on the treadmill, turn it up to 3.5mph an hang out there for an hour. If you aren’t feeling wiped out after your workouts, you may want to reassess your program and or start a new one. Don’t fall into that “cardio coma” and miss out on the secret that others are doing!

If you have any comments feel free to post them below.
Tim Russert, Dies on Treadmill, 58 yrs old

Randy Smith Dies on Treadmill, 60 yrs old

Competition - the Great Motivator

Competition. It’s healthy, it’s fun, and it’s key to our survival as the human race.  Quite natural that we’d introduce it into so many facets of our lives.

Here’s how it came up for me this week.  It was the Sunday run, soft sand.  Tim beat me.  He always beats me.  Every once in a while he’ll say that thing about, it’s not about who wins, it’s about who whatevers.  I dunno.  I never listen that far.   Because it’s about who wins.

At least this Sunday I was closer.  By the end of the run, I was just one lifeguard station away.   Suddenly the competition was within reach, and everything changed.  In a flash I knew I can narrow that gap — and it made me all-out insane that I haven’t.  That disconnect between potential and achievement is intolerable to me.

So Monday morning I woke up determined to improve even more.  First thought was, who are my competitors?  Pick your guides wisely.  Encourage them, challenge them, and in turn they’ll motivate you beyond what you think possible.

Who’s inspiring me today:

• Me. You are always your own best competition.   Nothing feels better than surpassing yourself.
• Tim. Why not set the bar high?  He’s awesomely athletic, and never lets anyone beat him.
• My grandma. She started yoga at 70, and was doing headstands well into her 80’s.
• My pal Yogi.  Another gifted athlete, he lives for competition — and never forgets.  Always makes me accountable.
• My friend Connor. He’s 5, and just started t-ball.  That kid can run.  His form is dead-on perfect (balanced, working from the core), he’s goal-oriented (round those bases as fast as he can), and he responds to a challenge.

Ten minutes after caffeine, I had the plan.  But what to call it?  Gotta give it a name – but can’t slow down now.

Here’s my [insert cool name later] workout:

1. one handstand – held for 20 breaths. Start with something new.  Chances are you’ll exceed your expectations.  What’s better for that than something that turns your world upside down?  I haven’t done handstands in years, but Granny did headstands, so I think I can handle one little handstand.  Yes, I supported myself against the wall a little bit so I didn’t fall over, but I did it.  And lit the fire…

2. pullups – 28. Yup, 28.  (Max set was 27 the day before.)  Move to something you know you can do well.  It’s good for the ego.   Plus it makes people who can only do 10 or 12 really really crazy.

3. pushups – 40 and 40. Great for general strength-building and posture.

4. abs (bicycles) – 35 each side. Core work is always central to any workout.

Now for the tough stuff:

5. soft sand warm-up run with 3-pound weights.  Not so difficult as it sounds.  But by no means easy.

6. soft sand sprints with 3-pound weights. 8 total, each one half the distance between lifeguard stations.  All-out brutal.  But great for the explosive strength, the stamina, the endurance.

7. end each set of 2 sprints with rotator cuff and shoulder work. 4 sets of 20 each (internal rotations, lifted rotations, side lifts, shoulder presses).

8. soft sand cool-down run, and fast walk up stairs from the beach, 2 at a time. Never slow down, keep the great form every single step — despite those weights, which now feel like 10 pounds each.

This was, quite frankly, an outstanding workout.  I surpassed myself, set myself a new normal, and can never look back.  Nicely done.  And easily adaptable to your own circumstances – work with the equipment and space that you have, but be sure to push yourself to excel in those first exercises.  It’ll drive your achievement the whole way through.

The goal, the inspiration, the plan, the cool name.  I’ve got everything except the cool name.  What do we call this workout?  Suggestions, please.  Don’t be shy.  Or polite.

So, people, what have we learned today?  Pick one:

(a)     Competition is an extremely effective motivator and can lead you to your best achievements ever.

(b)     Bancroft is bat-guano crazy — he competes not only against two exceptionally talented athletes about half his age, but also against a 5 year-old, and his own (may she rest in peace) grandma .

(c)     Both of the above.