Monday, January 21, 2008

Are you eating frequently enough?

(originally an email for my Fat Loss Contestants...)

It's amazing how many people still won't accept the fact that frequent eating is a much better method for achieving (and maintaining) optimal body composition!

They've heard it repeatedly in magazines, books, and wonderful fitness newsletters (like Deliberate Movement Monthly!), on television programs about health, and from their knowledgeable trainers that are trying to give them the fast track to ultimate health... but still, these people resist!

That's how difficult it is to break habits that have been formed over a lifetime. That's how stubborn the mind is at accepting new behavioral habits.

We are definitely creatures of habit. But... we can develop new habits as well. If we simply persevere through the difficulties of going against our ingrained patterns, new habits can stick!

So, I don't wanna hear excuses as to why frequent eating might be difficult for YOU. Don't wanna hear it. There's no good excuse. If you're still eating three times a day, then you're just being lazy. And although I love being lazy - and I think everyone deserves some gluttonous downtime, I will not stand around and make excuses when there's an important goal I want to achieve. And neither should you!

And about eating frequency... as I said in an article from a past newsletter issue:

"Not only does frequent eating help you control cravings, regulate your blood sugar and energy levels, elevate your metabolism, and give your body more opportunities to receive important nutrients… eating often will stop your body from going into a state of breakdown.

About three hours after each meal you eat, the body has used up all that meal’s available fuel, so it begins to slowly burn up your own muscle protein to sustain itself before the next meal. If you replenish the body with a brand new, high-quality meal every 3-4 hours, you will ensure that the body does not rid itself of a significant amount of muscle. You will maintain your lean muscle and maintain a quick metabolism.


So, aim to eat 5-7 meals each day. Yes, that means you!
"

Nuff said.
Now, go plan your meals for tomorrow...

Monday, January 14, 2008

Getting rid of food addictions

(originally an email to my Fat Loss Contestants)

Do you have addictions? Are you unwilling to live without beer, pasta, all starchy carbs, sugar chocolate, junk food, soda, etc?

Many food addictions are valid addictions. In order to satisfy emotional issues, many people eat comfort foods to fill the emotional void. Comfort foods cause a release of endorphins, which elicit a temporary relief of emotional discomfort. That temporary euphoria, physical fullness, and familiar taste causes people to continue to use comfort food to deal with their problems. Or simply to eat them out of habit.

And on the physical side of addictions, certain foods are more "addictive" than others. Specifically, processed carbs and sugar cause blood sugar spikes - then when your body clears out all the excess sugar, it overcompensates by making your blood sugar level too low. With a low blood sugar, you now crave sugary, starchy foods. So, processed carbs and sugar can really be physically addictive!

Is it easy to break these addictions? No, not at all. But you need to break the addictive cycle, eliminate those addictions, and develop more self-control if you want to successfully transform your body.

So, this week, I want you to acknowledge all of your addictions. Even if they are more like bad habits gone out of control. I want you to become aware of your unhealthy behaviors and to admit to any issues you have with food. Then, I want you to create a plan so that you can break those addictions and bad habits. And if you need help in the process, ask for it!

The more control you have over your food intake (and the more you use food for nourishment instead of for emotional satisfaction), the healthier you will be.

It's difficult, but I know you can do it!
Good luck!

Monday, January 7, 2008

Uh-oh... a flat tire

(originally an email to my Fat Loss Contestants)

Good afternoon, contestants!

Not long ago, I heard an analogy about the typical weight loss patterns of most Americans. It's so brilliant - I had to share it with you.

Imagine that following a nutritional plan is like driving your car along a long, winding road. You just keep trucking along, trying to handle the twists and turns, temptations and struggles, until you reach your goal at the end. But since the road is long, it's almost certain that you'll get a flat tire (make a nutritional mistake) along the way.

However, instead of simply changing that flat tire (acknowledging your mistake) and continuing down the road, most Americans fall apart. They feel so guilty about "messing up" that they get out of the car and slash the remaining three tires - rendering themselves unable to continue down the winding road. In other words, they freak out about making a mistake - cheating on their plan - and they so quickly go back to their old habits even in the face of progress. They give up!

Why do so many people give up so easily? Why do they feel that they have to be perfect in order to reach their goals? Whey do they feel that one mistake, or even a few, will completely ruin their chance at success? Why do they react so dramatically over one flat tire?

While I could debate over all the reasons WHY individuals give up - fear, lack of self-confidence, guilt, feelings of failure, etc - I'd rather point out the fact that giving up because of a few mistakes is absolutely ridiculous!

Keep that in the back of your head when you become disappointed because of a nutritional slip-up. It's going to happen - there's no way around it. But YOU, a rational person with big goals, don't need to overreact and give up all the progress you've made. Making healthy choices in a world where there are so many temptations and so many memories of your old habits will always be difficult. You not only have to adopt new lifestyle changes for the rest of your life, but you also have to recognize that you're human and you will make mistakes. And there's no reason to give up on yourself, your health, and your goals simply because of one or two flat tires.

So, for future flat tires, try to avoid beating yourself up, overcompensating for your mistakes by over-exercising or starving yourself, or backtracking to unhealthy habits. Simply acknowledge the glitch in your plan - make mental notes of situations you want to avoid in the future - then get back on track. Simple as that.

Have a safe journey down your fat loss highway. And good luck with those flat tires!

P.S. - Watch this short, 1-minute video on YouTube about excuses. It's a good one - and you KNOW I hate excuses. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obdd31Q9PqA

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Quality over quantity...

(originally an email to my Fat Loss Contestants)

Happy New Year! Hope you made it through the holidays with flying colors.
Now... only 30 days left in this contest... are you gonna be the winner?
There's still time to give it your all!
****************************************************************************

There are so many different ways to exercise. So many beneficial activities to choose from. So many aspects to focus on.

If you're attacking an exercise plan on your own, what are YOU focusing on?

I hope that you're emphasizing quality over quantity. Don't get me wrong - you should have a significant quantity of activity scheduled into every week. Five hours a week is a good goal to shoot for, as per my last email to you.

However, after you've scheduled your weekly exercise sessions, intensity should rule over duration.

The majority of the time, cardio should be short and intense, NOT long and easy. Strength training should be challenging, difficult, and filled with strenuous compound, multiple joint exercises - not a walk in the park. You should always be trying to do one more rep than you did last time, or lift a little more weight than before. The challenge should progressively increase as you get progressively stronger, more conditioned, and more fit!

Ladies, don't be afraid of lifting heavier weights - you will NOT bulk up! Eating too much will cause you to bulk up. Lifting heavy weight while eating a controlled amount (dieting) will simply help you keep your precious, fat-burning muscle. So, stop doing so many reps with that little, wimpy weight!

Men, lifting heavier weights is definitely a goal - but make sure you're doing the movement with absolutely no momentum and with perfect form and control. Only when you've mastered the exercise perfectly with your current weights should you move up to a more challenging weight. It really is more important to do your lifts properly then it is to say you lift a certain amount. Be smart so that you can prevent injury and keep progressing up, up, UP!

Challenging weight training sessions and intense interval training sessions will keep your metabolism elevated long after you finish your exercise session. So, by the time your metabolism returns to normal, it'll be time for your next bout of exercise!

So, if your goal is to keep your metabolism elevated as much as possible over each 24-hour period, and to get the most out of your exercise, then you should be incorporating intensity. That means - each and every one of you should be working harder! No question about it. No debate. No "but, I like doing exercise for a longer time at a lower level". I don't care!

If you've been focusing on exercise duration and you haven't gotten to where you want with your body yet, then you're obviously not focusing on the right thing!

Plus - we don't have a lot of time nowadays. It'll be much easier for you to miss a long training session than one that's short and sweet.

So, give intervals a try if you haven't yet. Lift more weight. Work harder than you ever have before. Make your exercise more efficient (less time in the gym, but more results!). Stop sticking to old-fashioned ideas for what you think works for fat loss - a lot of times, these ideas are no longer relevant! Trust someone who reached a very low percentage of body fat by focusing solely on intensity - on quality. (and on nutrition, of course... but we won't get into that today)

I assure you - intensity is key. If you stick with it, you'll reach your goals.
Challenge over comfort.
Quality over quantity.
Intensity over duration.