Eat your Veggies

Today’s post focuses on what is likely the most important part of any weight loss program.

Nutrition. 

No, I’m not going to give you a diet to follow.  If you’re trying to follow a very specific and restrictive diet plan from a book, website, etc., you’re likely setting yourself up to fail.  All those commercial diets want to make nutrition really complicated and most people don’t want to do complicated stuff.  In reality it comes down to the basics.

There are lots of experts out there who want you to believe that certain macronutrients alone are the root of all evil when in reality we need a good mix of proteins, carbohydrates, and dietary fats.  The argument that carbs make you fat is like blaming spoons for making you fat.  Too much of any food will make you fat.

Fad diets are everywhere and miracle weight loss solutions are in every grocery store checkout line.  We don’t put the weight on in 3 days, we’re not going to take it off in three days.  Fat burning pills? Really? Studies have shown that many of them actually burn fat, but at a rate that would cause you to lose an extra 3-4 pounds per year.  Trust me, the tips below will have you shedding more than that and you’ll still have the money in your wallet.

Instead, I’m going to give you 25 simple ideas that you can implement right away and get immediate results. So, read on:

1. Eat from smaller plates or bowls. The bigger the plate, the more you’ll eat.
2. Eat more frequently and in smaller amounts. The longer you wait, the hungrier you become and the more you eat at each sitting.
3. Increase your veggie variety to decrease boredom.  More variety means you’ll eat that food type more often.
4. Double the veggies at a restaurant instead of the potato or rice. It’s hard to get enough veggies, it’s easy to eat too much starch.
5. Exercise during commercials. I know, it’s not nutrition related, but it’s easy to implement. The average American watches 2.7 hours of TV daily (I know, you’re different, you don’t watch TV…I hear that all the time). There’s an average of 20 minutes of commercials each hour.  Exercise during the commercials and you’ll get 45 minutes done!
6. Try a veggie burger. They’re pretty tasty!
7. Use spinach in your salad.  Popeye was ripped.
8. Drink a large glass of water before each meal. It’ll help fill you up before the meal and you’ll eat less.
9. Serve from the stove, not from the table. You’ll be less likely to go back for seconds
10. Eat slower. Take your time and enjoy the meal. You’ll be less likely to go back for seconds when you take your time as well.
11. Chew your food better. It aids digestion.
12. Check the serving size. Check the serving size. Check the serving size.
13. Make and take your lunch to work. You’ll make better food choices, you’ll eat less, and you’ll save a ton of money.
14. Eat a real breakfast. A pop tart doesn’t count. Neither does the donut and/or cup of coffee.
15. Use olive oil when cooking.
16. Pack up half your meal at a restaurant before you begin eating. Restaurant portions are way too large, some of them can even account for a full day’s worth of calories or more!
17. Shop the perimeter of the grocery store instead of the aisles. The good stuff is on the outside edges of the store. The processed stuff is in the aisles.
18. Get salad dressing on the side and apply it yourself. You’ll monitor your intake much better.
19. Fill half your plate with veggies. That leaves less room for the stuff that doesn’t help you get to your goals.
20. Eliminate soda, sports drinks, and fancy coffee. We get 22% of our calories through drinks.
21. Pay attention to sugar on the label. Low sugar is better.
22. Eliminate white foods. White bread, white potatoes, etc.
23. Keep track of everything you eat. If you don’t measure it, you’ll never know where you stand. On average, we underestimate the amount of calories we eat by 30% and overestimate the amount of calories we burn by 20%
24. Have fruit as a snack instead of processed sugars
25. Shop with a list. You’ll make better choices and again, you’ll save money.
26. Get the kid size ice cream. Not the small, the kids size.

OK, so it’s 26 ideas. Consider the last one a bonus. Who doesn’t like ice cream?

 Put a few of these in place at a time. When you’ve mastered those, add a few more.  Let me know how these work for you!

While I don’t have any formal evidence to back up the theory and I haven’t found a study that correlates the two, I think there’s truth to the idea.

Although this may seem obvious to many, I’m not sure I had given frequency alone much thought. I started thinking about my clients, their frequency visiting the fitness center either working with me or on their own, and their adherence to better nutrition and their results and I believe there’s a correlation.

What's your mindset?

While there are a fair number of people that believe they can crank away for an hour on the elliptical machine and that somehow will cancel out the fast food burger or hot fudge sundae they’ll eat on the way home. I believe that there are as many or more people who stick to their guns and eat better because they don’t want to cancel out the benefits of their workout.

Without hard evidence to back it up, I’d guess at the following possible reasons:

1. The obvious reason would suggest that those who are at the gym more often are just naturally more interested in their health. They’ve built exercise into their lifestyle and better eating goes hand in hand.

2. They have a clear and attainable goal in mind and a solid plan to reach that goal. This is one that a lot of people miss. People often have fuzzy goals, unrealistic goals that set them up for failure, or no plan to really reach their goal and they go about their exercise haphazardly.

3. They follow better programming, incorporating high and low intensity cardio work, strength training with free weights, relying less on machines, using bodyweight exercises, experimenting with different equipment, taking appropriate recovery days, and working on mobility. Frequency has required them to try new things and be more creative to stay interested in exercise.

4. Frequency at the fitntess center has raised their awareness of their movement throughout the day. They’re more conscious about staying active rather than sitting in a chair all day.  In addition  to their time at the fitness center, they’ve started thinking about how they can do something standing that might normally be done sitting.

5. They think more about their nutrition and take steps to eat better rather than undo their progress. Frequency of exercise has spilled over to the kitchen and they’ve started fueling their bodies better with quality proteins, veggies, and healthy fats.

So, if you’re focused on weight loss as a primary goal, go to the fitness center more frequently. Sure, you could do 3 sixty minute workouts per week. But, you just might get better overall results with 6 thirty minute workouts.

Try it out and let me know what happens.

The key to putting these tips in place and keeping them in place is to not try to do it all at once. It’s too much change to manage at one time and when that happens, people fail.  Put one or two things in place this week. Master them, and then add something else.

1. Drink more water.  One of the biggest sources of calories in the typical diet is  from the things we drink.  Because it’s not solid, we don’t realize that there are calories in it and down it goes.  There are so many opinions about the actual amount of water you need, ranging from 8 glasses daily (what size glass?) to your body weight in ounces and everything in between. While I’m not going to add to the confusion and tell you another number, I am going to tell you to drink more water and less of the other stuff.  That means plain water. No flavored water. Don’t waste your money on gimmicks like charged water, energized water, and all the other goofy things people are trying to sell you.  If you say “I just don’t like the taste of water”, get over it. No shortcuts.

10 Tips to Better Weight Loss Results

2. Keep track of everything. If it goes in, write it down. Everything else is just a guess. If you want to gamble, go to Vegas. If you want results, get serious about it and measure it.  If you’re a LifeStyles Fitness Center member, you’re in luck because you have access to DotFIT at no extra charge with your membership.   If you’re not lucky enough to be able to enjoy the benefits of LifeStyles membership use a tool like  BodyMedia FIT to take control and achieve your weight loss goals!

If all that’s too techie for you and you just want to go old school, write everything down on paper.  Whichever method you choose, it will take a bit of extra time, but it’s worth it.  If you don’t measure it, you’ll never know where you stand on the path toward your goals.

3. Get protein and vegetables in every meal. Your body burns more calories to turn protein into a source the body can use than it requires to process any other nutrient.  Approximately 30% of the calories you take in from protein are used just to process that protein in the body.  That’s called the thermogenic effect of food.  Vegetables add fiber to your diet which makes you feel full and keeps the pipes clear.  The benefits from veggies comes with very few calories too.  ‘Nuff said.

4. Burn more calories than you’re taking in. Sounds simple, and really it is that simple.  You’ve got to have a way to accurately measure that though.  Go back to point #2 above.  Aim to burn 500-1000 calories more than you take in and you’ll begin to lose an average of 1-2 pounds per week. It’s not a direct affect though. It doesn’t shave off instantly, so look for weight changes over the course of a couple weeks rather than expecting to see changes daily.  While we’re talking about this one, forget the shortcuts.  The pills and potions you see at the checkout line aren’;t really going to help you as much as you think.  You might burn an extra few calories as a result of taking that pill, but 10 more minutes of basic movement each day will probably do the same thing and your wallet will be a few bucks fatter too.

5. Chew your food. Take more time to eat.  You’ll enjoy your meal more and you’ll be less likely to go back for second helpings.

6. You gotta move. Diet alone won’t cut.  Research shows that diet and exercise always win.  My Your Fitness Journey DVD can help keep your workout fresh by giving you over 80 different exercises.

7. Eat breakfast. You’ve got to have fuel in the tank. Eat a real breakfast, not a donut and cup of coffee. A real breakfast fills you up so you’re not starving by 11 o’clock and searching for the nearest vending machine.  Those who eat breakfast carry that energy through the day. Students who eat breakfast do better in school and perform better on the field. Workers who eat breakfast are more mentally alert and make more money.

8. Make better lunch choices. Do you go to the closest taco joint or spend 10 minutes before work packing a lunch with yogurt, granola, and a small salad? Easy choice. “But I don’t have time”. Again, get over it. Wake up 10 minutes earlier, Make it the night before. No excuses.

9. Worry more about what than when. Nutrient timing is all the rage. “You shouldn’t eat within 3 hours of going to bed”. Really, does your body really know time? When it comes down to it, if you eat fewer calories than you’re expending, does the when really matter? Focus more on the quality of what you’re eating and less on the when. A Twinkie for breakfast isn’t any better than a Twinkie before bedtime.

10. Read the label. This is another one about the choices you make. It only takes a few seconds to turn the package around, scan the label, and decide if this thing is helping or hurting you.

Now it’s time for you to go out and make 2012 your best year ever!

My daughters and I had fun making up this Easter-themed workout for you.

Happy Easter!

I love the plank because of the combination of simplicity and difficulty. It’s simple in terms of equipment needed (read: none), but it’s not easy. And depending on the variation and your level of fitness, it can be quite a challenge.

Try Thai

This version, called the Thai Plank, changes your position to focus more on the oblique muscles on the sides of the body that are responsible for resisting lateral flexion. 

As an example of lateral flexion, imagine yourself carrying one heavy grocery bag with one arm using the handles. You pick up the bag and start carrying it, but you drop to that side and walk unbalanced. 

That’s lateral flexion. 

Strengthen your core and you’ll be better able to support that weight.

Unlike traditional static planks, the Thai Plank introduces movement, which changes your balance point and increases the challenge even further.  

If you find this version a bit too difficult, regress it by lifting the arm and leg straight up rather than out in front of you.  If that’s still too tough, eliminate the movement until you’re confident enough to take it to the next step. 

Stability balls get a bad rap. 

Pick up a magazine from the grocery store and you’re likely to see someone doing crunches on the ball. But for many, the program ends there. 

Stability balls aren't just for wimps

The stability ball can be used many ways to help you develop those stabilizers, develop better balance, and improve functional movement. 

The ball can also be used many ways to develop core stability and strength. As an added bonus, you can change between exercises quickly because you’re only using one piece of equipment. That means you can get more work done in less time, leaving more time for your life.

Here are three of my favorites:

1. Hamstring curl: Lie face up with your heels on the top of the ball. Lift your hips off the ground to create a straight line from your feet to your shoulders. Draw your feet in toward your butt while driving the hips upward. Don’t flex at the hip, maintain that straight line from the knees to the shoulders. 
2. Rollout: Start on your knees with your hands touching the side of the ball about 12 inches from the floor. Roll your hands forward and follow the ball with the rest of your body. Make sure your hands, hips, and shoulders are all moving at the same time and at the same rate of speed. If your hands and/or shoulders are moving, your hips should be moving forward as well.
3. Reverse hyperextension: This one requires a great amount of control, so try this one with a friend standing beside you with their hands on the sides of the ball. Place the ball on top of one end of a weight bench. Stand at one end of the bench facing the ball and drape yourself over the ball. Plant your chest on the ball and grasp the sides of the bench. If you can’t reach the bench, this one might not be for you unless you have a smaller ball.  Maintain a strong grip on the bench and be prepared to manage the side to side movement of the ball as it wants to skate from side to side. Lift your feet off the ground to create a straight line with your body from your head to your toes while balancing on the ball and holding on to the bench.  

Today’s featured exercise requires you to exhibit a great degree of control to remain safe and to get the most benefit from the movement.  The Dumbbell Oblique Touch forces you to stabilize a weight is an unstable position and then adds further complexity by changing your body’s position.  Your shoulder isometically stabilizes the weight in the overhead position while your core engages to slowly lower and raise your body.

Although it may look simple, I would consider this to be a more advanced exercise due to the control required to perform it correctly.  Use a light weight, or even no weight, to start while to figure out the form and gradually increase from there.

I like big goals and it’s time to think big. 

Here are a few things that come to mind for my adventure bucket list, in no particular order.  Take a read through them and leave me a comment below to let me know what’s on your bucket list. 

• Climb Denali
• Set a state crossing record
• Finish the climbs of Pico de Orizabo and Ixta
• Ride across the USA
• Mountain bike the Great Divide Trail
• Paddle Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness 
• Climb Grand Teton
• Climb Aconcagua
• Race La Ruta de los Conquistadores
• Ride RAAM relay
• Climb Mt. Sanford
• Do a 5 hour century
• Climb Mt Washington in winter
• Visit Antarctica
• Watch a volcano erupt (from a distance)
• See a tornado (again, from a distance, preferably not heading toward me)
• Ride RAGBRAI with my daughters
• Do an Ironman
• Climb Devils Tower
• Paddle across Lake Michigan
• Backpack Isle Royale
• See the Tour de France finish  in Paris
• Publish a book
• Find Bigfoot

What supp'?

There’s a lot of debate on the topic of nutritional supplements. 

When many people hear supplement, they often think one of two things: “Magic pill” or steroids.

There are a crazy number of products on the market today promising all type of weight loss and performance benefits without any effort on your part.

• Take this pill and watch the fat magically melt off. 
• Drink this shake 2 times a day and lose 10-60 pounds in 90 days. 
• Use this powder and pack on the muscle (this product is often accompanied by pictures of a pre-shake overweight out of shape man and a post-shake ripped dude and a disclaimer reading “results not typical”).

If it were that easy, everyone would be lean and cut.  But, when taken for the right reasons supplements can be very beneficial.  There are a few primary types of supplements:

1. Substitution of nutrients not found in our normal diet
2. Performance enhancement
3. Fat burners
4. Meal replacements

1. Substitution of nutrients not found in our normal diet. The best option is to get all of the nutrients we need from real food.  Unfortunately, that’s not possible for most people.  Much of today’s food is stripped of fundamental nutrients.  Our white bread society wants convenience and food manufactures are happy to provide it.  As much as we want to blame “the corporate machine”, it comes down to demand. 

The best option is to favor organic growers and unprocessed foods.  The closer a food is to it’s natural state, the better it’s going to be for you.  However, even foods produced in sustainable ways with very little to no processing can still have a hard time providing everything we need.  Organic foods might not have the chemicals used to treat other foods, but that lack of chemicals doesn’t mean they’ll always have more essential nutrients.

For example, take two farms growing spinach. Farm A uses pesticides to treat the plants. Farm B doesn’t. Farm A rotates the soil each year. Farm B doesn’t.  It’s likely that Farm A’s product will contain more nutrients from the growing process due to that rotation, but contains added chemicals.  Farm B, no chemicals, but fewer nutrients from the soil.  I’d choose Farm B’s product first, but I’d still have to supplement to get those lost nutrients. 

Reduce your caloric intake to reach a weight loss goal and now you have even fewer nutrients coming in because there’s less food.  Therefore, you need to add those nutrients to your diet in the most calorie-efficient method possible and that’s where nutritional supplementation is valuable.

Good examples here would include a daily multivitamin, calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, fish oil, or protein powder to provide nutrients not present in high enough quantity in your normal diet.

2. Performance enhancement. Not that kind.  We’re talking about supplements that can help you reach muscular development and athletic performance goals. 

An example here would be a creatine supplement. Creatine naturally occurs in the body and it aids in the production of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), which is used for energy during anaerobic activity.  More creatine and more ATP means you have the ability to generate more power for a longer period of time. 

If you’re lifting heavy for muscular growth, squeezing those last reps off and getting everything you can from your body is critical and creatine can help you get there.

Will creatine by itself make you bigger and stronger, no. You still have to do the work. 

Can you get to your goals without it? Possibly, but it will take you much longer. 

3. Fat burners. These are thermogenic aids, which means they help increase your body’s normal metabolic rate by increasing heat within the body.  Caffeine, green tea, capsicum, and ginger are a few of the more common metabolic stimulants that have been shown to have value for fat metabolism.   Some, often those with outrageous claims of miracle weight loss, can be quite dangerous.  Others, usually the products that claim to be derived from a recently discovered plant only growing in a remote corner of the South American jungle (that’s so they can justify the high cost), usually aren’t of value and are only dangerous to your wallet.

Do thermogenics work? Yes, they do have the effect of increasing your metabolic rate.  Some more than others, but when it comes down to it, the drawbacks, and often the price, more commonly outweigh those benefits.  The added caloric burn is often just a few hundred calories and you can get the same benefit by adding a little more basic movement to your day. 

There are a couple of other products in this category that have been shown to have some merit.  Choline is reported to help the liver properly use fat and reduce absorption.  Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) is also reported to reduce the size and number of fat cells in the body. 

4. Meal substitutes like bars and meal replacement shakes can provide nutrients that you’re not getting from real food.  I’ll always prefer real food, but in absence of real food with the right nutrients, these can be of great value.  The two biggest benefits in my eyes:

• They’re pre-measured so you’re not guessing how many calories and how much of each nutrient you’re taking in. 
• They’re going to provide more nutrients than the snack alternative in the vending machine at work.

As long as you’re supplementing for the right reasons and with the right expectations, I have no problem.  When you begin relying on the supplement to do the work for you, that’s when you’ll be disappointed.

This is a very dynamic plyometric workout with lots of jumping, so make sure you’re prepared for this intensity and impact on the body.  If you haven’t been doing plyometric workouts regularly, don’t make this one your first.

Begin with a solid dynamic warm up.  Examples of exercises you can include in your warm up are lateral lunges, reverse walking lunges with an overhead reach, bodyweight squats, skipping, and Frankenstein walks. Here’s the workout.  You’ll do each exercise 29 times and then repeat the circuit as many times as you can in 29 minutes.  Take as much reast as you need to make sure you’re safe, but only as much as you absolutely need.  Your goal is to keep your heart rate up, not to get a full recovery.  Happy Leaping!

• 29 Speed skaters
• 29 Frog jumps
• 29 Rotation jumps
• 29 Lunge jumps
• 29 Bench hopovers
• 29 Jumping jacks
• 29 Box jumps to burpee

Happy Leap Day!