According to research reported on Gizmodo.com this morning, coffee has been shown to increase life expectancy from all causes of death (heart disease, diabetes, infections, etc).

Ok, How Much Coffee?  

According to the research, life expectancy increases as you drink more coffee, up to 6 cups per day.  This means that if you are in the group that drinks 4-6 cups per day, you’re likely to live longer than those who drink less than you.

Why?  

The truth is we don’t know.  It’s just something that we’ve seen in research.  There are many theories about why, but at this point no one knows for sure.

Anything Else I Should Know?  

Yes, to make sure that you’re as healthy as possible, I have two recommendations about your coffee consumption.

1. Coffee MUST be organic.  Coffee tends to be one of the most processed and sprayed crops there is.  Additionally, decaf coffee (which I don’t see the point to begin with) is even worse since they often use chemicals to remove the caffeine.

2. Stop drinking all coffee by 3pm.  If you want to be healthy, you need to sleep.  Stop drinking caffeine early enough that you can still get a good night’s sleep.

 

Sometimes, Your Goals Aren’t Realistic

Your Personal Trainer will help you assess your current situation, and set realistic goals.  One of the major problems that people run into is that they set goals that are unrealistic and unachievable.  The fact is many people don’t know what is truly achievable in health and fitness.  People see these amazing headlines in magazines and radio commercials, etc. “Lose 30 pounds in 30 days,” and expect spectacular results, in minimal time, with little effort.  Realistically, the only person who could really lose 30 pounds in 30 days would have a starting weight of 400+ pounds and the majority of that 30 pounds would be water.  Below are other examples of unrealistic expectations:

• Running a marathon with 12 weeks of training, or shaving more than 10 minutes off that marathon
• Losing more than 2 pounds a week.  (1-2 is most common)
• Adding more than 20-30 pounds to any particular exercise/lift (i.e. Bench Press)
• Mastering any sport in less than a year
• Building more than 1-2 pounds of muscle per week.
• Fitting into those “skinny jeans” in less than 3 weeks.

All of the above may be possible, but most often they aren’t likely.  And setting unrealistic goals only sets you up for discouragement and failure.

Sometimes your goals won’t be what you think, at least not at first.  If you want to lose weight, but you have a knee injury, or your shoulder hurts when you try to scratch your head, you’re going to have a hard time training at a high enough intensity to lose weight until that knee is taken care of.  You need to learn to walk, before you can run.

Some people may not actually need to “lose weight.” In some cases people tell me they want to lose weight, and I’ll ask “from where?”  Sometimes your problem is not what you think it is.  I’ve met with women who didn’t necessarily need to lose weight, but may in fact need to gain weight to be healthy and look better.  One particular woman I’ve worked with started training and eating better, went from 118 lb to 123 pounds, but was astonished that her pants fit looser!  What happened? She added about 7 pounds of lean tissue (i.e. muscle which increases resting metabolism) while losing about 2 pounds of fat. The end result was a much leaner, fitter, and healthier woman.

Or in another case, a guy may come to me and say “I want to add muscle” and I may say “you need to get lean first.”  Why?  It’s actually easier to train and build quality muscle, when you’re lean.  And often, you’ll build some muscle as you get leaner if you do the right things.

A good trainer will help you find out what you need for your body.  They will also be able to show you measurably (with bodyfat tests, tape measurements and fitness assessments) how you’re making progress.

Guaranteed Results

With the above taken care of, any trainer worth his salt will guarantee his results.  If he can show you where you are, and give you a realistic goals that will help you toward your dream, then he should be willing to back that promise up.  If you show up, do what your trainer tells you to, and do your homework (diet, supplements, etc), there is no reason why you shouldn’t be seeing results.

 

Below are two versions, a short version for those who don’t want to devote 90 minutes, and the full version.  Learn the truth, and live differently.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

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1. Take a Relaxing Walk:

2. Drink Green Tea: has less caffeine than coffee, lots of antioxidants, and L-Theanine which is a natural calming agent.

3. Listen to Your Favorite Song: or you can have a playlist of songs that help relax you.

4. Take 10 Deep Breaths: ideally close your eyes, breath through your nose and out of your mouth, and breath all the way into your belly.  This is called belly breathing or diaphragm breathing and it is quite calming.

5. Go Barefoot: many people’s shoes are actually a source of stress because they are poorly designed.  When possible, go barefoot.  Taking a walk on some grass while barefoot is a great recipe for stress reduction.

6. Practice some relaxing exercise: Tai Chi or Yoga can be very relaxing if done correctly.  Finding a class or maybe buying a dvd and doing 15 minutes 3x per week would give great results.

7. Pet/Cuddle Your Animals: Pets (Dogs in particular) are great stress reducers.  If you don’t have a pet you should get one.  If you have one, play with them and spend time petting them.  This alone does wonders for reducing both stress and blood pressure.  If you need to, borrow someone else’s pet.

8. Read a Book: reading something can be quite relaxing, provided you select the right thing to read.  Email = bad; Fiction = good; Facebook = bad; Rereading love letters = good. Read something that makes you feel good.

9. Fill Out Your Grateful Log: Fill out 5-10 items that follow this formula: “I am grateful for…” It could be ANYTHING you’re actually grateful for.  This works particularly well before bed, but can also be great to do throughout the day.

10. Answer These 3 Questions: First, “What have I learned today?” Second, “What did someone do that was nice to me?” Third,  ”What have I done for someone today?”

11. Do Something Good for Someone Else. 

12. Take a Nap: Even just resting your head and closing your eyes for 5 minutes can do wonders.  You don’t have to actually get to sleep.

13. Clean: sometimes our environment is a source of stress.  Clean your car, your office, your home.  Making your environment less cluttered is a big stress reducer for some.  It also increases productivity.

14. Watch Something Funny: Laughing reduces stress.  Find your favorite comedian on YouTube, watch your favorite comedy movie, whatever makes you laugh.

15. Get control of something in your life: This can be anything that is standing in your way.  Maybe rewriting your task list, finishing that big project, talking to that person, whatever.  Get past something you should have gotten past weeks ago.

16. Get Away From Electronics: turn off the cell-phone, iPad, computer, TV and whatever else you can.  Electronic devices, especially the communication devices can be a major source of stress both from email, text messages, phone calls, etc and from the electromagnetic pollution they produce.

A good idea is to start with two or three of these and add more as you go.  Many of these could also be combined, for example: you can go for a 15 minute walk outside in the sun, barefoot on the grass, and leave your cell-phone in your house or put it in airplane mode while listening to your favorite song.  Then you could follow that with a 15 minute nap.  That’s be a great way to spend 30 minutes.  Enjoy.

 

1. Fish Oil

Fish Oil is one of the most well known supplements in the world at this point, and because of that I won’t go into it too much.  But here are a few reasons Fish Oil helps you burn fat:

• Fish Oil reduces inflammation, which contributes to obesity and heart disease.
• Fish Oil has been proven to elevate your metabolism by up to 400 calories per day. That’s almost a pound of fat per week just from taking fish oil.
• Fish Oil reduces the amount of insulin produced from any given meal.  Less insulin means less fat storage.

2. L-Carnitine

Carnitine is the nutrient responsible for fat actually getting into the mitochondria in the cells, where it is burned.  If carnitine levels are sub-optimal, you aren’t going to burn fat.  Additionally, it has been shown to improve mental focus and work capacity, which means it will help you train harder.  Combining it with fish oil amplifies it’s effect and makes adjusting to a low carbohydrate diet easier.

I recommend taking 3-6g of L-carnitine per day, in divided doses.  Do not take it after 3pm, or you may have trouble sleeping.

3. Magnesium

Magnesium is one of the most overlooked minerals.  I use it with my clients for two primary reasons: first, most of my clients can’t sleep, and magnesium helps fix that.  Magnesium helps people to relax and calm their mind so they can get to sleep.  Sleep means recovery, which means you can train harder and get better results.  It also improves insulin sensitivity and cortisol (stress) management which means you store less fat.

For magnesium, most people are chronically deficient, and need higher doses for a while.  To lose fat I recommend 600mg of a high quality magnesium (NOT Magnesium-Oxide unless you want diarrhea) along with a topical applied behind the knees right before bed.

Below are the products that I use with my clients:

Fish Oil – EPA-DHA 720

L-Carnitine – Yang R-ALA or GlycoCarn

Magnesium – UberMag and Topical Mag

For more tips to help you succeed this year check out these posts:

3 Keys to Success This New Year

3 Nutrition Keys to Success

3 Exercise Keys to Success

 

1. Strength Train with heavy weights.

Yes, it’s true that strength training will help you get lean.  And no, you don’t have to worry about looking like Arnold in his prime, if it were that easy, all men would look like him.

There are a bunch of ways that strength training helps you get leaner.  First, it causes an increase in your metabolism that can last for up to 3 days.  Train two days in a row, and that effect is compounded.  Second, it improves insulin sensitivity.  Manipulating insulin in a favorable way is the most effective way to get leaner.  If fact, for people with Diabetes Type II or who are pre-diabetic strength training is by far the most effective.  Third, it adds lean muscle to the body, which permanently increases your metabolism.  An elevated metabolism means the weight keeps coming off, and stays off.

2. Keep your reps high(er) and your rest periods short.

To lose fat, you should train with 8-20 repetitions per set, and should keep rest periods short, 30-75 seconds.  This causes the body to burn stored energy for fuel, because you cannot process oxygen fast enough.  It also will increase Growth Hormone, which helps build muscle and burn fat (in addition to making you look younger).  When using this method it’s best to alternate between two or more exercises (i.e. do pushups, rest, then squats, rest, then pushups again). However I will warn you, this training will cause the “muscle burning” and may make you feel nauseous.  This means you’re doing it right.  However we do not recommend bulimia for weight loss, so back off or stop if you actually feel like you’re going to throw up.

3. Call it after about 40 minutes.

If you can train longer than 40-50 minutes, one of two things is going on: you’re making friends and not paying attention to your training; or you aren’t training hard enough.  You’re going to the gym to achieve something, leave making friends for Facebook. If you do train longer than 40-50 minutes you’ll over-stress the body, and ultimately do more harm than good.  If you get to the end of your workout, and feel like you could keep going, then you didn’t push hard enough.  You should be GRATEFUL that your last rep is over.

For more tips to help you succeed this year check out these posts:

3 Keys to Success This New Year

3 Nutrition Keys to Success

3 Supplement Keys to Success

 

As I’ve mentioned before on this website (here), there are multiple components to a healthy fat loss program.  This week we discuss 3 simple nutrition habits that will help to ensure your success this New Year.

1. Eat a high protein breakfast. 

This is almost always the first thing I work on with a new client.  Breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day, because it sets the stage for the whole day.  However the key isn’t just eating breakfast, but eating a low-carb, high-protein breakfast.  I typically will recommend meat (including eggs) and nuts.   High carb foods like cereal and oatmeal often leave people with lower energy throughout the day, and increase sugar cravings later during the day.  Having a high protein breakfast keeps you full longer, gives you energy that lasts, and is key to reducing or eliminating cravings throughout the day.  Ideally you should eat 30g of protein within 30 minutes of waking up.  That could look as simple as 3 eggs and two handfuls of cashews, but make sure to have variety (don’t have eggs every day).  Don’t know how much protein is in something?  Go to nutritiondata.com to find out.

2. Drink Water. 

Water is essential to the fat loss process.  Without adequate water you can’t digest your food properly, think properly, regulate your body temperature properly, or train properly.  Make sure that you stay adequately hydrated.  How much water should you drink?  0.6-0.7 ounces per pound, per day.  This means that a 150 person should have 90-105 ounces per day, or about 3 liters.  Another rule of thumb is that if your urine isn’t clear, your not drinking enough.

3. Eat Often and Always Have Good Choices Around.

Hunger is a stress, and stress makes you fat.  Eat often enough to keep you fueled.  For some people this is 2-3x per day, for others it could be as much as 6-7 meals, but most do well with 3-5 to start.  What should you eat?  Veggies and nuts make great snacks (no peanuts).  In fact I tell my clients to ALWAYS keep some nuts on them, so if they have to skip a meal, they can at least get something in their stomach.  Keep some in your purse (females only, obviously) and car so that you always have a healthier option.  Another recommendation that I make is that you fix a good meat and veggie lunch, maybe a chicken, spinach and cashew salad with some oil and vinegar dressing, and snack on it throughout the day.  Eat some at 9:30, noon and 230 or whatever times fit your schedule.  If you tend to skip meals, set an alarm to remind you to eat.  If you aren’t hungry, at least eat 3 bites.  It’ll keep you fueled on healthy foods, and keep your metabolism up all day long.

For more tips to help you succeed this year check out these posts:

3 Keys to Success This New Year

3 Exercise Keys to Success

3 Supplement Keys to Success

 

1. A definite chief aim.

I’ve written about this concept before, but it bears repeating.  If you don’t know exactly what you’re trying to achieve, then you are most likely doomed for failure. So you want to get healthy, that’s great. How are you defining health?  Lose 15 pounds and get stronger?  Ok, that is a good Chief Aim.  You’ve defined it, you know exactly what it looks like.

Now, here’s another piece of making the “definite chief aim” work: refocus on it continually.  Do something that reminds you of your goal that you are trying to achieve.  Rewrite your goal every day; put a mirror on the fridge (scientifically proven to work); meet with people who have your same goal in mind.  All of these things keep your eyes fixed on your clearly defined prize.

2. Small but consistent changes.

The biggest problem most people have is trying to do too much at once.  The more habits you try to build at one time, the more likely you are to fail.  With my clients, we work on 1-2 things at a time.  Example: this week we’re going to work on eating a high protein breakfast every day, and taking 3 fish oil capsules with every major meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner).  Small, consistent changes made over time bring lasting success.

3. Accountability.

Accountability is essential.  You MUST have someone, or preferably multiple someones, to make sure you stay on track.  If you don’t, you’re sure to drift off course.  This person can be a best friend; you can post it on Facebook (don’t make this one your only form of accountability, but it can help); make a bet with someone; or better yet, hire a coach like a Nutritionist or Personal Trainer.  Make sure that it’s someone who cares enough to tell you you’re failing.

For more tips to help you succeed this year check out these posts:

3 Nutrition Keys to Success

3 Exercise Keys to Success

3 Supplement Keys to Success

 

1. Workout with weights the day before. When you lift weights, a couple things will happen that will work in your favor. First is that your metabolism will stay elevated for up to 3 days following a good resistance training workout. Workout for 2 or 3 days in a row, and that effect will compound. You’ll become a calorie burning machine within just a couple days. Also, when your body is repairing muscle, that requires calories. The more calories that are being used in the repair process, the fewer are left to become fat. Train hard for a good 30-45 minutes the day before, and focus on big muscle groups. And if you have time, maybe a mid-morning workout on the day of the feast can help too.

2. Be really good with your diet on the days leading up. The more often you “cheat,” the more you’ll cheat yourself. If you only cheat one or two meals per week, you’ll actually help your body lose weight by boosting your thyroid, which boosts your metabolism. So for at least 3 days before the holiday meal, be really good with your diet, and the one meal won’t hurt you. It may in fact help. Click here to see our rules for a good cheat meal.

3. Eat a high protein breakfast. When you eat a high protein breakfast, like the meat and nut breakfast, you set your body up for a good day. Not only do people find that they are more productive, but they are also better able to handle food cravings. Studies have shown that when people eat a high protein breakfast, they will eat fewer calories over the course of the day.

4. Eat more protein and veggies at your Thanksgiving meal, and always eat them first. Protein and veggies burn hotter than sugars and starches. What this means is that it actually takes more calories to digest protein and veggies than it takes to digest sugars and starches. Also, high protein foods promote the release of the hormones that tell you you’re satisfied. If you eat more protein and veggies, and eat them first, you’ll have less room left for the “not-so-good foods” and you’ll get full sooner, which means you’ll eat less. This is a great way to be satisfied from a meal, and still have “portion control.”

5. Make sure it only lasts one day. The biggest problem with “cheat days” and holiday meals, is not the meal itself, but the fact that once people start down that road, they don’t come back. So everyday becomes a cheat day. If you really want to minimize the damage from a holiday meal, the leave them only for the holidays. The day after, you’re back to normal. Holiday meals should be the exception, not the rule.

Follow those few tips, and you’ll be surprised how little your Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other holiday meal will hurt you. Do things really well and you can actually help yourself in the long run.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Illustration and inspiration from Paula Owen's "Power of 4"

Today there’s a lot of controversy about what it actually takes to get healthy and to loose fat. Some say exercise, some say diet, and some say “take this pill.” But what is the truth? Can you really lose weight only through diet? Do supplements really work?

The truth is that it takes all three and one more. Therefore components of fat loss: diet/nutrition, exercise, supplementation, and lifestyle. Health and fat loss can be found to some degree in any of these individual pieces but ultimately work best together.  If you want to loose that and get healthy it can be done through exercise or diet and even supplements can help, but if you truly want to be healthy and really want to permanently lose fat you’re going to need all four.

Exercise

Some say that exercise is not important, and others say that exercises everything.  Exercise is an essential part of being healthy. Health is about more than just weight. What good does it do you to be adequate “healthy weight” and not be able to walk of a flight of stairs? Exercise is important for a few reasons: Quality exercise will elevate the metabolism and accelerate fat loss for up to two days; it will increase muscle mass which elevates resting metabolism; it will also teach you how to move properly which could save your life and in an emergency; and far more.

Diet/Nutrition 

“You can’t out run a doughnut.” While it is true that exercise burns calories it is far easier to not eat them then to  burn them. The average glazed doughnut has 260 cal you would have to run 2.6 miles to burn that many calories. It would be much easier to just not eat the doughnut. Proper nutrition will also enhance recovery and enable you to train better in the gym. It’s estimated that 80% of fat loss happens on the plate and not in the gym, and that’s because it’s far too easy to undo what you did in the gym by what you put on your plate and in your mouth.

Supplementation

Many today view supplements is bad or completely unnecessary, and nothing could be further from the truth. The truth is that our food supply is not where it should be today. Due to decades of poor farming methods are soil is drastically depleted. Therefore today it is nearly impossible to get all the nutrients you need from diet alone. And even if you could it would be even harder to deal with any deficiencies that you may have from poor dieting up to this point. That’s were supplements come in. Supplements help seal up the cracks and deal with any deficiencies we may have. Additionally, proper supplementation can help speed up fat loss by helping you replenish much-needed nutrients faster. This does not mean that all supplements are good or that everyone needs every type of supplement. Supplementation should be specific to the individual, therefore it’s recommended that you seek out a qualified practitioner.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle habits are probably the most overlooked part of any help in fat loss program. It doesn’t matter how much you exercise or how well you be if you’re not sleeping, for example. For many people stress is a major culprit in their fat loss blunders. People who are unable or unwilling to sleep enough, or manage their stress better almost always fail a fat loss attempt.

Conclusion

For optimal health all four pillars of needed. Anyone can get some results with one pillar or couple pillars, but if any pillar is neglected results are often minimal or short-lived.