FITNESS

Strength Training Technique for the Personal Trainer

Strength Training Technique for the Personal Trainer

Published by on November 28, 2021 | Leave a response

Two of the hottest topics currently in the personal training and strength training field are periodization and overtraining. In the past, most training methods used by personal trainers came from the Iron Game. That is why in the recent past, and often now as well, over-zealous Pt’s design programs comprised of the Arnold Schwarzenegger blitz biceps workout, the bench press routine from Bill Kazmaier, and the Bulgarian pulling cycling. Then there was the periodization concept and Russia’s weightlifting system involving percentages progression. Fortunately, the current strength training field has progressed significantly over the last several years and has a lot to offer when it comes to program design for the Personal Trainer.

This article’s goal is to provide five steps to personal trainers to help athletes achieve a superior physical state by solving these problems:

– The syndrome of Wanting It All
– The debate over Specificity vs. General Strength
– Overtraining vs. undertraining

Step 1: Alternate Intensification Phases with Accumulation Phases

In order for your neuromuscular system to be forced into adapting to a certain training load, it is critical to plan variations in both the intensity and volume of the load. Since the body adapts quickly to the training load’s stress, after just two weeks, strength training programs start to lose their efficiency. This is our main philosophy for all of our personal training clients at Inpower Fitness

To maintain maximum neural activation, increases need to be maintained at progressively increasing levels or varied periodically. If the body is presented with the stimulus in the exactly same way every time, its efficiency will begin to diminish. In North America, unfortunately, not many strength coaches and personal trainers know about this concept. That is why less than optimal results are produced by their strength programs. To make fast progress, you need to alternate phases of unloading with high volume phases (extensive loading, accumulation).

Linear intensification is one of the common mistakes found in strength training programs, which is having ever-increasing intensity. For example, an athlete will proceed through a monthly program like the table below. This design has intensity with linear movement from 78 percent to 85, 90 up to a maximum of 95 percent.

Table 1: Strength development standard linea intensification training

Weeks 1-4 5-8 9-1 13-16
Sets 5 3 3 3
Reps 10 5 3 2
Intensity 75% 85% 90% 95%
Total reps 50 15 9 6

This type of program has a couple of different problems that can arise;

– The intensity climbs up continuously, which creates ever-increasing stress levels, and therefore not much time is allowed for regeneration.

– The same amount of hypertrophy that is achieved during the first training month cannot be maintained when sets of five or fewer repetitions are done. Why? Because volume is required for optimal increases in muscle mass.

An alternative solution is offered in Table 2 so that both the intensity and volume are presented in an undulatory manner. The volume in this example is reduced much more slowly and the intensity increases more gradually. Also, the phases are a lot shorter, which allows for the stimulus to be changed more frequently, which really helps with strength gains. The system is very popular with Canadian, West German, and Eastern European personal trainers.

Table 2: Alternating intensification and accumulation phases for strength development

Weeks 1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 11-12
Sets 3 5 4 5 4 6
Reps 10-12 4-6 8-10 3-5 5-7 2-3
Intensity 70-75% 82-88% 75-78% 85-90% 80-85% 90-95%
Total Reps 30-36 20-30 32-40 15-25 20-28 12-18

Since linear overloading is not recommended, a much more rewarding alternative is offered by this undulatory approach. Schmidtbleicher states that strength potential is achieved more quickly when methods that favor muscle mass development are used first and then methods that favor the enhancement of motor unit activation (such as nervous system training).

Athletes must force their neuromuscular system to adapt through volume and then use intensity to stimulate it. This variety of training eliminates the psychological and physiological causes in training plateaus that come when specialization of intensity or volume is overemphasized. This allows for muscle mass and strength to be built at faster and higher rates.

Weightlifters need to focus on methods that will provide maximum neural activation increases. This can be seen in Yanko Rusev from Bulgaria. He won five World Championships, broke 25 world records, and won an Olympic gold medal in 1980. Rusev weighed 165 pounds and lifted 460 pounds.

Step 2. Vary the Types of Muscular Contraction

One of the most important factors in maximizing training response is to vary your strength training. Unfortunately, this training principle is often overlooked by personal trainers and strength coaches. Strength gains are achieved more quickly when many different kinds of contractions are used and not just one. A.K. Worobjow, a Soviet National Weightlifting coach, recommended the following percentages between the different kinds of contractions to achieve optimal strength development: 10 percent isometric, 20 percent eccentric, and 70 percent concentric.

Eccentric training makes it possible for athletes to achieve the highest muscular tension levels. This, in turn, greatly favors the development of strength and hypertrophy. It has been demonstrated many times that different combinations of eccentric and concentric training increase maximal strength more quickly than just using only concentric training. The following are some of the advantages offered by eccentric training:

– More muscle mass and strength gains can be induced compared to only isometric or concentric methods, which allows athletes to break through potential strength-gain plateaus.

— Fast eccentric work (plyometrics, for example) results in force-time curves shifting to the left which results in higher force development rates.

– Due to the very high loads that eccentric training uses, like the maximal weight methods, the nervous system is impacted in addition to the muscles.

– There are various forms that eccentric training may take, including the loading pattern below on an accumulation phase:

1. 4-6 sets of 4-6 reps each at 110-120%, 8 to 10 seconds eccentric, rest for 4 to 5 minutes in contrast between sets. This loading pattern could be followed by an intensification phased eccentric workout: 1. 1-2 sets of 3 reps each at 125%, with 3-5 seconds of eccentric, and then rest 4-5 minutes.

2. 1-2 sets of 3 reps each at 132.5%, 3-5 seconds eccentric, and then rest for 4-5 minutes.

3. 1-2 sets of 2-3 reps each at 140%, 3-5 seconds eccentric, and then rest for 4-5 minutes.

– Specially designed equipment like eccentric hooks can be used to increase eccentric loads.

Once a conventional concentric 4 to 6 RM set at 80-82 percent of 1 RM is complete, you can perform additional eccentric work by 25-30 percent extra weight being added on the barbell for the concentric training and then doing extra eccentric-only reps. Or instead of adding extra weight, resistance can be applied manually by a personal trainer (like pushing down on your barbell while you are performing a bench press) while you are doing the eccentric part of the lift. The extra negative reps exhaust levels of eccentric strength after concentric muscular failure is achieved. The method applies to the accumulation phase more, since this is where you want to achieve strength gains from hypertrophy. However, injuries can occur if the athlete does not control the descent of their chosen resistance.

Although eccentric training shows a lot of potential for improving strength, personal trainers should follow the guidelines outlined below:

– It should be practiced only after achieving a solid base on your strength training for one or two years.

– This kind of training has high muscle soreness levels associated with. Therefore, training frequency using this method should be limited to once every 7 to 10 days. The potential to overtrain can be increased by eccentric training and therefore it should be used sparingly. During competitive seasons it is also not recommended since it can hamper recovery time significantly.

– Slow eccentric training is associated with reducing the force development rate. This suggests that it mainly should be used during the off-season (preparation period), while you should do fast eccentric training during competitive seasons (pre-season and in-season).

– It frequently requires special equipment or assistance from one or two workout partners to help with moving resistance throughout the concentric range. During squats or other weight training exercises, eccentric training can be hazardous if the spotters have not been trained properly.

— Isometric contractions tend to be more specific in such sports as gymnastics and wrestling than they are to soccer or football, but they can also be used in predictor lifts to break through any strength gain plateaus. Since isometric contractions can produce 10-15 percent higher force levels, this type of workout can be used periodically to favor strength level growth. The following are examples of how isometric contractions can be focused on:

a) Functional isometric contractions can be performed by athletes after the muscle has been pre-fatigued by performing 4 to 6 partial reps. This method requires a power rack. After warming up, the athlete can choose a weight and move from one pin set to another, such as from the midpoint to six inches prior to lockout while performing a bench press. At the end of the final concentration repetition, perform 4-6 RM, contract isometrically for 6-8 seconds with maximum tension on the top pins. Lower your barbell and try to do another repetition. If another rep can be performed, that means the weight is not heavy enough.

b) The duration and intensity of a conventional set conducted to concentric muscular failure can be prolonged by isometric work. If an athlete has completed his final concentric part of a 6 RM barbell curls set. The barbell should be lowered by 30 degrees, stop for eight seconds, and then repeat this process at two different other angles.

c) Isometric stops may be incorporated into a movement’s dynamic range. For example, you can perform 6-second holds at different parts of a clean pull: at mid-thigh, right under the knee, and two inches off of the floor.

You can achieve eccentric overload by a personal trainer applying manual resistance to your barbell during the exercise’s lowering phase.

Step 3: Strengthen All Force-Velocity Curve Aspects

There are conflicting theories in North America on what the optimal speed is for performing strength work. One school of thought thinks that high-velocity training is best, while the other school claims that optimal strength gains can only be achieved through performing repetitions slowly only. Both of these schools of thought are right! Muscle gains occur more quickly if training is done at various speeds compared to if the training is always done at the same speed.

Another important thing to understand is that the contraction has a certain training effect on the body’s neuromuscular system. When high loads are moved at slow speed this eliminates using momentum to lift resistance. There is a definite advantage to training at a slow speed compared to high-speed lifting when it comes to developing maximum strength. When the movement is slowed down (3-10 seconds for every eccentric phase) it augments both the tensions levels that are imposed on the muscles and the duration of how long the stimulus lasts. It favors faster tension developed that is imposed on the muscles which result in faster development of muscle mass and strength.

When training is performed at slow speeds, 60 seconds of work maximum should be done for each set. For example, when the speed of movement is reduced to the point where each eccentric and concentric part of the lift takes 6 seconds, a maximum of 5 repetitions should be performed per set [5 repetitions x (6 seconds eccentric + 6 seconds concentric) = 60 seconds].

The force-time curve is raised when you train at slow speeds, while it is shifted to the left when training is done at high speeds. Training explosively at higher loads doesn’t generate high strength increases. However, it is very beneficial for training the nervous system to generate a positive adaptation to the force development rate. The early portion of force development is emphasized for these reasons: (a) it is beneficial for synchronization, and (b) for practical purposes is relevant since there is a very short time available in athletic activities for the muscles to contract.

Execution done at a slow velocity is associated with producing high forces. High-velocity movements, by contrast, favor high neuromuscular output levels. Therefore, a weight light enough to use for power training isn’t heavy enough to use for strength training. However, for the first year of strength training for an athlete, it is recommended by European strength coaches is to use moderate (60 degrees per second) or slow (30 degrees per second) execution tempos.

Although high-speed strength training is specific to fast movements that are performed in such sports as soccer and football, it needs to be done only after a solid maximal strength base has been obtained. It is best to use slow movements to obtain a solid maximal strength base. Therefore, movements during the general preparatory phase need to be slow or moderate tempo using a variety of different contractions, with the movements being gradually sped up as it gets closer to the competitive seasons to specifically train the body’s nervous system.

Step 4. Use a Wide Range of Exercises

Another way to achieve strength more quickly and eliminate boredom at the same time is to change the form and nature of the exercise. Furthermore, only varying your strength training program’s intensity and volume is not sufficient to obtain optimal results. That is because while a given movement is being performed, the motor units’ order of recruitment for a muscle is fixed, even when there is a change in speed of contraction and force development rate. However, it is possible to change the recruitment order by shifting the body’s position or performing different movements for multi-functional muscles.

Certain motor units inside a muscle have a high recruitment threshold on exercise Y and a low recruitment threshold on exercise X. This recruitment order variation might be partly responsible for the training specificity that has been seen. It might also support the idea that bodybuilders have held for a long time that a muscle’s full development is only possible when movements are trained.

Strength coaches and personal trainers have a wide range of different strength training exercises that are available to them. For example, exercises that strengthen the knee and hip extensors may be performed using different training implements (machines, iron circles, trap bars, dumbbells, or Olympic bars). Also, you can change the starting positions on certain exercises. For example, a football lineman who performs clean pulls for improving his knee and hip extension power can be done from mid-thigh, from the hang, from the blocks, from the floor, on a podium, and so forth.

A great form of training is a partial range of movement that is definitely not used enough. Strength and conditioning coaches, for example, know that a great deal of weight may be handled from the lockout position in squatting and pressing exercises. However, the resistance required for performing full-range exercises is not enough for the strong points within the strength curve to be overloaded and why power rack training is so useful. When a power rack is used, certain parts of the range of motion can be selected by the athlete and optimal loads can be used for these ranges of motion. Bocks of different heights may be used to perform the numerous variations of Olympic lifts.

One challenging training stimulus can be to change the grip’s diameter. Try to perform curls or chins with oversize bars to produce a new type of training effect on the elbow flexors. Plastic pipe, foam, tape, or a combination may be used to thicken the bars.

When the exercises are varied using the methods above it will also make sure the athlete achieves strength in all movement planes. Athletes are often overly concerned with “Big Bench.” Instead, be good in all press formed and have a shoulder structure where a force can be applied from any angle. This approach can allow athletes to achieve the “Big Bench” more quickly to prevent boredom and reduce the risk of developing overuse injuries.

One way that variety in training can be ensured is to change your body position, like lifting your hips while performing a leg extension.

Step 5. Don’t Pay Attention to Percentages

Strength training programs often follow a system that uses different maximum percentages. There are serious drawbacks to this method:

– Over one day strength varies 10 to 20 percent. Therefore, if 1 RM is tested at 5 pm, the percentage that is prescribed for an exercise that is performed at 11 am may not be appropriate.

– Although the relationships between submaximal loads and 1 RM has been established fairly precisely, individual differences caused by fiber typing and neural factor can deviate a great deal. For example, although most people can normally perform 11 to 12 reps at 70 percent of 1 RM, one person on Canada’s National Judo Team can perform 24 reps at that percentage.

– The percentage relationship that is between the submaximal and maximum reps is different for each muscle. Research has shown that at 60 percent maximum, just 11 leg curl reps can be performed, while 40 leg press reps can often be done.

– Percentages do not leave room for any individual training responses. There are some gifted people who respond fast to a strength training program and using fixed percentages may undertrain them, while those same percentages may overstress other people. The latter kind of individual may be tempted to cheat in order to get the prescribed number of reps done at a certain percentage to keep up with their friends. Or if the person doesn’t cheat, they may become discouraged if they are unable to keep up with their friends. Another important factor is that athletes have different recovery abilities. So what can be done instead? Allow the load to be dictated by the reps instead of the other way around. This can be achieved by an intensity zone spread being used that is controlled by doing a fixed number of reps (like 6-8).

So if an athlete is in a certain stage where they perform 4-5 repetitions if 7 repetitions or more can be performed, that means their weight is too light and on the next set should be increased. If only 3 reps can be done by the athlete, then the weight is too heavy. In that way, the duration of the stimulus that is imposed on the muscle will at least be controlled. And since the contraction’s intensity is inversely proportionate to the stimulus’s duration, you will know about what intensity levels athletes are working at. Also, since multiple sets are conducted, optimal resistance can be individualized for each athlete on a certain day. Your training program can take such factors into account as the time of day.

Your athletes should fill out a personal training diary and also fill out a training station dairy at each lifting station. The diary will let you assess your program’s effectiveness since you can compare an athlete against others as well as against himself.

Percentage method proponents argue this prevents overtraining. Maybe, but why do 5 sets of 5 reps at 70 percent when 12 reps can be performed at that percentage? If overtraining is something you are concerned with, you can cut back on the number of exercises or sets. Your body is capable of protecting itself against work intensity, but not against work volume. Why waste a set as a warm-up?

The percentage relationship that exists between the submaximal and maximum repetitions will depend on the exercises that are performed and the muscle groups that are recruited. For example, more repetitions can be done at a certain percentage of the 1 RM of an athlete when performing the leg press compared to when doing leg curls.

Final Thoughts

There are numerous ways that workouts can be varied in a progressive and logical way to improve athletic fitness. You need to design strength training workouts for athletes while taking into consideration all of the different factors that affect the design of the program including recovery time, equipment, and training age. This is a must if you are a personal trainer.

When variety is incorporated into your workouts by making use of the steps that have been discussed in this article, it can do amazing things for your training program.

Variety is truly the spice, and there certainly is no good reason why a little bit of spice should not be added to your training programs. So do not hesitate to innovate, and do not train just to train. Instead, train to win!

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Gym North Sydney @Inpower fitness

Gym North Sydney @Inpower fitness

Published by on May 26, 2020 | Leave a response

Inpower Fitness thrives as the standout gym in North Sydney

 

When I started by personal training business over 15 years ago, I had a dream to one day have a facility and a brand that not only got results but would create a community of clients that believed in my process and who looked to me for inspiration and direction. That’s how my Gym in North Sydney was developed with that in mind.

My constant determination to have research proven strategies for fat loss has led me to helping thousands of people lose weight over the years.

I not only credit my success to hard work within the industry but  from also the direction of my mentors which have helped me create a unique brand for achieving optimal body composition. Paul Chek, Charles Poliquin, Kelly Starret and Todd Durkin have all helped shape what I have today. Recently in July 2017 I attended a conference in Las Vegas where I got to reunite with all my mentors.

It’s Interesting to see that what I was learning 15 years ago from these pioneers in the fitness industry are now becoming backed by research. The science of circuit training, lifting heavy weights, Paleo and ketogenic diets are all what we were preaching to our clients back then.

As I constantly attend these conferences around the world nothing has changed in my approach to training because the research is backing up exactly what I have been doing for the past 15 years.

 

My brand Inpower Fitness embodies what the greatest minds in the fitness industry believe to be the true way to achieve the best results for our clients.

I believe that without assessing you are just guessing. Assessments are a huge part of my brand. I have developed an assessment protocol from my certifications as a CHEK practitioner (Corrective Holistic Exercise Kinesiology), PICP (Poliquin International Certification Program), SFMA (Selective Functional Movement Assessment) and FMS (Functional Movement Screen) instructor. I determine the muscle imbalance ratio and functional testing of several movements to determine the correct approach to training that is best for the individual.

Once I have obtained the correct strategies for the individual it is then about challenging the individual through strength and circuit training.  This type of training creates the best lactic acid production which then elicits greater growth hormone in the body to build muscle and burn fat. Research has proven weight training to be superior to cardio for fat loss, memory control, and even enhancing the immune system which in turn helps with muscle gain.

Measuring results is something I’m very passionate about. It lets me know that I’m doing the right thing for my clients and also keeps my clients accountable. I use metabolic analytics to asses main factors such as lean muscle mass, body fat mass and segmental lean analysis. I like to test my athletes on a weekly basis to help with session planning and to track progress. For the general population, I aim for every 6 weeks. The results of the analysis also help me determine the hormones that can hindering the success of the individuals goals so far

North Sydney Gym Group Training

Group training at Inpower fitness is something I started in 2011. It has helped me get in front of more people to share my passion and direction. Everyone who signs up to my group training classes get the Inpower assessment and leaves with strategies to help improve their body. This helps them gain knowledge of their own capabilities when it comes to what movements are going to be safe for them in the classes.

Nutrition is a huge part of my success with my clients. Members of Inpower Fitness get access to my online platform with deliverewd content monthly and weekly for the online members.  I recently added this because I felt that the people who had one on one personal training with me sometimes just once or twice per week were getting far greater results than those in my classes who are coming 4 to 5 times per week. That’s not only because of the personalised training but a huge part of it was the time between sets and before the session where I could educate clients on what to eat and how their process is going for them. I could give instant feedback and put a strategy in place straight away. I find this a challenge in a group setting where time is restricted and people have various goals and challenges. t

The Inpower Fitness newsletter is a weekly newsletter about training and nutrition that goes out to roughly 500 people. I find it to be a great tool for family members of my clients who are not members to help understand the small things that it takes to achieve results. Building a closer support system for my clients and people they integrate with every day is going to help them achieve their results. My beliefs to eating is backed by research to achieve the best fat loss results. As a Precision Nutrition coach, I use tactics depending on the person’s body fat percentage and current lifestyle habits. A male over 20% body fat and Woman over 25% need education on whole foods and proper nutrition to change their life long term. Education about proper sleep, digestion, and mindset is what is going to get best results for these individuals. Males who are trying to get under 10% body fat and women trying to get under 16% is when I introduce proven strategies such as deficit eating, cheat meals, and Intermittent fasting. It’s important that I educate them on the sacrifices needed to get there. Examples are saying no to social occasions, eating clean while on holidays, the loss of energy, and mood swings are some of the things are all going to be a part of someone trying to get to these percentages. I feel that people need to be educated on these nuances otherwise they will end up in worse shape than when they started. An interesting statistic of people who go through strict dieting is something what’s called to 20% rule. Unfortunately, research on the 20% rule states that 90% of those who go on a strict diet and do not succeed end up being 20% fatter than when they started. I feel It’s important to educate people on the sacrifices they will have to endure, to set small targets and constant monitoring so they don’t end up being a victim of the 20% rule.

 

I try to coach the way I would like be coached if I wanted to become the best version of myself. Constant support and education to get me to where I want to be in the fastest amount of time with long lasting results.

 

If you like to learn more about my Mentors and their beliefs you can click on their name to be taken to their page. Paul Chek  Charles Poliquin   Kelly Starret    Todd Durkin

 

 

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Better Performance and Injury Prevention For Any Sport

Better Performance and Injury Prevention For Any Sport

Published by on May 20, 2020 | Leave a response

In the recent 2019 NBA finals where the underdog Toronto Raptors won their first and only NBA Championship, there were other major headlines surrounding the 6 game series then the victories themselves. I believe that no one can argue that had these instances not occurred then the result may have been significantly different. There were 2 career changing and series ending injuries that occurred in Games 5 and 6 that changed the dynamic of the gameplay. One injury happened to a player who most will agree at the time was the best player on the planet, Kevin Durant. The other injury was to one of the greatest 3 point shooters of all time Klay Thompson.

Injuries to the highest performing athletes In sports has been a common occurrence over the past few years. Because of this we are seeing the highest paid and most talented basketball players from various countries opt out of the world cup coming up at the end of August. The purpose of players doing this is to secure their long term future in the NBA and not risk injury in the pursuit of playing for their country. To most people these frequent shock injuries might seem strange since technology and advanced training techniques have been at an all time popularity.

A few simple reasons come to mind as to why this is happening. The first one is Food. Nutrients found in food is at an all time low. A small example is cashews. The magnesium content in cashews has dropped 70% since the 1970’s. This is all due to commercial farming. The spraying of pesticides and herbicides on crops and soil is affecting the nutrients. Fruits and vegetables grown out of this soil are seeing a tremendous drop in nutrient value. These chemicals also affect our meats, with the animals that we consume from either feeding off vegetation from the damaged soil or surviving off highly processed grains.  Its also a topic of discussion as to the amount the steroids being used to improve animal size for selling, plus the use of antibiotics when the animals are sick which is causing more distress to the animals health than the decades before them. There has been proof that even our organic farms are not as nutrient dense as they once where. The reason being that the chemicals from neighbouring commercial farms are being transmitted through the air and onto the organic farms.

Interestingly enough, is how this is not only affecting our current athletes but how it will affect our future players. Studies have shown that eating highly processed foods affects the 2nd and third generations. The study which is published as Pottengers cats showed cases of deformities, illness, and even blindness in the cats as a result of eating processed meats, affecting the livelihood of descendants  all the way down to the third generation of cats. You only need to ask yourself about the increasing rate of disease in the people around you to comprehend what is going on in our world.

The second reason of the frequent and serious injuries is the training programming and exercises that are being prescribed to athletes these days. Training has ‘supposedly’ taken leaps in improving performance. The use of balance training, electric machines and gimmicks have been implemented to what is supposed to be stimulating the co-ordination and strength of an athlete to succeed in a given sport when that skill is depended on. However, I am yet to see a study where single legged balance training for example can improve speed, agility and strength. I will bet all my money that the athlete becomes really good at single legged balance training but not actually a carry over to a movement in the sport. On the flip side you find numerous studies that improving the strength in a squat as another example can improve vertical jump, sprint speed and deceleration.  Unfortunately, it may be another 10 years before research proves that all of these made up and so called creative ways to train an athlete are in no way superior to good old strength training. Training that was made famous by some of the worlds strongest men from the 1900’s is slowly making it’s way into combative sports and is being proven already to making athletes stronger in mixed martial arts as well as American football.

Athletes are athletes because they are already great at what they do. Most likely they are already highly skilled, strong and fast. All they need is a little guidance on how to prevent injury through improving the nutrients they consume and build their ability to train with weights properly. This information is not only going to greatly improve their strength but also their joint integrity,  mobility and reactive forces on the ground. Improvements in these categories will improve an athletes, Strength, Agility and speed along with injury prevention and recovery time. That is a priceless amount to pay towards an athlete’s longevity in their sport.

There are a few simple steps to follow that will help you become the best version of yourself.  If you’re an athlete or just want to help protect our future generations from disease and injury these changes can only have positive effects on you, you’re children and educating those around you. The first is to eat organic wholefood as much as you can by living by the 80/20 rule . 80% organic and 20% conventional. If you want a sure fire way to find which foods are the safest to eat, all you need to do is google the clean 15 for your country. It is the top 15 foods that are the least sprayed with herbicides and pesticides. If you also want to know the foods to stay away from ,then google the dirty dozen for your country. These are 12 of the most chemically laden produce in your area.

The seconds tip is to find a great coach who will teach you the correct mechanics on the performance lifts that will make you stronger for your specific sport. Someone who also has the specialisation of some form of muscle release technique will also greatly improve mobility and prevent injury. Search for A.R.T Practitioners in your area. The result of the drastic injuries that occurred this year in the NBA Finals will change the course of the NBA for years to come and has already started taking place. The planning of even more load management for its star players and possibly more rest days between games seems to be a move in the right direction for those involved. I wonder when they will look more at the off field circumstances affecting the athletes.

Kevin Durant will miss 12 months of action and he will aim to return the same player that he was before the injury, however statistics are against him. Most players returning from an achilles tear never seem to get back to their best basketball. Kobe Bryant , the most recent and probably best known basketball player was a victim to this nasty injury and like Kevin Durant , this happened while performing a move on the court. Kobe was soon to retire a few years later when performing at a high level could no longer be achieved. Klay Thompson will be out of action for 6 months with an ACL tear and history of that kind of injury is that it is more than likely to be re-injured. ACL tears are the most common injury in sports that we see today.

We can only hope that coaches tone down the affect they have on an athletes body and aim to only make it more durable. For your own information try and google Kevin Durant’s shooting warmup routine. It consists of spins, pivots, single legged jumps and twists in the air. In my opinion, all of those movements should be saved for the sport and not be taking up mileage for the body in a workout or warm up routine. My synopsis is that in roughly 10 years from now there will be research into the measuring of some extent, the mileage a body can take before its at serious risk of injury. Hopefully we’ll see if making athletes stronger and looking more into their nutrition become more of a focus point and that they save all the other stuff for movements on the field, court or practice area.

On a note I do not know the extent of these athletes nutrition but as science has shown with the Pottenger’s cats study, is that it probably started with their ancestors 2 to 3 generations ago. Funnily enough that would take us back to the time of the rise of commercial farming in the U.S.

I hope this information has pointed a lot of people in the right direction to their health and performance. We are only as good as the fuel and knowledge that we obtain

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fast fat loss results and long term health by determining the correct diet and exercise program perfect for you

fast fat loss results and long term health by determining the correct diet and exercise program perfect for you

Published by on May 6, 2020 | Leave a response

This article comes around a topic of nutrition which I am hoping is starting to hit home for a lot of people now that living a healthy lifestyle and eating healthy, is key to fighting of disease and illness. This coming from numerous papers which have been released on the deaths through the corona virus that we are experiencing saying that a huge number of deaths and severity of the symptoms come from having other underlying health conditions. The report that came out of Italy on the 700 or so deaths stating that only 2 per cent had no underlying issues and the rest had some underlying health issues. A huge part of that which I want to make point of is that more than 50% of people who dies had more than 3 previous illnesses that are diet, lifestyle and exercise related. Because yes, some illnesses can be genetic, like cancer and heart disease being a couple of them but if you have 3 than that is more lifestyle oriented. For me being in the fitness industry for nearly 2 decades now I’m hoping that more people understand the importance of exercise and healthy eating and also training at a gym or personal trainer who  actually know what they’re talking about and putting yourself in the safest hands possible and how is going to get you your best results.

 

Research into the illnesses that the severity of how that illness affects people and sometimes even death has been attributed to a cause of immunosenesensesne meaning immunosenessesnse is the cellular ageing of the immune system that can lead to increased mortality This is caused by a poor diet or lifestyle. A big important note to mention is that cellular ageing can be reversed through lifestyle changes and eating a healthy diet so I’m hoping that people find out professionals like a good trainer or coach that can educate them on the correct way to eat and how to improve your lifestyle. Not just following a diet that may take 10 years of research to find out how bad it is AKA the plant-based diet or other random ones that pop up out of nowhere. I’m talking juts simple facts on how the body works and what is right for them. The reason these so called new diets pop up which I’m hoping everyone is starting to catch on especially with what we’re seeing with big pharma for example and how viruses are making them rich with their drug vaccines and so forth and that is to understand that most things health related and promises to improve people’s lives or put them out of danger is all money driven or have an ulterior motive like the covid-19 conspiracy and is all making one group of people or organisation rich at the expense of everyone’s health. WE don’t need more diets that people are going to fail at following which lead to more lifestyle damaging factors.   No need to get me started on that but we’ll just have wait for research to say of all these diets that keep coming about are unnatural and unnecessary, things like high plant level proteins, ruins our body, weakens our immune system and destroys the ecosystem. SO, remember this conversation about 10 year from now. All the changes in food labelling, additives and new fad diets is the cause of our weight gain problem and I will share info on those things here now and what is the best thing to do and eat. As for exercise I hope people just get out there and move that s all I can hope for and it’s a start. Later on I expect everyone do their own research on what is the correct way because there is some gyms, franchises and studios that there program and beliefs do nothing but over tax and overstress your immune system through too much intensity and lack of variability without enough recovery time, not introducing  DE loads or nutrition protocols to enhance their training and are just basically breaking down their body. Your body grows when it’s resting and its ability to strengthen your immune system needs recovery and supplementation and to be adapted to your already adapted stress levels that everyone has. Things are just crazy and everyone is just so misinformed. if you do look after recovery, supplementation, and exercise variability then you’re on the right path. If not, then the opposite will happen, you will not recover properly and you will still cause ageing of the cells which what I just discussed at the start will cause immunosenescents. Which what did I say will lead to, increase disease and mortality.

Fat loss Protocol

Today is going to be starting point for some of you on nutrition and others you have been training with me for a while now should hopefully learn some new things to apply to your eating to achieve their goals. Because for those who do not know these nutrition talks that I do are about the right foods to consume to improve your body composition. This in turn will also tailor that towards improving your health through improving insulin sensitivity in doing so by not trashing your immune system with a high carbohydrate or process food consumption. and also, by being more aware of the foods you’re putting into your mouth. Today I will drum home the point of why carbohydrates are not good for most people unless your lean enough to deserve them…which is not many people, and the importance of fats and the how and why to use them for weight loss. So, sit back and I hope you enjoy the lessons I’m about to bring across your way.

Typical diet symptoms

So, to jump away from the immune health thing for a minute let’s talk about food that can help in achieving your fitness goals. I think we all have experienced when we start to diet how it initially feels good for a little while, you start to feel good that you’re doing something good for yourself maybe you start to see some changes but what them typically happens.

 

You start to feel deprived of some foods from eating so little of so you start to get cravings. This is cause by an imbalance in blood sugar levels and a secretion of a substance in the brain which causes cravings called neuro peptide y which will make you want to increase carbohydrate consumption, and the more you consume the more that your body wants. SO, depending on your goal, well unless its weight gain, everyone is going to feel this and it’s important to know that point and you can try and do one of 2 things. 1 just don’t give in to the feeling and understand that the cravings are part of the process and I will help you with that today or 2 fuel yourself with enough nutrients of good quality so that malnutrition doesn’t lead to more production neuropeptide y. Use tips like increasing water intake to keep leptin levels happy and just understand losing weight is a process and if it came at the expense of where we never got hungry or hangry then we would all look great now wouldn’t we.  SO, I think everyone knows that means quality protein, fats and carbs together is how we can endure a more consistent weight loss phase. In my opinion with the state of the world, with the viruses we’ve been exposed to and flu season that comes around all too quickly is that’s why we need to eat high quality organic food as much as possible and if not then you will need further supplementation to prevent what is going to come around and challenge our immune health in the very near future. . Imagine the effect of 5G when it hit your part of the world and not only what it’s going to do to the sickness of the people but the sickness of the animals we eat and the soil we get our vegetable from being more polluted with toxins than ever before. SO, we need to value the vitamins and mineral we put into our body more than ever before. Supplements are a completely other topic and I think I’ve delved into that a lot before so I’ll keep all of this to the point the best that I can.

An important macronutrient that I was to talk about now is carbohydrates. There is so many diets out there that preach their own difference towards the topic. From paleo, to ketosis, to now the over popular plant-based diet which consists of mostly carbohydrates. MY opinion and my clinical research. And my clinical research meaning what I have applied in my business over the years which has always worked is understanding the psychological and physiological impact carbohydrate can have on someone. Can someone oxidise them based on the genetics, in terms of where their ancestors came from to the now damaged metabolism whether that be from the wrong lifestyle and exercise based on their genetics or damages to their insulin sensitivity through over consumption of carbohydrates. Over consumption leads to a worse immune system and therefore illness. The problem is I don’t think I’ve met anyone who has said that they don’t like carbohydrates. I was going to preach that in my talk today when actually until this morning where I was having a conversation with a prospective client in the hallway who was saying that she was keto because carbs make her feel crap and all she wants to do is sleep after them. SO, she labelled herself as not liking carbs, which came at a funny time because I was planning on this talk today about carbohydrates and that I’ve never met anyone that doesn’t like them. So, it was ironic. Which made my think there is more people out there like her because of the reason that she feels this way. Because what she doesn’t understand and what I wasn’t going to go and prove her current [personal trainer wrong too early is that of course she feels tired after…because she’s most likely insulin resistant from carrying to much body fat which leads to you not converting carbs to glycogen and using them as energy and therefore feeling tired. I didn’t want to delve to much into how I am going to change all that because again the misinformation she has been fed for years is going to take me a while to fix. All the new diets and crazes sometime make my job harder. So, people just need to understand the basic sometimes.  So in saying that apart from the one lady I spoke to today is that in terms of carbohydrates for my typical client and  psychologically going to be beneficial as a reward because theyre liked and enjoyed. Physiologically though they are not well tolerated by an individual who is holding onto too much body fat like the lady I saw today.  Chances are their leaning towards insulin resistance so they shouldn’t be consuming carbohydrates because they are not using them as energy the right way. I’ve covered what insulin resistance is in the last presentation so I’ll just go ahead and say that what has worked for me is to limit carbohydrates until the persona has earned them. 2 Ways they can earn them 1. By limiting them throughout the week or 2 limiting them until get lean enough that their insulin sensitivity has improved and I recommend that most people do both. Restricting carbohydrate intake for anywhere between 6 to 14 days and doing until the person is way more insulin sensitive which is usually when a good drop in bodyweight occurs or they got to an ideal bodyfat percentage. Eating at a calorie deficit by restricting carbohydrates can be detrimental long term to your body so that why I like to incorporate carbs because they do have their value so that’s why the eating plan and lifestyle practices  that I teach have more compliance and the results have more longevity as opposed to full keto or paleo restrictions. If you’re just starting out on you weight loss journey and you’re overweight then I would suggest that you are limiting your intake a little bit longer than someone who only has a few kilos to lose. In terms of weekly balances, you may be limiting them for 12 to 14 days instead of the typical 6. So how long should you use carbohydrate restriction? meaning how do you know what is right for you. Typically If you’re a male over 12% body fat then you need to limit your consumption of carbohydrates until you get closer to 10%, and a 5 or 6 day carb restriction will work for you, the same goes for a female over 20% up until 30% bodyfat then you need to limit your consumption until your under 17 or 18% again for about 5 to 6 days per week. If you are a male or female outside of these so a male over 15% or female over 30% then you would be looking for more of a 10 to 14-day restriction with strict wholegrain choices as your carbs when you get to those days of be rewarded. These stats are just my opinion on and what has worked for my clientele .When I really start to see an improvement in insulin sensitivity though a moderate drop in body fat plus the  body fat doesn’t increase with the refeeding  of carbs then I will allow it more often in their diet.  , SO the more fat you have to lose the less frequent you carbohydrate intakes for refeeds or cheats are. I have a more relaxing figure for female because they need more energy for hormonal balance, moods and energy that they need for everyday life, motherhood or exercise unless they are competing in a figure contest obviously when their trying to get close to 12-15% body fat but we’re talking the general population here.

Best duration for fat loss

 

I typically suggest 6 days per week of limited carbohydrate consumption in term of only coming protein, fats and non-starchy vegetables for both male and female and then depending on your insulin sensitivity or body fat percentage then one meal of whole grain carbohydrates on the 7th day. Keeping in mind this is the average person who comes to see me. Some I may stretch out to 10 t0 14 days. The general population who hasn’t been educated on how to eat and exercise and is flooding with bogus information on the correct eating plans. This system works for my clientele however I do delve more in detail to skinfold measurements to determine other limited factors such as hormone imbalance and lifestyle implication that are stopping their progress but these typically work for starting out. Only then would I tailor their nutrition advanced strategies later on if need be, such as intermittent fasting, removing food intolerances, getting blood wok or even calorie counting for a physique athlete. But the simple terms to use for the average person is simple and that’s improving insulin sensitivity by reducing carbs until they earn them and incre3se their resistance training works around 90% of the time. Being a good coach with experience will help the other 10%. So, you get the point. Limit carbohydrate content for roughly 6 days and maybe 2 weeks if you have a lot more to lose. Reward with a meal of wholegrain carbohydrates which I will go into a lot more in a second and then back to Limiting those carbs once that is done. I don’t wholeheartedly believe that limiting carbs forever like the paleo or ketogenic diet because they are a good source of nutrition for fibre and energy if they can be used in the right way that is and research will tell you that fibre, water and exercise helps regulate the immune system and 70% of the immune system is regulated in the gut. The reason I like fibre coming from the carbs rather than just relying on vegetable is because of the other nutritional benefits of wholegrains. SO, you will start to see why it would be great for everyone to be insulin sensitive enough to deserve carbs because they can serve you really well. Unfortunate as I mentioned the body fat percentages that I recommend of the people who deserve them is very little of the population that come across

Whole grains are complex carbohydrates that contain the endosperm, the bran, and the germ. These 3 combined provide vitamins and minerals, anti-oxidants, fibre and fats that are going to nourish the gut and feed the good bacteria. When you balance the good bacteria with the bad it will make weight maintenance easier, improve your immune system like I mentioned and improve your mood and emotions. If you can understand, that we have 2 brains and that we have one in the head and one in the stomach and they are constantly talking to each other so if you improve your health through eating, the brain in your head will improve your moods…. So then also then if you can improve your brain through exercise and stress reduction than that will improve the health of your gut and it will create a good circle of overall wellness.
In terms of wholegrains without confusing everyone too much on what they are, to help you …. when you are looking at the packaging of wholegrains there are 2 words that you need to be aware of and they are the word refined and the word enriched. Refined carbs or grains are ones that are missing one or more of either the endosperm, the germ or the bran. Those foods are typically white, like white flour, white bread, white rice and degermed corn flour. Avoid those where possible because we want quality nutrition remember especially if we are already leading towards insulin resistance at least the carbs that we do have need to be high quality to avoid other diet related issues that we don’t want to have to tackle as well. Remember this one meal on your 7th day of eating healthy with no carbs so we don’t want and go ruin everything in one day that is going to ruin all your hard work. The other word to look out for is enriched. Try to avoid foods that say enriched in my opinion and you may be thinking as to why. The reason being that back in the day when there seemed to be an obese epidemic across the world in order for governments to do their best to help people, well as they say that, that was their intention but it hasn’t really proven to have worked but basically what they did was  the governments put in place ways to enrich foods of higher nutrients but you need to understand that now the food is unbalanced from its original state which is not good for a variety of reasons making it highly processed and usually filled with more fat, sugar and sodium, so avoid those and the way to do that is check the package of things you may buy in forms of cereals, breads, bars, and things of that nature.

Examples of what you can plan to eat for your carbohydrate meals are things like Whole oats such as steel cut oats, unsterilized oats, and rolled oats and make sure to avoid instant oatmeal again no nutrients and its highly processed.  More options are whole wheat and whole grain rye, buckwheat, millet and whole barley which are cereal grains so it’s easily prepared, another one is spelt and a few other options are whole grain breads, brown rice and my favourite is popcorn. You can get healthy wholegrain and even organic popcorn which is a great tasting whole grain. But don’t forget I make sure I have earned my carbs. Me personally I hover around the 10% bodyfat so I’m usually pretty insulin sensitive most of the year and I make sure I am weight training and taking my fish oil and l carnitine year-round to stay in shape so my insulin sensitivity is pretty good.

 

Ok so you get the idea hopefully on whole grains and how to implement them into your diet. With either a rewarding meal on day 7 or longer if you fall under the categories that I suggest to do like over 30% body fat for example, or holding onto to excess weight through inflammation and poor or too much exercise can even make you a candidate.  You guys need personal attention and coaching but generally you guys are every 10 to 14 days until you earn it. One thing that I have always pointed out towards these so-called cheat meals or refeed meals is that they are for your phycological benefit that eating healthy can be rewarding to some degree. It won’t be rewarding after falling off a strict diet which deprived you so much that you ate and ate and woke up the next day fat and inflamed, that will just lead to a downward spiral and will produce thoughts of “what am I doing  this for” “I look fat and out of shape I might as well give up”  And guess what those comments may even come if you behave on your diet  and it’s something that you need to understand., Because your body is going through so many hormonal, digestion and fluid shifts that sometimes it just don’t look all the flattering in the mirror. But over time you will. You have to be thinking about the big picture and your long-term goals and what is good for you mentally like I mentioned in the video how to lose wight at home and also briefly in the q and A video.

 

The next relatively quick topic I want to touch on today is the right amount of fats in your diet. Fats got so much bad publicity in the late 90’s early 2000’s and I hope most of you have been corrected on the true value of fats in your diet. The research that they conducted saying high fat diets cause health issues has been debunked and has ruined a lot of the foods that we eat today. When it was though that fats were bad for us the governments demanded more low-fat foods so what they did was just like the enriched grains they did a similar thing to fats. In the processing of the foods they replaced the fats with artificial sugars and other preservatives which we now know the health implications that that had brought among us with more diabetes, cancer and other lifestyle related diseases and what’s funny is that all the low fat foods are still on our shelves today. So, try not to opt for low fat artificial products. Fats are good for our hormones, hair, brain and muscle growth so don’t count them out. Especially since the average person that I have been talking about here is that when you subtract carbs until your insulin resistance picks up then you must increase the fats in your diet. When you take something out you need to replace it with something else. Healthy fats will increase insulin sensitivity and also give you the caloric load and energy to replace what you would have gotten from carbohydrates. I will run though some good tips now because you still want to be careful, because fat has a more caloric load than carbohydrates with 9 calories per gram of fat as opposed to only 4 calories per gram of carbs so don’t overdo the fats. Fats are typically split up into 4 groups, saturated fats which were once considered bad for you but I can tell you that that research was bogus news and it’s now been said to be healthy. The saturated fats are the fats you get from meat and the skin of meat and are also found in oils such as coconut oil and palm oil.

Poly and mono unsaturated fats are healthy ones and can be found in salmon, plant and animal foods, and some nuts and seeds, and the last fat is trans fats which are the deadly ones and they are found in processed foods like biscuits and chips and they are highly inflammatory. Good fats for you are actually key to losing weight and a flatter stomach. And here’s why.

Fats are still being researched for wellbeing and disease prevention and the results are still heading that way as opposed to what was thought in the late 90’s. My goal here is to tell you how you can get fat loss results with adding fats to your diet and what I can say is that in a nutshell if you just remember these few things then you can benefit from them. Improved insulin sensitivity has been proven to lead to a smaller waist circumference. And that is what a typical client that I see wants as a result from their training, a flatter stomach or 6 pack is the common wants of people. Balancing out the saturated AND poly and monounsaturated fats has been proven to tighten the waistline. From my experience which has gotten me great results not only personally but with clients and competitors is to cover all of those bases in a few simple steps. Cook with avocado oil where possible because it has 1 a high heat threshold and won’t turn rancid or have a smoke point until after roughly 270 degrees of cooking temperature and 2 it’s poly and monounsaturated fat with a little saturated fat. Trying to avoid cooking with olive oil is another one because of how it becomes rancid at high heat and on grocery shelves so sometimes it’s already craps by the time it gets to you.  But you can defiantly use it on your salads. You want to Sometimes cook in coconut oil for better tasting meals and a dose of saturated fats and it won’t overdo it.  Drizzle cold pressed extra virgin olive oil on salads or wherever possible just don’t cook with it and of course a high-quality fish oil is going to balance out the bad ratio of fats even more so for better stomach flattening results. One last point is that the more good fats that you eat the more you become better oxidising fats as fuel and you will be become a fat burning machine. Personally, I prefer getting the balance of fats from the oil that I cook or use as dressing because you can control the caloric amount which you can’t really do with meat unless you sit there cutting all the fat off. And then you can improve the dose of healthy fats with less caloric load using a good fish oil. I hope all of that helps

Ok well Without bombarding you guys too much. I could really keep going but I’m going to leave it there until next time which then I’m hoping it will put all the pieces together for a long-lasting lifestyle choice. Remember it’s not really a diet, not a strict diet anyway. It’s a choice psychologically to go through the turmoils of losing a lot of weight and committing to yourself for your future health you and those around you. Thanks for listening guys please pass this on to those you who think it may help and you will hear from me soon.

 

 

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Let’s Simplify Your Fat Loss

Published by on October 30, 2015 | Leave a response

The main reason that you’re not happy with your weight is because of what you eat.iStock_000003130008Small

It’s hardly your fault.

Have you ever stopped to notice how many times you’re bombarded by food marketing each day?

Ads come at you from magazine pages, T.V. commercials, on websites and billboards, each boasting of cheap, convenient and tasty ways to cure your hunger.

The question “What’s for dinner?” has never been more complex than now.

Extensive menu options and large entrees have distorted your concept of a proper meal, and before you know it you’ve fallen into the trap of the chain restaurant, the drive thru, and the take-out line.

But wait – truly healthy eating is simple.

First you need to block out the blizzard of food marketing around you.

Remember that advertisers want your money, and they don’t stop to consider if the food they promote will expand your waist – that’s your job.

It’s safe to say that, with few exceptions, any food that you see marketed should be avoided. When was the last time you saw an ad for grilled white fish, steamed broccoli and a side of brown rice?

So what does truly healthy eating look like?

A healthy meal contains lean protein, fresh vegetables and a modest serving of whole grains.

Just as importantly, a healthy meal does NOT contain:
Refined sugar / corn syrup
Fried / fatty food
Full fat dairy food
Processed food with chemical additives
Healthy Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. What you decide to eat when you first wake up will set the tone for the rest of your meals that day. Try these healthy options:
Scrambled egg whites, sliced tomato and whole grain toast
Whole grain oatmeal, sliced fruit and a protein shake
Homemade breakfast sandwich: Multi-grain English muffin with lean turkey slices and egg
Healthy Lunch

It is important to plan your lunch ahead of time in order to avoid turning to a fast food joint or vending machine. Pack your lunch the night before and carry it with you. Try these healthy options:
Dark baby greens topped with chopped chicken breast and diced tomatoes
Albacore tuna (packed in water), mixed with finely chopped cucumber over brown rice
Homemade sandwich: Sprouted grain bread with lean turkey slices, lettuce, tomato and mustard
Healthy Dinner

Dinner is the meal where most people splurge and eat far more calories than they should. Eating at home is the first step in reducing your dinnertime calories. Try these healthy options:
Grilled white fish, sautéed spinach and whole wheat couscous
Baked chicken breast, steamed broccoli and brown rice
Try the recipe for Rosemary Lamb Chops below
While healthy eating is a huge factor in achieving your ideal weight, exercise is the other half of the equation.

Your exercise routine should be challenging and should be done on a regular basis.

I know that you have more than enough in your life to think about without having to plan your own exercise routine. Leave that job to me—call or email today to get started on a personalized fitness program that will leave your body no choice but to shed those unwanted pounds.

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Portrait of young attractive dark-haired smiling woman holding basket full of fruits and eating apple at summer green park.

Never Crave Naughty Foods Again (Here’s How)

Published by on October 25, 2015 | Leave a response

You wake up each morning with every intention of eating “good” today.

You’ll skip the drive thru line on your way to work. You’ll refuse to get fast food with co-workers at lunch. You’ll boycott the vending machine in the mid-afternoon. And you won’t even think about having dessert after dinner.

But then your cravings kick in…

Your friend drops by with a big fluffy muffin and a latte for breakfast. A group of co-workers invite you to that greasy spoon down the street for lunch. Cake is passed around at the mid-afternoon staff meeting. And after dinner your honey surprises you with a bowl of your favorite ice cream.

You tell yourself that tomorrow will be different.

Tomorrow you won’t give in to food cravings.

But then tomorrow comes with its own special circumstances, and cravings get the best of you once again.

Why Do Food Cravings Always Win?

Let’s face it, we live in a world where food temptations are everywhere…which leads to cravings, which leads to eating things that you shouldn’t, which leads to pounds gained. Again. And again. And again. Until you’re so fed up with your body that you don’t even know where to begin to get yourself back on track.

Stores display the most tantalizing junk food items right where you could easily reach them. TV commercials for greasy, fattening foods portray them so scrumptiously that you literally salivate. Sugary snack items have full-page, glossy pictures in your favorite magazines. And as if all of these weren’t enough, the people in your daily life are another (constant) source of food temptation.

To make matters worse, you’ve been conditioned since childhood to have a positive association with the act of indulging in your cravings. You use food as a reward. You use food as a source of emotional comfort. You use food as a way to relieve stress. And quickly these associations and uses of food become habit. A habit that’s not easily broken.

New Technique to End Food Cravings

Food cravings don’t need to have the upper hand on you anymore. Here’s how you can fight back using your most powerful asset: your brain.

Remember that your mind is an amazing thing. Once your mind is made up about something it’s nearly impossible to change it.

healthy eating

Try This Powerful Mind Exercise: Imagine that you are peacefully floating down a river on a raft. The sun is shining, birds are chirping, and you are having a fun, relaxing time. You feel wonderful about the river because it’s making you feel happy.

Now change perspectives for a moment. You’re now in a plane flying over the river and the raft. Instantly our eye is drawn to an enormous rocky waterfall. Then you look back to the person floating on the raft, having a wonderful time, headed straight for the treacherous falls.

With this new perspective of the river, do you think that you’d agree to get on a raft and take your chances floating toward the falls? Laughable, right? You’ve seen the hidden danger of the river. You know it leads to pain and suffering.

Now your negative association (watery death) with the river has replaced your initial positive association (relaxing fun).

This is the key to overcoming food temptations and putting an end to food cravings: building negative associations in place of existing positive ones. I’ll break this process down for you in two steps:

Step One: Create a STRONG Negative Association with Unhealthy Food

You may not have realized it, but up until this point you’ve placed unhealthy, fattening foods on a pedestal in your mind. As long as the wrong foods are on that pedestal you’ll continue to give into your cravings and will continue to gain fat.

Take the wrong food off that pedestal by listing off everything negative about them…
These foods make you unhealthy.
These foods cause weight gain.
These foods drain your energy.
These foods kill your confidence.
These foods lessen your quality of life.
These foods damage your love life.
Every time that you feel tempted to eat an unhealthy food, focus on your list of negatives. Kick the junk off the pedestal and put something healthy in its place.

Step Two: Create a STRONG Positive Association with Wholesome Foods

Now that your mental food pedestal has been cleared, put truly wholesome food items on it. Juicy fresh fruit, crispy vegetables and savory lean meats are the place to start.

List off the things that you love about healthy food…
These foods make you healthy.
These foods promote fat loss.
These foods boost your energy.
These foods build your confidence.
These foods improve your quality of life.
These foods enhance your love life.
I encourage you to immerse yourself into the world of healthy, wholesome foods. Browse the aisles of your local natural foods store. Stroll through a farmer’s market. Pack healthy snacks to bring to work. Clear your kitchen of junk.

Use the technique above consistently and you will soon find that healthy, wholesome foods are your favorite. And craving the wrong foods will be a thing of your past.

Call or email me today and I’ll get you started on a fitness program that will change your life and your body forever!

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This is a True Story (Cautionary Tale)

This is a True Story (Cautionary Tale)

Published by on October 20, 2015 | Leave a response

A woman sits at a restaurant studying the menu with furrowed brow. She has begun an exercise routine and knows that her frequent meals out could slow her weight loss results if she wasn’t careful.

When the waiter comes she is still deep in thought over what to order. “What can I get for you?” he asks with a smile. She looks up and frowns, no closer to arriving at a decision. On a whim she blurts out, “I’m trying to eat healthy but I have no idea what to order. What do you think I should eat?”

The young waiter looks startled but quickly rattles off his idea of a healthy meal. “The eggplant and roasted pepper pasta is filled with vegetables. You could get that with a salad.”

The woman smiles. Yes, vegetables do sound healthy. So she orders the veggie pasta with a side salad and a diet soda, then sits back to enjoy a few slices of bread.

That’s a true story. Not surprisingly the woman was unable to lose weight even though she was exercising regularly.iStock_000000996371_ExtraSmall

It is said that 80% of your weight loss results are derived from diet, and the remaining 20% from exercise—so you can see how important it is for you to stick with a healthy eating plan.

Use the following tips as your guide to eating out right:

Appetizers

Appetizers are a great way to start out a leisurely meal, but can also derail your good intentions with a quickness.

Don’t Order:
Anything fried. Fried foods are a favorite, but will do damage that even the most intense workout won’t undo.
Creamy dips. These are filled with fat and usually come with something fried to dip in it.
Bread. It comes smothered in cheese or seeped in butter, and even when it’s plain it fills you up with more carbohydrates than your body needs.
Do Order
Green salad. Ask for very light dressing and no croutons.
Antipasto. A plate of thinly sliced meats, olives and cheese will start you off with some protein.
Lettuce wraps. These are delicious, protein-filled and low in carbs.
Beverages

Calories in drinks are sneaky because they don’t fill you up. This means that you end up taking in far more calories than you bargained for.

Don’t Order
Regular or diet soda. On one hand you’re drinking corn syrup through a straw, on the other you’re drinking chemicals that cause you to crave sweets. It’s a no win situation.
Sweet cocktails. Many restaurants are advertising sweet cocktails –resist the urge. Sugar plus alcohol equals loads of unneeded calories.
Sweetened tea. You may feel righteous for ordering iced tea, but if it’s sweetened then you may as well be drinking fully loaded soda.
Do Order
Water. Don’t laugh! Water is the best beverage of all.
Unsweetened iced tea. Don’t ruin it by adding that packet of sugar. Learn to enjoy the natural sweetness to the tea.
Red wine. Stick to one glass, and drink responsibly.
Entrees

This is where the real damage is done. When you order something carb-loaded you leave the restaurant feeling heavy and lethargic—you may not even realize this until you start eating better and experience the light, energetic way you’ll feel after eating a healthy meal.

Don’t Order
Pasta. I don’t care if it comes with red sauce or white sauce, meat or veggies. If you’re trying to lose weight and maintain a lean body then never, ever order a plate of pasta.
Pizza. Another dish that has far more carbohydrates than you need. If you’re craving the pizza toppings then simply order those over a salad.
Burgers. If you really want a burger then ditch the bun and the fries, and have your patty wrapped in lettuce.
Do Order
Lean meat with vegetables. Fish, steak, chicken, take your pick and pair it with green vegetables.
Salad with protein. Ask for very light dressing and make sure you have a nice piece of protein on it.
Soup and salad. Stick with broth based soups that contain protein and pass on the breadsticks.
If you want to expedite your results then consider working with me on a fitness plan that will turn you into a fat burning machine.

Call or email today—I look forward to hearing from you.

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Welcome to our new website!

Published by on May 12, 2015 | Leave a response

We will be writing about a variety of informative topics to help you achieve your health, weight management, and fitness goals. Be sure to check back often and let us know if there’s a specific topic you’d like for us to include. Here are some of the topics we will be covering – hope you’ll enjoy it!

  • Expert Advice,
  • Health & Fitness,
  • Motivations,
  • News & Events,
  • Nutrition Tips & Strategies,
  • Recommended Books,
  • Supplements,
  • Weight Loss Strategies,
  • Workouts & more!
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