A Diet That Isn't a Diet

I was watching the Today Show and they had an editor for Men’s Health on the program. He has written several books called “Eat This Not That”. His new book has a program that made several impressive claims. You can eat for any 8 hour period and then have nothing for the next 16 hours. This he said leads not only to quick weight loss but also to more energy and less catastrophic disease.

This plan says you should concentrate on 8 super foods and that this it is not an excuse to pig out. You could have large quantities of food during the 8 hour period and can also indulge in comfort foods like pizza, ice cream, cake and even wine. (You can have all your favorite foods).

When you get up in the morning just delay breakfast and start eating about 10:00-11:00. One important thing you miss with a program like this is the metabolism “jump start” you get in the morning by eating breakfast. You can get around this by having some coffee or tea and then walking for as little as 8 minutes. This is only for the morning jump start and should not replace any exercise you have planned.

On the one hand the author says you can eat all your favorite foods but on the other hand he says this is not an excuse to pig out. He says to make sure to concentrate on the eight “Super Foods” like nuts, legumes, yogurt, asparagus, turkey, whole grain and dairy etc.  So you can see this is not calorie restrictive only time restrictive.

What I plan on doing at this point is to conduct my own personal experiment. I weighed in this Monday and have begun my version of this program. Stay tuned for as update on what I found next week.

See more in future blogs or visit us at body-mastery.net

Eat, Drink And Be Merry

This is a nice time of year to party with friends and family. Unfortunately many people gain five or more pounds. The good news: it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are a few things you can do, enjoy yourself and not feel cheated.

The main thing to realize is that pounds usually come as a result of a week’s behavior.  You are allowed to have a bad day here and there. Actually you will make more progress with weight loss if you vary calories from day to day.

The reason for this is called starvation mode efficiency. If you have fewer calories than you need for a long period of time the body begins to thinks food is scarce. The thing that suffers most is your metabolism. You begin to conserve energy, feel sluggish and will have a hard time losing any weight at all. This is why so many people eat like a bird, are tired all the time and never achieve permanent weight loss.

Here is a simple proven suggestion. Budget you calories like you would your finances. Figure how many calories you have to spend for the week. If you have 1500 a day you can spend 10,500 for the week. You can have a few frugal days of 1000 and spend 2500 when you need to at a special occasion.

If you are real into numbers you can actually make this pretty scientific. If you’re like me, make it simple. Forget the numbers and just guess a little. Have a few light dinners and lunches leading up to your blow it days. When you do hit the parties you’ll have calories to burn and won’t feel guilty.

Another suggestion is eating a little before a party, especially when appetizers are served. Eating a small lunch before your 4:00 Christmas meal is a good way to save you from overeating when you finally sit down.

The rules that apply here will also be maximized with a few extra walks or workouts. Don’t forget the calories you burn during workouts are only a part of the overall benefit.When you add workouts you also increase your metabolism even after you’re done. This is what we call the afterburn. For more tips visit us at body-mastery.net

You are not the biggest loser

This a blog for anyone discouraged about weight loss. Although I find the show “The Biggest Loser” very entertaining, it also makes me very mad. I have helped hundreds of  clients lose thousands of pounds. This show makes normal weight loss seem like underachieving.

The solution is to weight loss is very simple on one hand but following through is another story. The first thing to consider is basic math. Your metabolism begins to slow after age 30 and you need to burn more than you consume. So basically just move more and eat less. The trouble comes because we live in a microwave society and we all want it yesterday.

To lose one pound a week, we need to burn off 3500 calories or eat 3500 calories less. This is not a quick process. People need to think of a pound or two a week as a major success and look at the big picture. You didn’t get it over night and it you won’t lose it overnight either. If you lose a pound a week for a year you’re down 50.

One thing to feel good about: your success rate doubles if you take the weight off slowly. Rapid weight loss increases in abundance a hormone called lipolipophase. This is the body’s defense mechanism to return fat stores anticipating times of famine. The “yoyo syndrome” is caused by more than a lack of willpower. Be patient and you’ll have better long term success.

The final point that most people miss is, you need to continually challenge yourself with regard to muscle fitness. You can lift small weight and still get the benefits. The most important thing is to change it up. If you’ve been doing the same thing for more than a month, you’re not maximizing your efforts. If your muscles never get sore, chances are you need to change what you’re doing.

For more tips visit us at body-mastery.net.

Tips To Help You Get healthy

Most people know what they should do. The problem usually is finding the time or just digging down and making the tough choices. If you’re looking for a way to get fit and become healthier I have some suggestions.

First, you need to make a regular time to exercise that doesn’t revolve around your busy schedule. You need to pick a day of the week or maybe two that you’ll keep on a weekly basis. Weekends for most people will give you one day for starters. If you have to decide on a daily basis you’ll never make exercise a routine.

The most important thing is to choose something that you don’t hate. If jogging is too hard, try walking. If walking on a treadmill is work, go outside on the trails. Set the bar to a level you can jump over easily. Fitness can be fun, if not at least tolerable.

Another winning tip is to start with a goal that’s easy to attain. To go from a couch potato to a gym rat is unrealistic. Exercising three times a week for an hour is a great weight loss recipe, but not for a beginner. If you just want to get going try moving more two times a week for 15-20 minutes. You can build from there little by little.

If weight loss is you goal, try to eat more fish. It has been said, if you eat fish twice a week you will improve your health. The good news, there are frozen fish dinners that I am amazed by. Costco has a tilapia with pesto that even fish haters would enjoy. If you check the labels you’ll find most fish dinners are high protein and lower carbs. and calories.

Finally, the new reality for weight loss means stay away from starch. This means breads; pasta and even rice should be used sparingly. What you can do here is have a lean protein source with your meal but have double veggies or start with a salad. This is a hard one in the beginning but is guaranteed to yield positive results!

The Beauty Of Stretching

I want to spend some time on the biggest bang for your fitness effort. Most people know about eating right and keeping at a proper weight. You often hear about the importance of doing regular exercise which usually includes cardio and weight bearing lifting.

Little is spoken and less written about stretching. The best thing before I continue is the length of time required to reap these terrific benefits. In two to five minutes you can begin to improve flexibility and relieve tension in tight muscles.

The first thing to do before you stretch is to warm up for a few minutes. The easiest way to warm up is walking. If you don’t have a treadmill or elliptical you can hit the streets or walk around the yard for a few minutes. 

I’ll give a few of my favorite stretches but first some simple rules to follow. You should hold every stretch for at least 15 seconds. The muscle only begins to let go after it is gently pulled in a controlled manner. This also means no bouncing. Yes what we saw in the Olympics from the Russian Gymnasts is called ballistic stretching and it’s not for us.

My favorite stretch is what I call the “good morning”. Lie on your back and bend your legs to one side. Put your hands over your head and bend to the other side. Do this for 15-30 seconds and repeat to the other side. This helps relax the lower back and shoulders.

Another feel good stretch is to bend over and pull the door frame with one hand at about waist level. Keep the knees bent and keep your back flat from your shoulders to your butt. This gives a good pull from the wing muscles of the upper back all the way down to the lower back.

I took a seminar from Paul Check a world renowned fitness authority. He taught us that the two major causes of back pain were poor posture and tight hamstrings. This one is not a feel good stretch but a good way to stretch your hamstrings. Lie on your back, keep one leg bent so your back remains flat. Raise the other leg up and try to straighten it out. It’s OK if  the leg stays a little bent. Pull the leg gently towards your stomach. I find this hurts the neck of people who aren’t that flexible, so here is an easier method. Put a towel around your leg so you can pull the towel with both hands with your leg in the middle. Keep your head flat on the matt and pull very slowly until the hamstrings start to give. You will be surprised how much the leg starts to move after a few seconds.

Do these stretches every day for best results. If you forget a few days it’s OK. The more the better so find a time that works. For more stretches and tips visit our website at body-mastery.net.

Improve Your Balance and Have Some Fun

As we age our muscles get weaker if they don’t get challenged. As a lifelong fitness buff I have always done conventional weights and cardio. The more I work with seniors the more I see the need to work the muscles that effect our balance.

The first place to start is with the feet and then the ankles. After that we can work on the legs and hips. The good news is that many of the exercises that help one area will also build strength in other areas as well.

A good example is standing on one foot. Go to the corner of a room or stand by something you can grab when you need to steady yourself. Lift one foot and count so you can access tangibly how well you’re doing. You may only last five seconds but don’t worry improvement is guaranteed as you practice.

 

The surprise for many is how hard this is on the feet and ankles. Every time you sway corrections are made by tiny movements, from the feet all the way up to the hips. This is one way you can work multiple muscle groups by just doing one move.

The next thing is to try various things while standing on one foot. Swing your arms over your head like “The Wave” at sporting events. Lift your arms out to the sides up to your ears. Do some curls while alternating hands. If you do this in front of a clock with a second hand you can keep track of how well you’re progressing.

If you want to have some fun, get a Swiss Ball. These come in various sizes and colors and only cost about $20. You can do a whole workout while seated on these balls and when that gets easy, try lifting one foot while doing the exercises. One of my favorites is to lay on the ball with the ball under you stomach. Start with the feet and hands touching the ground. Lift the right arm and the left leg at the same time and hold for a

second or two then switch. This will not only improve your balance but work more muscles than almost any other exercise you can think of.

Finally for the advanced: get a Bosu Ball. These are the blue half dome balls that you can stand on. Without exception this is the best piece of exercise equipment for the advanced fitness buff who want a challenge. They cost about $100 but you can do about 50-60 real tough and effective exercise that you can’t do with anything else. Look forward to more info on the Bosu Ball in future blog entries.

The Best Reason to Exercise You've Never Heard

Most people who call a personal trainer are looking to lose weight and tone up. There are lots of people who want to look younger. If you want to beat depression you may also look to start an exercise program. In a nut shell most of the reasons for exercise come under the category of wanting to look and feel better.

One of the best reasons to start your fitness program may be staying healthy. A little known fact to most: even moderate exercise helps bolster the immune system. After every session, people who workout experience a heightened T-Cell count. T-Cells are the tiny elements in the body that fight infection. They basically attack little things that grow up to become big things. One the small scale this means the cold and flu. The bigger problems include cancer and other terrible disabling diseases.

I’ve worked with cancer patients who have come to me by way of Doctor's suggestion. Other clients have contracted cancer and tripled their medical prognosis in terms of longevity. Many of my clients have beaten the odds and are in total remission. They live lives like nothing has ever happened. Google “exercise and cancer” and you’ll find a limitless source of reinforcing data.

If you don’t worry about cancer, exercise can just help protect you from getting sick. If you talk to a lifelong fitness enthusiast, ask them: when was the last time you got sick? I once heard a simple analogy that made a dramatic impression on me. After a workout, think of a cleaning lady going through your body for four hours and cleaning out all the garbage. What this references is the increased immune response that takes place after every exercise session for about four hours. Like the expression goes “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.