Nov 30, 2010

Hey there!

Hope you had an great Thanksgiving!

[Before I get crackin I want to give you a little warning! This blog post is sure to rustle up some feathers and parts of it might just down right piss you off.  I've trimmed all the gushy, feel good stuff for some straight forward talk!]

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Thanksgiving has always been my favorite day of the year, especially in upstate NY.  The fireplace is burning all day…I get to spend some time with family, eat a ton of food, and relax and watch football…definitely a lot of things to be thankful for!

My initial intention leaving Boca Raton, heading back home for the holiday was to unwind, shut off my phone and computer, not checking email or Facebook…I didn’t even want to pick up a book.  Balance is really important to me, and admittedly I have to try real hard to stop doing work or thinking about clients and how I can serve them better, and sometimes just lay back and relax.

Since I was able to just chill out, I picked up a lot of lessons and thoughts I might have passed before, and of course relayed those thoughts into fitness and how I can help people get into great shape, so today’s post has to do with the one big takeaway from this past Thanksgiving weekend: RESPONSIBILITY

It’s no secret that in talking to people, rarely is the topic of conversation a positive conversation about how great everything is in their lives .  Instead it turns out to be a ‘bitch fest’ of all sorts of issues.  Personal health, weight, appearance, spouses, kids, how tough their life is, world problems, social problems, money problems, no time, no energy, blah blah blah…

More importantly though, is to pay close attention to the causes of these problems for these people:  the economy, their kids, the holidays, that time of the month, republicans, their boss, their neighbors, their family, their thyroid, the weather, Muslims, I can go on forever…

I had some awesome discussions with former clients over the weekend about their struggles to stay in shape over the holidays.  Family is in town and you’re cooking for 20 people, there are holiday parties to go to, you’re cooking food your normally wouldn’t be cooking in June or August, and because of all of this you gain the average 6-8 lbs Americans do every single holiday season.

Now I might be wrong here, but I’m pretty sure that this coming year of 2011, there is going to be the same birthdays there were in 2010, Memorial Day weekend is still on the schedule.  So is July 4th, Labor Day, holidays, cookouts, picnics, festivals, vacations, etc.  Those days and times and excuses to eat bad never go away.  In fact, they’ll be here looong after you and I are gone to create a whole set of excuses for the next generation.

The point is, this time of year gives a ton of people a 2 month excuse of…”It’s the holidays”.  After, the guilt fest that is “New Year’s Resolution” follows from January 2 (Jan.1 is set aside as a recovery day) – approximately January 12th (plus or minus a couple days).

“You must take personal responsibility.  You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself.  That is something you have charge of.”

-Jim Rohn

This sort of irresponsible attitude is what causes people like this to wait for miracle diet pills, someone else to beat up the bully, and someone else to create a job for them.  I know this all sounds harsh, and if this is you right now I don’t dislike you or want to beat you up…I want you to look in the mirror and say to yourself that YOU are responsible for your own look, feel, wealth, and happiness.  That you shouldn’t be waiting for your boss, your neighbor,  the FDA, or heaven forbid you actually think some politician will pick you up and do it all for you.  Winston Churchill said “Responsibilty is the price of greatness”…

Look, if you want out of the vicious cycle of gaining and losing weight, feeling like crap, not having any energy, wishing you had a flatter stomach, more confidence, and wanting happiness again, you have to step up and say that you are in charge, not the circumstance!

Without that self-accountability, all the tools, tricks in the world won’t get you to where you want to go!

I can give you exercise tips and strategies

I can give you the right foods to eat

I can give the newest, most cutting edge fitness strategies in the world

I can give you really powerful mindset techniques

BUT, what I CAN’T give you is the drive to get you there.

I can’t give you the desire it takes

I can’t give you the dedication it takes

I can’t give you the patience it takes

and most importantly I can’t give you the self-responsibility that is absolutely critical to achieving any and all of your goals!

Remember, circumstances can’t dictate actions!

Here’s to you!

-Kal

Nov 15, 2010

Hey!

Hope you’re staying on track to your fitness goals!

When I first sit down with people to talk about nutrition, most people kinda come up with the same few problems most others have.

“I don’t know when to stop…I eat even though I’m not hungry”

“I eat really late”

“I don’t have my first meal until 1pm”

I got to thinking (which is sometimes scary!) a fun way to categorize some of the more popular fat loss “culprits” and how they sabotage themselves from achieving their goals.

So today’s post is going over the top 4 most popular categories most “diet problems” fall under, and what to do to fix those problems!

Check it out and leave a comment to let me know if you fall into any of these categories yourself or maybe even one that I missed!

Either way, enjoy!

1.  Carb-a-holics

DESCRIPTION: “Carb-a-holics” love their pastas, breads, cereals, potatoes, and rice.  Usual behaviors include combination of any of the above food items.   Carbaholics like their sister offenders, “Sugar-Free Freaks”, exude energy-mood swings often times ‘crashing’, when blood sugar levels are low.

The problem with carb-lovers is that carb ≠ bad.  In fact out of the macro-nutrients (carbs, fats, protein) you should be taking in carbs the most.  The problem is usually 1 of 2 things.

1. Simple, white, starchy carbohydrates
2. Over-portioning

Jen just put together a video a little while ago on what a real portion of pasta should look like.  To watch the healthy pasta video, click on this link…it’s perfect for you if you’re a pasta-nut!

SOLUTION: Like I said, carbs are essential and healthy.  They provide necessary nutrients for basic brain function, not to mention energy throughout the day…this was one of the biggest complaints amongst low-carb dieters (lack of energy!)

Here are some tips for carbaholics:

1. Swap out, mornings especially, the simple, white, high sugary carbs for more complex, dense carbs like oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, and 100% whole wheat bread (has to say 100%…don’t fall for “wheat bread”).  All of these process a lot slower than the white stuff leaving more sustained energy.  Plus it leaves you full (see “Grazers”) preventing you from overeating throughout your day.
2. If you’re making pasta at home, actually measure out a whole cup of precooked pasta.  You’d be amazed to see the difference and how many extra calories you’re used to having with your ‘normal’ portioning.  If you’re eating out and order a pasta, chances are they’ve at least DOUBLED your portion.  Ask for a box, and immediately remove half of your dish for lunch tomorrow.
3. Stockpile on your carb’s early in the day (breakfast, first snack, and lunch).  As the day progresses you should be taking in less and less carbs leaving the primary source of them to be veggies and maybe a sweet potato for your dinner.  This is a biggie for most people, because it’s the opposite in a lot of cases…a lot of clients complain that after dinner they crave munchies or sweets.  A lot of times this is because of a lack of carbs from earlier in the day, so make that change!
4. **** A neat little trick that Jen just told me, is to load up on veggies before eating your side of carbs.  Most people do the opposite, which causes a longer delay from your brain telling you you’re full.
   

I grew up in a middle eastern family, fortunate enough to have a fresh home-cooked meal every night for dinner.  It was normal to have a big serving of white rice, alongside white potatoes and white bread to top it all off!  I can empathize with carboholics because I can take down a pot of pasta with the best of them!  I can tell you these techniques have helped me and a lot of people to slowly transition to a more balanced serving of carbs!

2.  “Grazers”

DESRIPTION: The simple act of grazing…not like goats or nothin…is actually a good thing.  You’re getting a constant supply of food in your system, keeping your metabolism running…yay!

So what’s the bad?

Well, for example, a lot of the full time moms we’ve worked with over the years have complained that while they’re preparing lunch for the kids it’s just too easy for them to swoop a couple goldfish crackers in their mouth or finish what the kids left on their plates.

The problem with grazers may or not be what they’re eating as much as how much they’re eating.

The first thing we ask our personal training clients to do is to keep a journal of what they’re eating, how much of it they’re eating, and what time they’re eating it.  It’s usually then that most grazers realize just how much they’re actually consuming each day!

Remember…calories count…all of them!

SOLUTION: The first thing you have to get under control is a schedule of when you eat.  Now I told you that I have my clients keep a food journal which is a pretty, self-admittedly, tedious and mundane task but I can’t state just how important it really is!

BUT! I have something even better

I call it “Pre-Recording”.  It runs a little something like this…

I don’t know about you but carrying around a notebook everywhere with you noting all the things you eat sounds like a pain in the butt (it is!).  I also don’t want you to go back through your day and then try to journal all at once.  A lot of times, you forget exactly what you ate and what time you ate it at, not to mention we tend to forgive ourselves by not writing certain things down!

So what I started doing was, every night before bed I would write down everything I was planning on eating the next day.  I would write it like normal…what? what time? how much?  Except, by writing it down before I actually ate it, I pre-programmed my brain to know when and what to eat the next day!

The benefits of this technique is immeasurable!  Whether you’re a grazer, carbaholic or any of the other culprits…pre-recording is going to save you a ton of heartache and give you the upper edge to getting to your goals!

3.  Sugar-Free Freaks

DESCRIPTION: You’ll find sugar-free freaks indulging in all sorts of goodies like cookies, yogurt, soda, ice cream, and cake getting their sweet fix in, without worrying about taking in a lot of sugar.

These foods skip white sugar and are swapped with an artificial sweetener like sucralose (Splenda), saccharin (Sweet-n-low), aspartame (Equal).  The hook behind these sweeteners is they’re a diabetic safe food additive.  Really, though, that it’s a mask for diabetics to continue unhealthy habits as opposed to fixing the root of their problems.

It’s pretty much common knowledge now that these fake sugars are linked to cancer causing agents.  Even though it’s never been proven to be the case in humans but instead lab mice, this stuff is crap and needs to be removed from your food as much as possible.

Sugar-free freaks are the toughest to fix out of all the other culprits.  These fake sugars are anywhere from 50-200 times sweeter than real sugar!! Now even though there’s no caloric value to them, at the end of the day they cause a lot of people to over eat at other times!

SOLUTION: First of all, I wanna make it clear I’m talking to sugar-free freaks here.  This doesn’t apply if you have the rare Diet-Coke.

Again, this is tricky because if you go cold turkey and try to drop the fake stuff too fast, you’ll fall into things like headaches, low energy and grogginess.  Instead, ween off steadily like one less Equal every week until you get down to nothing.

If the urge to have something sweet does kick in, it’s cool to have real sugar.  I know it’s higher in calories but the artificial sweeteners slow down your metabolism forcing you to burn less calories than normal, so think big picture!

4.  Liquid Dieters

DESCRIPTION: Liquid dieters by and large eat pretty well.  You’ll find a lot of them are able to resist sweets, some even rarely eat all together.  Instead these guys save up their calories from food and spend it on nutrition sources like beer, whiskey, wine, and other alcoholic goodies.

Here’s the problem.  There’s nothing wrong with having a drink a day. Heck, have two…but understand this is probably the single fastest, most effective way to get your butt into shape.

Typically if you’re drinking, you’re doing so late at night (if you’re drinking all day, I highly recommend getting help outside of hiring a personal trainer) which is when you should be laying low on consuming calories.  Second, no one gets hammered on a single shot of vodka (except maybe Jen!).  Last, the question of What are you drinking comes up as a low-carb beer vs. a cosmo tell two different stories….

Check out what some popular drinks run in terms of calories:

A light beer = 55-110 cal

A martini = 200-400 cal

A rum and coke = 150 cal

A margarita will set you back 400-600 calories per!!

SOLUTION: Stop Drinking!!  Seriously though, I know I sound like a party pooper but I may have on average 2 beers a month..I personally don’t like booze, but if you do here are a couple suggestions:

1. Stay away from mixed drinks…rarely is it the alcohol in a drink that sets it overboard.  Instead it’s things like sour mix, soda, red bull, and juices that pack on all the sugar and calories.  Good mixers are water, tonic water, soda water, and diet sodas (see “Sugar-free freaks”).
2. Drink water – a cool trick is to drink a glass of water in between alcoholic drink.  Doing so slows down how much booze you’re drinking, not to mention it makes you bloated making you less apt to have another round.

And there you have it! Hopefully some light was shed on how to get around some of these really popular diet setbacks and you gained some insight on how to get on track!

Have an awesome one!!

Nov 10, 2010

Hey,

I hope you’re having a great week!

Getting in shape back in the old days was easy wasn’t it? I wasn’t around but judging by all this cool stuff I found, it sure beats counting calories:

The 1955 Fat Jiggling Machine – just stand there and let the machine shake the fat away

“Sanitized Tape Worms”

Need I say more???

When you compare this stuff to the modern day “get rich quick” schemes of weight loss (The Maple Syrup Diet, Cabbage Soup Diet, No Carb Diet, etc), one thing’s for certain.  There’s always going to be the temptation and tiny little voice in the back of your head that wants to believe the claims of instant results, no matter how outlandish they are or whatever type of soft-bodied animal they decide to stick in your stomach.

….

If you’ve been following this blog you’ll know that I like to post different tips and strategies to cutting fat and getting sick results.  They’re meant to be added to an existing fitness plan.  If we were talking about building a house, any tips or tricks or tools to get in shape are kinda like windows and doors.

They’re essential to adding…but before you add those, you have to make sure you have a solid foundation and framing underneath you first.

Well consider this your foundation and framing.  The plan I’m about to give you is going to be able to serve you whether you’re on the outside looking in (haven’t gotten your butt up to start exercising yet), or are already exercising and watching what you eat, but can’t seem to see the results you’re looking for.

These are the same principles I use with our clients at Boca Fit Body Bootcamp:

1.  A Kick-Butt Resistance Routine

The days of doing just cardio are long gone.  It was normal to think that the only people who should be lifting weights are guys who want to put on size.  Now it’s pretty much common knowledge that that’s bogus and that anyone regardless of their fitness goals needs to incorporate a resistance routine.

The question is always, though…What? How much? How long?

Again, before, most fitness centers would have elaborate machines where most trainers would take you through one exercise at a time working out usually one muscle group at a time.  It took too long, too boring, and it’s the wrong philosophy for someone who’s looking to have a consistent lean look.

The kind of resistance exercise, especially if you’re looking to look tone without bulk is high intensity interval training (HIIT).  The idea of this is real simple.  In a short amount of time (30 – 90 seconds) you push your body to its max by performing as many reps of the exercise as you can in that given time frame.

Then, with little to no rest, you hop into another exercise and perform that as many times as you can in X seconds.

By performing these exercises at maximum output your heart rate sky rockets, your body fatigues a whole lot quicker, and you see results 10X quicker.

Two things to note are to make sure you’re performing exercises that involve multiple muscle groups (ie. pushups, squats) and you’re changing up the routine on a regular basis.  This keeps your body guessing, and prevents plateauing.

Click on this link to see an interval training video.

2.  The Right Nutrition

This one gets a little tricky because whereas there’s some agreement between fitness experts regarding the right way to exercise, there’s a million different opinions on the best way to eat.

I’m going to be honest when I say that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all method of eating to get fit.

These are just a few of the factors we taking into consideration when putting together a meal plan:

• What is your goal how long do you have to get there?  There’s a big difference between losing 10 lbs in 2 weeks vs 5 weeks (but also a big difference in ability to keep it off).
• What’s your day to day schedule like?
• Health/calorie/nutrient/medical/allergy limitations?
• Age?
• Sex?
• Current physical status?

So obviously, a lot of factors come into play…I’m going to put the health ones aside for a second, and just talk about the very first bullet point because when we formulate a nutrition plan for someone…most of what we instruct to eat is based around “What is your goal?”

If you have a wedding to go to in 2 months and you’re 30 lbs away from your goal look, is it possible to get you there? Sure.  Is it likely you’re going to keep that figure soon after the wedding? Nope…

Ideally we like to work with people who are under the realistic mindset of getting to their goals.

So assuming you’re willing to accept that your goal to lose the last 5 or the first 50 lbs is going to take time and diligent effort, here are the principles of eating the right way to get you there…

1. First of all, find out what your BMR (how many calories you burn at rest in a given day).  And then calculate what your daily caloric needs are.  There’s a cool calculator that does that for you.
2. Next, cut out no more than 300 calories per day out of that number and that’s the number of calories in a given day you should be taking in.  This is a fair number to get you a progressive reduction in weight without losing muscle.
   
3. Your nutrient breakdown should look a little something like this:

• Carbs = 50-60%

• Proteins = 25-30%

• Fats = 25-30%

1. Take in most of your carbs earlier to mid-day.  High carbohydrate breakfasts and lunches will keep you alert and full throughout the day, and prevent from late night cravings.
2. Starch does not equal bad! Espcially in the AM and pre-workout, you want simple, fast-processing sugars in your body for immediate energy.  In the evenings cut it down to slower, more complex carbs (ie. sweet potatoes)
3. Water, water, water…drink it….a lot! 64 oz in a day is standard but that’s not taking into consideration exercise, diuretics (coffee, tea, soda) or if you live in South Florida!

3.  The Right Mindset

I had a conversation with one of out clients that lost a ton of weight, looks fantastic…she told me she hadn’t looked the way she does now in more years than she can think of.

In our last weigh in, once again she had outstanding results and when I was jumping out of my shoes over how she looked, she looked indifferent.  When I asked her what she thought of her results and progress, she replied that she didn’t know how to accept her results, and that she almost felt wrong to look this good! WOW, talk about a profound statement!

The truth is, this isn’t the first time I’ve had this sort of conversation with clients in the past.  What’s missing in these cases is having the right mindset from the very beginning.

So many people sabotage themselves believe it or not when they are en route to success, because it’s so different than where their normal “comfort zone”.  They feel guilty for feeling and looking good.

On the flip side, some people never get the ball rolling or see success because they feel like it isn’t possible to achieve the results they’re looking for.  And I can tell you that whether you believe you’re worthy or not….you’re absolutely right!

The thoughts you feed your mind will ultimately declare truth…regardless as to what you tell yourself, good or bad, positive or negative…it’s true!  So here are critical steps you need to take before stepping foot into a gym, hiring a trainer, or picking up a weight:

1. Take the time to answer the question, “What is my ultimate goal?”  If failure didn’t exist, what would you look like? How would you feel in a perfect world? What do you weigh? Answer as many questions to paint an image of the perfect you.  The more vivid, the more clear you can see that image, the better ingrained it becomes.
2. Spend 15-20 minutes every day, ideally the same time.  Shut off your phone, lock the door, find a place where you can’t be bothered.  Now close your eyes and visualize that image from Step 1.  Create a mental movie where you’d the lead actor.  Try to replay that perfect movie over and over again each day.
3. Work your way backwards from the image.  In order for that person in Step 1 to become real, what has to happen?  What would have to change in your life for that to become a reality? Be honest with yourself and list the necessary changes you need to make starting right now for that to ring true.

The most important thing that has to happen for all of this to come true, is you have to have the slightest bit of belief.  Belief that you CAN and DESERVE all the success you want, and that the things you dream and visualize will come true.  If you have the belief and you know what your ultimate goal is (Steps 1-3) the only thing left is the plug in the missing pieces (Step 3)!

4.  Rest

This one seems simple, but for whatever reason everyone I talk to and meet complains about fatigue and exhaustion.  Sleep deprivation is a huge problem for a lot of people.  Personally, sleep and rest are on my top 3 daily priority lists right after breathing.  If I don’t get 7 hours (I know I need 8), I’m a wreck.  I nap often, and I allow 1-2 days per week of no resistance or cardio.

No I don’t have kids, no I don’t have a 9-5…but I’m serious when I say I schedule in my sleep periods like I would a doctor’s appointment, and I’d love to break down your schedule to find the necessary 6-8 hours you need per day:

Work (about 8 hours) + Travel time to/from work (about 2 hours) + Life…pick up/drop off kids, make dinner, family, TV (about 7 hours) = 17 hours…still leaving 7 hours of rest/sleep.

I won’t mention the health and mental benefits of rest because I’m confident you know them, but I will mention from a fitness stand point, when your body doesn’t get the right amount of rest it needs, muscle breakdown occurs because of overuse and it slows down your ability to lose fat!
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And that’s it, in a nutshell…your foundation to getting the body and feel you want!

I hope you got a lot of content you can put to use right away.  I’d love to hear what you think, so drop a comment below and let me hear your thoughts!

Have an awesome day!

Hey,

Hope you’re doing awesome!

When most people tell me their nutrition struggles, it’s usually a few of the same problems a lot of people have…

“I get late-night cravings”

“I love my sweets”

“I’m too busy to eat during the day”

“I love carbs!!”

There’s a few more but one honorable mention is, and I guess this one fits under the ‘I love carbs’ category, “I love pasta”.

What drives most people up the wall about pasta is just how little a suggested serving size is.  The average person’s dish of spaghetti is actually 4 servings…that’s 800 calories and about 160 grams of carbs, oh by the way throw it meatballs and sauce!

Oh one more thing: those are averages for pasta made at home…going out for dinner? You can very easily expect to double those numbers! (Might be one of the few times a Big Mac would be the healthier option).

Now, I’m not saying pasta is bad for ya.  In fact, for earlier in the day it’s an optimal meal.  Plus there are a couple healthier choices you could make.

With that said, Jen put together a video on just what a real portion of pasta should look like, how to jazz it up to make it look fuller, and tasty…check it out!