Pressing the "Reset Button"

Anyone concerned with sustained health through proper nutrition and fitness already knows or will soon find out that regimentation is of great importance.  Due to the societal "norms" of American consumption of foods and the apparent ability to make a living without physical output, one must step outside of these "norms".  I like what writer Joel Salatin says in his popular book Folks, This Ain't Normal, the way we live now is not normal based on human physical design. 

Yes, we must create a new normal or even better go back to the "old normal" where we avoided many illnesses of today simply by eating health safe food and much more physical movement.  Because this is not normal today, we have to build a regiment that keeps our bodies well nourished and physically fit.  But because this isn't normal, we sometimes find ourselves in the company of friends and associates that influence us (not necessarily with ill intent) to get off of our regiment onto that slippery slope that leads to loss of nourishment and fitness.  When we find ourselves in this position, we must at the very next opportunity press that "reset button" that puts us right back on our regiment.

Here are some tips for resetting after you have "slipped":

1. Visualize your goals regarding how you want to look and feel.
2. Take the very next opportunity to exercise and element of your regiment.  If you fuel your body every 3 hours, then within 3 hours you have an opportunity to get back to your healthy eating plan.
3. If you exercise at a prescheduled time, let nothing stop you from making that workout schedule.  Your associates will respect you if you have to excuse yourself.
4. Create distance between you and anything that you are exposed to at the moment that is not in line with your regiment.  IE., food, drink...
5. Explain to your associates how important it is for you to "reset".  You may in turn be an influence to them.
6. Pray for strength. 

It is easy to allow too much time to pass while being stimulated by the pleasures of indulgences outside your regiment.  As soon as possible hit your "reset button" or you could find that you consider giving in.  Don't do it!  Take the steps above and enjoy sustained health and fitness!

Assign Values to Foods We Eat.

When deciding on food choices in this day and time, there is a need to place values on the foods we eat.  There was a time long ago when most foods had a similar value in that they were mostly good for us to consume.  Not any more.  As food makers become more cleaver at influencing our food choices, it becomes down right burdensome to place value on individual foods. 

this is what I believe is one of the main problems we face as a society of people attempting to maintain bood health throught nutrition.  The big problem is that many people have assigned value on these foods using the wrong criteria.  For example, someone might place a high value on a particular food because it tastes extremely good, or because others in their social network like to consume it.  Others might consider the low cost of a food to be a percieved value.

If we really are concerned about health and long term wellness including fat loss we must assign value to our food based on sound nutritional principles.  With the exception of occasional treat foods, we should use the folwoing criteria to place value on our foods:

1. Nutritional content
2. Ability to fuel daily activities and brain function
3. Ability to fight disease

Foods that meet these needs should have the highest value and be consumed the most, as this will lead to a long term health and personal productivity.  So each time you consume any food, ask yourself "what is this food's real value to me given the goals I have for health and wellness?"

Food Addiction

Addiction - the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit forming, such as a narcotic, to such an extent that its cessation causes a severe trauma.

The more my experience grows in the business of coaching people in areas of weight loss and fitness it becomes increasingly apparent that many people are unable to become healthy and fit due to Food Addiction.  Food has become a center of pleasure that is so strong and enslaving that very little attention is given to the nutritional content of the food.

This is a relatively new phenomenon that came about largely because food manufacturers, in an effort to make more sales, included ingredients or combinations of ingredients that make certain foods extremely tasty, but at the same time causing problems such as toxicity and overconsumption.  Many people that I talk to know that these foods are causing them to experience less of life, but are so enslaved to these highly palatable foods that they simply have decided that they will experience the pleasure of these "foods" at the expense of good health.

So what do we do to help this situation?  First, we need to recognize this enslavement to highly palatable foods as an addiction and to treat it as such.  Second, we must find a way to separate ourselves from these "foods" and find ones that are nutritious and tasty, but not laced with agents that bombard our pleasure center in the brains causing us to over consume.  The foods are available.  They may even cost a little more, but are well worth the extra effort to find, purchase and prepare.
 
Soon enough after consistently consuming tasty, healthy foods, our pleasure center that called for the unhealthy, highly palatable food will begin to quiet and we get on with the business of fat loss and good health.

Control Inflammation with Food

Choices!

When I was 34 years old I visited my doctor for a check up.  I had always been active and relatively fit, so I expected everything to check out just fine as usual.  This check up was different; my blood pressure was high as was my cholesterol.  WHAT?!  I did physical labor all day (I was a landscaper at the time). 


What I didn't realize was that just because I looked relatively fit outwardly, I had symptoms of joint pain.  I explained the joint pain by thinking, "well, I've been involved in sports my whole life, and now I lift trees and boulders every day for a living, I've just worn my body out".  As I began to research these two diseases, I found out that much of what I was experiencing was due to inflammation caused by the foods I was consuming. 

I found that certain foods, such as processed, sugary foods, could cause me to feel achy and stiff, also causing inflammation in my veins and arteries.  At that time I started to clean up my diet.  I was able to avoid taking blood pressure medication and cholesterol medication which made me extremely happy.  I knew of the side effects associated with the drugs, and I didn't want to endure those.

But this didn't completely resonate until I started to compete as a natural bodybuilder at the age of 40.  What I noticed was that when I conformed strictly to a bodybuilding eating style, eating only healthy, whole, unprocessed foods I felt almost no joint pain (even where old sports injuries plagued me).  Not only did I feel better physically, but my blood pressure and cholesterol were at their lowest points ever.

Overjoyed, I took this way of eating as a lifestyle.  At this point, 20 years later, after my doctor suggested that I would need medciation for blood pressure and cholesterol, I still do not need it.

You see, I have CHOSEN to let my food be my medication!

Choices!

Mini Breakfast Frittata

One special request we get continually is for a fast, healthy and tasty breakfast.  This recipe fits all those requests.  This recipe can be made ahead, frozen and popped into the microwave for 1 minute. 
Each frittata in this recipe will have the equivalent of one egg, so you can adjust the servings to your nutritional requirements.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of veggies (mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, zucchini, asparagus, jalapenos, spinach, bell peppers, or whatever you like) 
• 12 Eggs (only 6 yellows)
• 1/3 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Hot Sauce (Optional)
• Fresh Herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley, basil...) (Optional)

 

Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees.
Spray oil in muffin tin
Sautee veggies on low heat in olive oil until tender. Pour veggies in a colander to drain and cool.  (You will end up with about 1 cup of veggies)  Lightly mix the eggs and almond milk.  Add the cooled veggies. Add salt, pepper, hot sauce and/or any fresh herbs you like.  Evenly spoon mixture into 12 muffin tins.  Bake for approximately 10 minutes.  The frittatas are done when the center is firm to touch)  Don't overcook.  Remove from the muffin tins and cool.  Can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or frozen.  When ready to eat pop in the microwave and warm.

This tastes like an omalet.  You can top with salsa, and avocado or eat with a piece of fruit for a delicious healthy breakfast.  It is perfect to grab and eat on the go.  Enjoy!

Recovery Nutrition

This year at the Reebok Crossfit Games I was very in tune with my need to recover quickly between the very intense workouts. These bouts of maximum output from my cardiovascular, muscular, skeletal, and mental functions left me depleted.  In order to be ready to repeat this act 3 hours later depended largely on my ability to recover.

My recovery regiment worked really well this year.  To begin   with I was sure to stay hydrated by minimizing caffeine.  Over the course of the last several months before the games I reduced my reliance on caffeine for pre-workout energy; using it, but sparingly.  I drank my own home made hydration drinks that consisted of filtered water, chia seeds and some other anti-inflammatory food.  Example - black cherry juice, freshly squeezed lime or lemon and a splash of honey or agave nectar.  I also used mustard on my grass fed beef.  I used turmeric capsules to reduce inflammation.

In order to refuel I used Medjool dates, which are almost pure glucose to replace the glycogen stores (my main source of fuel).  It enters the blood stream very quickly.  I also used 100% pure egg protein powder, chocolate flavor, to add to the energy pool as this has some caffeine to dilate the blood vessels.  Almond milk was used to make the drink, which is helpful also with hydration.  This recovery "meal" did not take up much room in my stomach, was easy to digest, and easy to transport.  It worked like a charm.  This year at the Reebok Crossfit Games I felt physically better on day 3 than I did on day 1 thanks to good recovery nutrition.

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Roasted Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is a complete protein, which means it provides all nine essential amino acids necessary for good health. Amino acids support strong muscles, keep our immune systems in tip-top shape and do lots of other stuff to keep our bodies healthy—thing is, not all plant-based proteins are created equal. Wheat, rice and most other grains are missing one or more essential amino acids. Quinoa is also gluten-free. Incorporate quinoa into your diet - starting with this recipe (this recipe makes 4 servings):

Roasted Butternut Squash and Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked Quinoa
• 1 (1 ½-pound) butternut squash, peeled and diced into ¾-inch cubes
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• ½ cup pecans, toasted
• Apple Cider Vinaigrette Dressing
• ½ cup apple cider
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

• 1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• 2. Place the butternut squash on a sheet pan. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the maple syrup, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper, and toss. Roast the squash for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until tender.
• 3. While the squash is roasting, combine the apple cider, vinegar, shallots, garlic, and ginger in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the cider is reduced to about ¼ cup. Off the heat, whisk in the mustard, ⅓ cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon of pepper.
• 4. In a large salad bowl, add the roasted squash, cooked quinoa, pecans, and cranberries. Spoon just enough vinaigrette over the quinoa to moisten and toss well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

• Servings : 4

This recipe and information was taken from Ancient Harvest website. I typically buy my quinoa from the bulk bends in most health food stores - it's much cheaper to buy bulk. Visit the Ancient Harvest website for more information on quinoa and more recipes.

Fat Loss - 1st Step

Fat Loss 1st Step

 

Anyone interest in fat loss must be concerned with the leading cause of fat gain in today's society.  That is high levels of insulin which by the way causes more damage to the body than excess fat storage.  It must be noted that when insulin levels are high your body stops using it's stored fat for energy thus causing this excess fat to continue to accumulate giving us that added layer of fat.  This ability to store fat is what saves us during times of famine, but that is another story.

 

The first step to losing excess fat is to control insulin levels, keeping them more constant thus allowing your body to continue using stored fat for energy.  The best way to accomplish this is to reduce the amont of sugar injested.  This is a tricky task as sugar is EVERYWHERE in our modern food supply, even in unsuspecting foods.

 

Start your fat loss today by learning how much sugar you injest each day.  The most obvious way is to read your food lables.  You can also track sugar on the web (www.thecaloriecounter.com) or an app on your phone that will tell sugar grams.  Gradually reduce your sugar consumption to 25 grams or less per day for women, and 35 grams or less per day for men.