Summer is well & truly here!

I don’t like to keep going on about food, but it is apart from Mind/Set , which my Ebook soon to be released covers, the single greatest shift we can ALL make to get into a better place about our bodies.

TO GET WHAT WE HAVE NEVER HAD, WE MUST FIRST BE READY TO DO WHAT WE NEVER HAVE DONE BEFORE.

Smaller Portions

What we have been taught for years is to have breakfast, lunch and dinner. What is  starting to become common knowledge is to have smaller portions more frequently during the day. By doing this, it helps to keep your blood sugar levels stable over the course of the day. By keeping your blood sugar levels stable throughout the day it helps to increase energy, and also aids in burning unnecessary fat. Even though you are having many small meals throughout the day, remember to keep them balanced with carbohydrates, proteins and essential fats.

It doesn’t take much to live a healthy lifestyle, just better choices on a daily basis. We all have people that care about us, take the time to show them that you care about yourself as well.

Fresh Is Best

Raw and fresh fruits and vegetables have live food enzymes. Enzymes are the life force of the food. They unlock nutrients and assist in the digestion and absorption of foods. The simplest way to understand this is to notice what happens to a piece of fruit as it ripens. Once it is overripe the food enzymes go to work to “break it down” as it decomposes. Foods with enzymes aid in their own digestion within the body, thereby improving absorption of nutrients and elimination. Simply put, this is less stress on your body as it has to produce less enzymes for the process of digestion and promotes intestinal health.

Preparation

Planning and preparation is a big key to building those healthy habits. Take a look at how you want your life to look in one week, one month and one year. Plan the actions which will get you to the goals that you have picked out for yourself. Planning for meals will ensure that you are putting the proper foods into your body. Plan time to go to the gym or even go for a walk. If you don’t set an exact time to work out it becomes very easy to put it off till later and even just not go at all. The old saying ‘Tomorrow never comes’

You can incorporate this preparation and planning into any aspect of your life. By doing this you will find that you have much more free time and less stress.

Remember to have what you have never had before, you must be prepared to do what you have never done before!!!

P.S. I will be sending a link soon that you can buy my Ebook – 17 years of learning – Mind/Set To Fitness @ $14.95.

Coconut Oil: A smarter oil you can use in cooking to replace the others in your kitchen

Coconut oil is the smartest oil you can use in cooking. This can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid  and caprylic acid, and its properties which are antimicrobial,antioxidant.

The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin which is claimed to help in dealing with viruses and bacteria causing diseases such as herpes and influenza. As a result of these various health benefits of coconut oil,it has been used for thousands of years in Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medical system.

As well as improving digestion and absorption of other nutrients including vitamins,minerals and amino acids,it boosts energy and endurance enhancing physical and athletic performance.

In aiding weight loss it helps improve insulin secretion and utilization of blood glucose. This in turn helps us to crave less carbohydrates and will in turn help us lose weight.

While coconut oil possesses many health benefits due to its fiber and nutritional content, its the oil that makes it a remarkable food and medicine.

It breaks down quickly and is burned for fuel long before it can be stored as fat.

When we think about saturated fat, we most times think of the 18 – carbon long-chain fatty acids found in meat and dairy products. But medium chain fatty acids (MCFAS) in coconut oil are different.

Since MCFAS are shorter, they contain only 6 calories per gram, as opposes to 9 calories like longer saturated fats. For the same satisfying taste, you save 1/3 the calories over meat and dairy products.

Summary

To conclude, coconut oil reduces your fat calories by a third, tends to be burned for energy rather than stored as fat, promotes the metabolism of stored fat, and keeps your thyroid firing up on all cylinders. As a result of being more energetic, you tend to exercise more and work harder, so you burn     even more fat!

Make it a great start to your Summer!

Read more about my customized training program here

We’re here Summer- long days and a time to enjoy the abundant beauty of the Universe.

Exercise Intensity- How much is beneficial?

How does one know if they are working at the optimum intensity for them?

Intensity is very much a matter of an individuals level that they would be best to work at. Two methods of judging the right intensity for cardio/aerobic work are;

Talk Test

This is a traditional stand-by, where by if a person can talk with steady, uninterrupted speech then he/she is not working too intensely for a healthy person.

Rate of Perceived Exertion

This is a subjective method to rate an individual’s rate of aerobic exertion on a scale of 1 (least effort) through 10 (most effort).

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, cardiovascular benefits are attained at the rating of #4 (somewhat strong) – 5 (strong).

This is a better barometer of work rate for people who have not done much consistant cardiovascular training for any period of time, than using a target heart rate.

No effort. 0

Very weak 1

Weak 2

Moderate 3

Somewhat Strong 4

Strong 5-6

Very Strong 7-9

Finding your target heart rate zone using the Karvonen Method /or Heart Rate Reserve

Take 220 – Your Age Predicted Maximum Heart Rate (APMHR)This is a calculation of the highest heart rate you can achieve for your age.

Take your APMHR, subtract your Resting Heart Rate (RHR). The RHR is best taken upon arising.

This equals your Heart Rate Reserve (HRR) or the difference between your lowest/highest heart rate.

Take your HRR and multiply .5. Add back your RHR to each and this will give you the lower end of your target heart rate zone.

Once again go back to your HRR and now multiply by .85. Add back your RHR to each and this will give
your upper end of THR.

For ease of taking your heart rate while exercising divide those numbers by 6 so you can take a 10 second pulse beat.

Example:

220 – 30(years old) = 190 APMHR

190 – 48 (your RHR) = 142

145 * 5 = 76 (HR diff)

+48 (RHR) = 124

132 *.85 = 122 (HOUR diff + 48 (RHR) = 161

Target Heart Rate Range: 124 -171

Or divide by 6 = 31 – 37 beats/10secs.

Stay blessed/ Enjoy.

Read more about my customized training program here

Summer Fast Approaching!

Is Milk /Dairy Healthy?

The truth exposed about dairy consumption

I get many emails, and also questions from potential clients/people who say they eat a ‘healthy diet’. When I ask them how they eat in a day, many times it is not healthy at all.

They are mislead by the media and advertising, and are not being fed the best information with regard to the optimum diet for maximum health.

We have all heard the slogans “milk is the perfect food,” “milk does a body good,” “milk builds strong bones,” “milk will help weight loss,” etc.

These slogans such as “Got Milk” are designed by the industry to get you to buy the product.

You may remember the slogan that Camel Cigarettes used “more doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette,” and “Camels are good for digestion.” As you can gather all these slogans are made with getting your money in mind — not making you healthy.

Milk and Dairy Truths

Besides humans, no other species drinks milk beyond infancy, or drinks the milk of another species.

Cow’s milk is intended for the nutritional needs of calves, who actually have four-part stomachs.

Milk/cheese is high in cholesterol, fat and sodium. Most dairy products including ice cream, cheese, yogurt, casein, are a very likely cause for our increased rate of obesity, currently at 65%, and many other health problems.

Cow’s milk has been connected to food allergies, bloating, digestive disorders, high cholesterol, fatigue etc.

The most interesting question is where do the Cows get calcium from? From plants. So a good idea would be to include a big green salad, kale, spinach, etc in at least two of your daily meals, if you are concerned about getting your calcium.

If you want to lose fat, feel better and be healthy cut out ALL dairy products!

Read more about healthy “Lifestyle” eating here

We all at times feel like not exercising. Where do you find the motivation to exercise?

You are not alone when you ask yourself this question. The best way forward is to get out of our heads about exercise and just take action steps.

Some ways to motivate ourselves to exercise work better than others. Through my experience as a trainer working with many clients, I have put the following list together…

1. Make it enjoyable and fun to do

Find something that you enjoy doing. Sure, you may think that cardio machines in the gym are as boring as ‘egg whites’, but you can make them much more fun by listening to your choice music, or a great book on your I-Pod.

2. Visualization

Visualize how you will look getting that 20lbs off, or on how you’ll feel when you harden your mid-section. Picture  yourself doing cardio for 30 minutes and feeling fresh and wanting to do more!

If you can only do 10 push-ups and want to do 15, visualize yourself doing them by counting to 15 one at a time. Visualization is used by many top athletes to get them past performance plateaus.

3. Sign up for a fitness event.

A 5k race can be motivating, inspirational and fun, giving you a deadline to aim for. It will give your training more purpose.

4. Think about how you will feel if you don’t train

When you exercise you experience the release of endorphins in your body which give you a natural high. How do you want to feel today? Sluggish or energized? The amount of time as individuals that we spend thinking about exercise is great. Have you ever stopped and wondered how much? Nothing will change if we think, only if we take control and do it will we see change! Cause and effect at it’s best!

Lastly just enjoy and the future will come and will be as good as we make it!

Read more about my training philosophy here

Move away from Sudafed and all the over the counter “Wonder chemicals,” as they just mask the symptoms… alas after 3 weeks of use one is better!!!

Beat the Flu Naturally Occurring Supplements

Research has shown that Olive Leaf Extract with high levels of Oleuropein can offer the best way to boost immune system against many types of bacteria, viruses, yeasts and fungi.

The great thing about olive leaf (Oleuropein), is that unlike synthetic flu shots or antibiotics, it does not destroy the good bacteria, only the bad bacteria. It acts as a natural broad-spectrum antibiotic, anti-viral/fungal, anti-bacterial compound.

It does this when taken orally, by dissolving the outer lining of the infectious germs, and hence then penetrates the infectious germs/cells preventing more from forming.

The effective part of Olive Leaf is a phyto-chemical compound called Oleuropein extracted from Mission and Manzanillo olive trees.  (Learn more about maintaining optimal fitness by taking the right supplements here).

A person’s immune system becomes weakened when fighting an influx of bacteria and infectious germs, making the body more susceptible to sickness.

When Olive leaf is taken orally, two natural enzymes in the body – esteraize and beta-glucosidase – convert the Oleuropein in Olive leaf to elolenic acid. Elolenic acid helps boost your immune system.

Recommended Dosage for Olive Leaf Extract Supplement

• 2 capsules 900MG ( approx) 3* per day for 3 days when symptoms first occur.
• 1 capsule 2x per day for maintenance.

Need a personal trainer and nutritional counselor to help you craft a customized fitness, nutrition, and supplement plan for you?

Resetting Goals

There are many ways to reach goals,and using the following tools will help you:

1) Write down all your goals to give them more force and have a clear picture of what you want.

2) Be Precise

Set deadlines, putting dates and time by when goals need to be achieved. Keep goals incremental and attainable, that way you will know when an exact goal has been met. Always reward yourself for having achieved it.

3) Prioritize

When you have several goals, set them by priority. This helps make them stronger by compartmentalizing them, and not diluting by having too many set at one time, often leading to stress and reduced quality of completion.

4) Set goals that are “performance” related, not outcome focused

It is best to set goals that you have more influence as to their outcome. It can be disappointing to set goals that you don’t reach due to extenuating circumstances, business climate, bad judgment, poor weather etc. Outcome goals are uncertain due to the intangibles.

If goals are set on personal performance,or information/ skill to be acquired, then it is easier to influence the goals and gain satisfaction from them.

For example if you enter a Marathon and set a goal of being in the top 2000 finishers,you might achieve a personal best time in the race, but not be satisfied as you did not finish in the top 2000 finishers . As you set the outcome of finishing in the top 2000 finishers, then this would be a defeat. If you set a performance goal of achieving a certain time, then you will have achieved that goal and can draw confidence and personal satisfaction from this goal.

5) Keep goals small

What I mean by this is, set them as step by step to achieving your bigger goals. Derive today’s goals from larger ones. Always reward yourself, taking in the importance of the goal has on effecting others , and use the achievement of each to move you to the next.

SMART Goals Are:

* Specific
* Measurable
* Attainable
* Relevant
* Time- bound

Read Why My Training Program Delivers Unique Results

It would take me many pages to give you all there is about life extension, or delaying the onset of aging, and here I’m going to simplify it into a shorter form.

As we grow older, we suffer major declines in the hormones that we need to stay healthy. The main ones being testament , estrogen, progesterone ,melatonin and growth hormone.  This one growth hormone, is by far the most important.

It has been shown that while the aging pituitary gland adequately produces Growth Hormone, it’s secretion from the pituitary is down-regulated with age. 49 specific amino acids and vitamins have been shown to help maintain a healthy pituitary.

Natural growth hormone causes the body to:

• Burn body fat
• Increase muscle mass and skin thickness
• Improve immune function
• Improve well being
• Improve sleep
• Increase metabolism
• Thicker hair
• Feeling of well being
• Energy
• Increase bone density

And overall, you reduce the probability that you will spend the last years of your life in a nursing home.

In addition Growth Hormone stimulates the growth of organs that shrink with age, i.e. the heart, liver, kidneys, and thyroid.

Growth hormone can also stimulate production of insulin-like growth factor (IGF), which helps to optimise communication between the immune, nervous, and hormonal systems.

The principle behind the use of multiple growth hormone releasing compounds at the same time is called ’stacking’. The theory behind this principle is that since many of these compounds operate to stimulate GH release by different mechanisms, taking them together will cause a larger release effect.

(I will cover GH more in depth if you request it)! Reply to this email and let me know if you would want a separate newsletter with more info?

3 Supplements To Raise Your Growth Hormone (GH) Levels

L’Arginine & L’Ornithine

L’ Arginine is an essential amino acid. L’Ornithine can also be used together since it metabolizes to L’Arginine in the body. L’Arginine is required for the body to synthesise nitric oxide, which enables the arterial system to retain its youthful elasticity. Nitric oxide also helps to produce endothelial relaxation factor, which is needed by the arterial system to expand and contract with each heartbeat.

L’Arginine/ L’Ornithine /L’ Glutamine have been shown to promote natural growth hormone (GH) release from the pituitary gland. GH promotes healthy anabolic metabolism throughout the body, helping maintain protein synthesis within cells.

GH release is greater when releasers are taken on an empty stomach before exercise, awaking or at bedtime.

GH release may be improved if you take 1/2 to 1 gram of Pantothenic acid at the same time.

Supplement 1 & 2: L’Arginine & L’Ornithine 2000MG

Women

• 2 capsules upon awaking
• 2 capsules @ bedtime

Men

• 3 capsules upon awaking
• 3 capsules @ bedtime

Supplement 3: L’Glutamine. 1000MG

Women

Non- training days.

• 3000MG @ bedtime

Training days:

• 3000MG before training
• 3000MG @ bedtime

Men

Non- training days:

• 5000MG @ bedtime

Training days:

• 5000MG before training
• 5000MG @ bedtime

I am constantly striving to learn more and become better, to give you a better service. I thank you all, and remain blessed to have you in my life.

Learn More About Supplements for Training and Nutrition Here

It is now Fall and once again the holidays are approaching. It is a time to establish good habits, as for some people the holidays start on Halloween, and run through the 1st of the Year!!

Diets don’t work!

As you may know the things we are doing today are a learned behavior .  All the things we do today, good, or not so good, are part of a habit/pattern, that started out one day at a time, until they became part of us.

Diets are a cop-out. Diets are a way to trick ourselves into thinking we are doing something good and healthy for our bodies, while promising ourselves that we can still eat too much of everything we once we’re done being healthy.

You can’t be “done” being healthy any more than you can be “done” weeding a garden. Your body needs regular tending.

Learn How to Speed up Your Metabolism and Burn More Body Fat

Client Case Study

One of my clients, I’ll call her “Client ‘A,’” started out believing in diets. Client ‘A’ was about 45 years old, and weighed about 50 lbs more than she wanted to. She was marketing in the film industry, and very self- conscious. She had tried a trendy low-carb  diet , she had tried a protein – only diet, and had even tried the infamous ” nutritional cookie” diet, but nothing she had tried gave her lasting results, let alone the 50lbs loss she wanted.

“Whatever I do, I don’t seem to lose weight. I think I’m born to be fat,” she told me glumly at our first session. She couldn’t see it for herself, but just by continuing to try to get healthy, she was heading in the right direction.

But one of the problems client ‘A’ had before ,was that she never made permanent changes in her habits. Like many of my of my potential clients, ‘A’ wanted a short-term solution , a quick fix, that would allow her to go back to eating whatever she wanted eventually. Believe me, if there were any such solution, everyone would be lean already.

The secret to weight loss isn’t even a secret. You already know it. The ’secret’ is just that you have to learn to make healthy choices, and do it often enough, so that they replace existing not so good choices. It may sound hard to learn to make healthy choices most of the time, but your brain provides you with a handy coping mechanism; the easiest way to do something most of the time is to make it a habit!

Read and Watch More Client Testimonials Here

Replace your morning oatmeal with an apple.  That will help use your stored fat for energy. Also make sure to get your protein at breakfast and throughout the day as this will speed up your metabolism and say goodbye to those extra pounds.

Keep away from the high-glycemic carbs like cereals- white rice, breads and potatoes as much as possible. These foods will increase your Cortisol levels and lower your Serotonin causing you to want to eat more of them.

Instead for lunch eat brown rice or increase your salads/ vegetables. Drink at least 100 oz. of spring water per day as this metabolizes fat and keeps hunger in check.

A great low glycemic/sodium snack is the Greens+ high protein bar, giving you energy and stabilizing hunger. They are available for the best price I could find at the netrition website.

I want to thank you all for being awesome and know that you will have the leanest/fitest Summer yet!