With doing things better in mind, i think that you may all find this topic of interest… food labels, and the area where we can improve in our method of food selection.

Food Labels Exposed: Reasons Why It Would Be Good To be Food Label Savvy

Most people just eat whatever they want, without a clue about what they are actually about to put into their body to power it up, let alone the amount of proteins, carbohydrates, sodium and fats that the food they’re about to eat contains. When it comes to putting gas in their cars, however, they always check the fuel octane rating before putting in the pump. In order to function to your fullest potential, very much like your vehicle, you need to study the food labels of the products you buy to make certain that you are operating on full octane. Like at the gas station you will only know what you are putting in if you read the labels.

The standards on foods overseen by the US government requires labels to be 90% accurate, giving food companies plus or minus 10% for manufacturing fluctuations, and private recipes.

This gives the consumer a good idea of what they are about to put in their stomach’s.

The food label gives you the most important items in the “ingredients” list, starting with the items in descending order, the item that is present the most at the top, and the least at the bottom of the label.

The listed ingredients gives the potential customer the most candid opportunity to select what they want to nourish their bodies. A product may state “no trans fat”, but the label may list “partially hydrogenated oil”. This means that the product actually contains trans fats. The government guidelines state that 0.5 grams or less per serving to be considered trace. The catch 22 is that if you eat multiple servings, what was trace is now present in your diet!!

As with most things in life the list of ingredients is an interpretation of the label. A label may state there are 20 grams of carbohydrate, however, if you read the ingredients, you may discover that the carbohydrate is from corn syrup or added sugar, and not a healthful source. The list of ingredients is meant to make the label plain.

You will also want to keep a keen eye on the serving size as the company will sometimes try to be creative in listing mini-serving portions. When you start reading labels more, and in particular the ingredient list, you will begin to have a much better understanding of the food item you are considering. The key criteria to determine if a product or food source is one to buy, is wether it is healthful or unhealthful for your goal of fitness?

Light,
Nick

There has been a great deal of mixed findings over the last few years, whether or not fructose, a simple sugar or monsaccharide causes people to gain more weight than other types of carbohydrate.

Reasons for the controversy.

Fruit sugars (fructose) like glucose, or sucrose, which is a combination of fructose and glucose all have an effect of raising your insulin (blood sugar) and turn it into body fat (triglycerides), if they are not used for energy production. Insulin is released via the Pancreas into the bloodstream, which is then either used through the liver for immediate energy, or when there is more than can be used stored for another time as body fat (triglycerides) TG.

Fructose also has the ability to create lipogenesis if metabolized downstream through the liver. When there is an elevated amount of fructose in the liver it can be disturb glucose metabolism and uptake pathways, which then impacts ‘de nove’ lipogenesis and body fat (TG) synthesis, due to fructose catabolism. This imbalance to the metabolism is one of the most significant precursors to insulin resistance (Type 2 Diabetes).

The modern day diet with it’s increased consumption of refined carbohydrates and fructose, is a clear indicator that this is a major contributor to the current epidemic of metabolic syndrome (Type 2 Diabetes) , effecting 1 in 4  people either actively or on the borderline of being impacted. In a 2004 study reported in the American journal of Clinical Nutrition examining nutrient consumption in the US between 1909 and 1997, it was established that there was a significant correlation in the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes with the increase in consumption of corn syrup and total energy intakes, amounting to about 20g per day.

In the past people would consume fructose mostly from fresh fruits, however, in the modern American diet with added fructose and corn syrup in almost everything , that daily total has rocketed up to 100g+ per day. No wonder with the effects this has on the human body of rapid stimulus of lipogenesis and (TG), that insulin resistance and hence Type 2 diabetes have become an epidemic.

The big culprit is corn syrup sweeteners, that today represent approx 25% of total daily carbohydrate intake, an increase of 2200% over the last 50 years or so. The main reason why foods that have corn syrup/ corn syrup solids are so unhealthful, is that they neither stimulate insulin secretion nor reduce gherlin (hunger hormone) so you still feel hungry while the body converts the fructose into fat. This leads to compulsive overeating and chronic obesity, accompanied with the diseases that come with it, diabetes, high blood pressure etc.

Conclusion;

If your main goal is to lose body-fat , or get to a specific weight i would recommend limiting your fruit intake until such time that you have attained your desired weight. I would also suggest avoiding foods with corn syrup/ corn syrup solids as a sweetener, and select natural whole foods, paying extra care in studying food packaging labels. Keep your daily sugar content below 15 -20g total.

Weight and body composition are widely misunderstood, as one is not automatically an indication of the other. A person can look ‘slim’ but have an unhealthful amount of subcutaneous body-fat, and similarly a person can look ‘overweight’, and have less potentially unhealthful deposits of adipose body-fat. It’s not how much you weigh, but what you have that weighs!!

As people age they may stay the same body weight on the scale thinking that they are in ‘good shape’, but in reality they are losing lean muscle tissue and gaining fat, a condition known as Sarcopenia in older people.

This kind of change in your composition may indicate a decline in health, especially if you are piling up visceral fat around the abdominal organs.

People with Visceral fat have been shown to have an increased risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

In fact, a recent report disclosed that women who have two or more sugar-sweetened drinks per day are more likely to develop high triglyceride levels and visceral fat accumulation – even if they did not gain weight in general.

In fact the study concluded as follows

“It’s entirely possible for someone to be a ‘healthy’ weight, and have biochemical and physiological evidence of enhanced risk of disease.”

Can A Person Be ‘Slim’ and not be in peak health? Yes…

I’m sure that you’ve heard of the term ‘skinny-fat’. However, If you want to work off the basis of a generalization, it is true that overweight or very overweight people are more likely to be headed, or already in ill health.

This is as a direct result of the damage that over weight people have done to their body’s internal appetite messaging system, controlled by the hormones Leptin, Gherlin and Insulin, the body’s own ‘Natural Appetite Regulating Computer’. To put it in simple terms when we eat the ‘Modern’ diet of high glycemic carbohydrates we cause our body to produce an unhealthful amount of Insulin through the pancreas, and that causes a person’s body to become insulin and leptin resistant, which results in them craving more and more of those same carbohydrates, in the body’s desperate attempt to balance blood sugar levels. The result in extreme cases leads to obesity, with all the associated health risks, such as high blood pressure, cancer and diabetes to mention but a few.

But even if you are ‘slim’, keeping an eye on insulin, leptin and cholesterol levels will give you a good barometer of the health of your body’s metabolic mechanism, or if you are at an increased risk for chronic illness, notwithstanding your appearance.

The human body is at is premium when it carries the minimum amount of adipose fat. The more excess weight a person carries, the more likely they are to develop a wide variety of chronic diseases. This is exampled in most advanced industrial countries, where these diseases have skyrocketed over the past few decades.

Assessing Body Composition

The mainstream body composition guides (BMI) that are used by the medical profession, are based on a height to weight ratio, that is so generalized that it is misleading, as athletic people with considerable muscle tissue would be classified as overweight or obese, as they would be shown to be too heavy for their height, even though they may have 5% body-fat. The other factors that (BMIs) do not indicate are the areas that a person’s body-fat is distributed, as visceral fat, or adipose fat around the abdominal region which are proved to be linked to increased risks for cardiac disease.

The most effective gauge for most lay-folk to assess potential for ill health is their pant size. Research has linked abdominal fat and a larger waistline to higher risks of heart disease than a body mass index. A distended belly is also a sign of insulin sensitivity, and proven to predict pre-diabetic or Type 2 Diabetic conditions. Abdominal distention is usually a sign that a person eats a diet of foods with a high glycemic value, releasing high rates of insulin through the pancreas which in turn causes the distention.

Research shows the following:

For men, aged between 37 and 40 inches is classified as overweight and obese over 40-inches.
For women, the overweight and obese standards are from 31.5 to 34.6 inches, and 34.6 inches respectively.

There are a number of methods to measure body-fat composition, such as calipers that are placed at usually (3) different points, upper/middle torso and lower body, with an aggregate figure calculated. For more accuracy there is sub-aquatic or hydrostatic weighing. This method involves being fully submerged under water to measure body density, from which it is then possible to calculate lean muscle mass/ body fat ratio.The drawback with this method can be if a person does not fully expel all the air out of their lungs, an inaccurate reading may occur.

Things To Know About Your Weight

A related article by Prevent Disease listed 10 things you may not know about your weight, but really should. Here are some of them.

You can change your metabolism:
A study found that overweight people because of metabolic changes in their body have a greater challenge losing weight. A regular structured exercise program can reverse this condition.

Stress can make you fat:
Stress hormones (Cortisol) which become raised during periods of stress also increase fat storage.This is mainly because when our Cortisol levels are increased we often develop carbohydrate cravings, most usually the high glycemic variety.

Sleep more to promote weight loss:
Sleep deprivation alters the hormonal balance, causing a decrease in leptin (a hormone that helps you feel full) and increased ghrelin (a hormone that triggers hunger).

Sugar is addictive:
Research has determined that the foods that people crave trigger the same parts of the brain that are activated in people with other addictions.

Antioxidants are also anti-fat:
Free radicals damage the cells that tell you that you are full. You can limit them by eating a wide variety of vegetables that are rich in antioxidants, such as dandelion, kale, collard greens to mention but a few. I also recommend a supplement SOD3 (Superoxide Dismutase) which aids in reducing free radicals in the body, is an antioxidant, and effective in reducing joint and tendon pain.

If You Had To Make A Choice Between Diet or Exercise?

The answer would be diet, as it actually has a much larger impact on the maintenance of lean body mass and that of general good health. Although nutrition accounts for about 70% of health in a medical context, it is not possible to overlook a regular exercise routine for optimum health and fitness. Many people hold the misconception that if they train hard they can eat anything and still be ‘super’ fit,… wrong, very few can unless they are genetically gifted athletes, and most of us are not Usain Bolt or Aaron Brooks. Balanced nutrition and exercise are the key to optimizing your health and wellness.

Cut out sugars
If you want to lose weigh it is imperative to reduce, or quite simply cut out fruit (fructose) and high glycemic carbohydrates such as white flour products, potatoes, pasta, cookies, candy, muffins and dairy products from your daily diet. Fructose and high glycemic carbohydrate intake leads to:

The scrambling of your body’s internal appetite regulating mechanism through unbalancing Leptin ( the satiety hormone), Gherlin (the hunger hormone). This creates an Insulin chaos for your body, with the pancreas working twice as hard to deal with the increased insulin. This ‘hormonal imbalance is what causes compulsive overeating, that leads to weight gain,and in extreme cases obesity.

• High blood pressure.
• High levels of triglycerides and LDL levels.
• Various chronic diseases, such as cardiac problems, liver disease, and forms of cancer, to mention but a few.

Sugar limit parameters
Try and limit the intake of fructose to about 15 to 20 grams per day. If you go over this level on a regular basis you will increase your Cortisol levels which in turn will bring down your Serotonin, which can turn to carbohydrate cravings in an attempt for the body to balance it’s blood sugar (energy) levels. When your Serotonin levels drop, so does your energy, causing you to crave carbohydrate to balance this , and what’s worse high glycemic carbohydrates. This is a vicious cycle that can lead to considerable weight gain.

This causes biochemical genes that accumulate fat. This is where we need to make a conscious effort to avoid eating the convenient fast foods that are available at every corner in our fast paced life’s. This is not healthy as in our current environment where we have access to fast food 24 hours a day there is a widespread tendency to overeat.

It is imperative for people with Type 2 diabetes, cardiac disease, or with excess weight to make a real effort to keep all sugar consumption down below 15 grams. Don’t be under the common misunderstanding that you can eat liberal amounts of fruit, as fruit is fructose and that is sugar. So eat sparingly.

Fructose is turned into usable energy in the body (Glycogen) through the liver, as muscle does not have the sufficient enzymatic make-up to perform that function. However, once the liver Glycogen stores are full any excess glucose is converted to fatty acids which is then stored as adipose body fat. It is always better to utilize complex low glycemic carbohydrates to replenish energy stores, as they will store as muscle glycogen and as such are less likely to be as readily stored as fat by the body.

Increased uric acid in your blood can contribute to high blood pressure, increased insulin production and kidney disease.

Foods that are high in purines increase your uric acid levels which occur naturally in the body. It is good to reduce the consumption of certain foods, such as white rice and flour products as they increase your purine levels, and in place have oatmeal, brown rice and sweet potatoes as they contain higher fiber and do not raise your purine levels as much, hence will also keep your uric acid levels down. The benefit is that the lower your uric acid the less sensitive you are to fructose.

To further reduce uric acid levels make sure to drink 100 -150 oz of water per day.

Principles for optimum weight and health

Regardless of your current weight and health status, know that there are certain basic principles for optimal health and maintaining a healthy weight that will always act as a standard. The following guidelines are the foundation of a long and healthy life, and as a result will automatically help you to achieve your ideal weight, whatever that may be.

• Eat a healthy diet that consists mainly of, all fresh foods, preferably organic and grown locally. Aim for at least a third of your food to be raw.
• Drastically limit or eliminate sugar, especially fructose, and grains in the diet to optimize the stability of your insulin and leptin levels.
• Drink plenty of clean water and aim for 100oz per day.
• Manage your stress and control it and not let it control you.
• Begin an exercise program with an expert Los Angeles Personal Trainer that includes a wide range of exercise modals including: High-intensity interval training, resistance training, core/functional exercises, and stretching.
• Get on a comprehensive supplement program that will give you all you need to compliment a fitness lifestyle, and aid you to live and stay at your fullest genetic potential.
• Limit your exposure to toxins
• Eat healthy fats containing omega-3s, mostly found in certain fish and nuts.
• Get enough sleep and rest

The key to optimum wellness and staying healthy for life and not just looking good for the pool, or other extrinsic reasons is to have a balanced approach of exercise to stay toned and maintain muscle mass, sound nutrition of eating what you need for your lifestyle, and a healthy, open mindset. The mind is the force that drives you, your choices and the quality of life that you ultimately will lead. We cannot do anything about yesterday but can change from today onwards. You only come around once so make a choice today that will allow you to live to the full today and therefore tomorrow.

As with all things in life if we don’t plan for them, thereby developing an awareness of what we need to do on a regular basis, we get inconsistent action. To get consistent results we need to do things not just once in a while, but all the time! Inconsistent action breeds inconsistent results. It’s not about waiting until you are hungry to eat, but eating to a planned structure.

To properly supply all 206 muscles of the body with nutrients, it is important to eat a balance of all the various food groups, each one protein, carbohydrate and fats all serving a different need. The ideal balance for most people leading an active lifestyle is 40% protein, 30% carbohydrate and 20% fat. For a person engaging in distance cardio training , such as training for Marathons it may be necessary to adjust the ratios to 30% protein, 50% carbohydrate and 20% fat.

Proteins assimilate once ingested into amino acids and are the building blocks of muscle, which are required in adequate amounts for repair and recovery from workouts. Carbohydrates are for energy and are divided into simple or complex, and when assimilated store in the muscles as glycogen (blood sugar). It is best to get most of your energy from complex carbohydrates, as these give you sustained energy for peak athletic performance. Simple carbohydrates get into the system very quickly, which can be beneficial for instant exertion, but as a result can soon send your blood sugar down sharply, and along with it your energy. The other drawback most often with simple carbohydrate, is that it can more readily be stored as adipose body fat if not utilized. (For more information visit my ‘Article section “Food And Body Fat”, “Why Avoid Sugar In Your Diet”, “Factors That Contribute To Obesity”).Also ‘Newsletter Archive ” High Glycemic Diets – What To Avoid”, which will give you information on Glycemic indexes.

The most important meal of the day is breakfast, as this ignites your metabolism and regulates your blood sugar. Be sure to have nutrients within the first hour of arising, as this will keep your body from going into the starvation mode, and help against food cravings later in the day. Many folk that do not have breakfast report food cravings later in the day, in particular at night. The other meals to plan as a priority are a pre and post workout meal. A pre-workout meal should be a combination of easily assimilable protein and carbohydrate, ideally consumed not less than an hour prior to a workout.

This will prevent your body from going catabolic, and regulate your blood sugar during workouts. The timing of a post workout meal is also critical to your results, and it is important that you write this timing down… by the time you have completed your workout you would have depleted your glycogen stores, and this is the optimum time to replenish your system with carbohydrates for recovery and to prevent your body going to protein for recovery, as this will put you in a catabolic state. There is a 30 minute window of opportunity when your body is most receptive to carbohydrates, so be sure to plan for it.

The window for protein ingestion is 60 minutes, so also plan for that. I would also suggest taking L’Glutamine pre and post workout ( dosage 5000mg), this will again further help your body to recover.
If you skip a meal, or are on a tight schedule, you can pack a protein bar, or meal replacement shake in your bag the night before. An apple and raw almonds will also stabilize your blood sugar and make an excellent snack.

Digestion requires energy, so the more you cause your body to metabolize calories the faster and more efficient your metabolism becomes, making it harder for your body to store fat. Diets never work, however, lifestyle changes do. So plan on changing habits and do things consistently until they become your new way of eating. We create our life for tomorrow today!

It is overlooked by many as it is looked upon as something associated with ‘getting big’! This is an old misguided attitude, but as with most of them is deeply ingrained in society’s psyche. Some make it a priority to train and hire a Los Angeles Personal Trainer.

Strength/Resistance training is not to be thought of as being just reserved for muscle bound Hollywood stars, but for you and everyday folk, and anyone wanting to offset muscle atrophy in aging (Sarcopenia). As we age our muscle mass gradually declines.

It is also important for maintaining bone density, posture, body mobility and function in everyday living. A great majority of older people think that they need to walk around weak and feeble, as they feel that this is the norm with aging. Well it is if you have that beaten down mindset, but with a little positivity and a couple of hours resistance training per week this could be avoided.

I will give (6) reasons why it would be best if you included strength/resistance training to your fitness routine.

6 Reasons to include resistance/strength training to your fitness workouts.

1. How many times have you tried opening a jar of jelly or something in the kitchen and have found it a challenge?

This is because your muscles are losing mass (athrophy).

Unless you do some form of resistance/ strength training , your muscle mass is going to go on a steady decline. By the time most folk reach their 60s the average person has lost a third of his/her muscle mass.

The only way to off set this muscle wasting (Sarcopenia), is with some form of weight training. This should be included no matter whether you feel you are too young or old, as we all go the same way with our steady decline.

2. You need to lift weight to lose weight! To put it in simple terms, the only thing on your body that burns calories is muscle mass (lean tissue).The only way to maintain muscle mass is by stimulating it by including weight/resistance training in your fitness program.

If you have taken an interest in being on my website, you most likely either want to lose weight, increase fitness, or gain weight. You can’t get lean and healthy by just doing cardio, or worse still crash dieting.

To explain how having more lean muscle tissue can help you maintain or reduce weight, a pound of muscle burns 35-50 calories per day just to be maintained in your body, compared to a pound of fat which burns almost negligible amounts. Do you now see how important muscle mass is?

3. Weight training can dramatically improve and help to retain skeletal bone density. Bone density usually reaches it’s peak in about a person’s late 20s, taking a gradual decline after age 40, with by the time they reach their 60s having gone down by as much as 35% percent. As people reach old age osteoporosis becomes a major factor in determining the things a person can do, and ultimately their quality of life. Many studies have established the importance of weight/resistance training to limit osteoporosis by increasing bone density. Weight/ resistance training increases bone density, improves muscle strength, and improves balance.

4.Maintain a Healthy Heart.

Latest research continues to substantiate that when under a professional Personal Trainer’s guidance, that moderate resistance training can not only increase muscle strength and mobility, but at the same time have significant benefits on heart health. You have a lower risk of heart disease when your body is at an optimum weight. The American Heart Association recommends strength training as a way to reduce the risk of heart disease – it helps you lose visceral fat, the most dangerous type of fat when it comes to cardiovascular health.

5. Avoid Back Problems
Back problems affect about 25% per cent of Americans, more widespread than any other complaint apart from high blood pressure and diabetes. Most back complaints are triggered by poor postural habits and a weak core. Training can take the shape of resistance or non-resistance modals. For example a non-resistance modal can be a knees-to-chest exercise, that can be performed by lying on your back and pulling your knees to your chest, while at the same time exhaling and holding the position for about 60 seconds.This movement opens up the disc space in the back, giving relief to pressure on the nerves. Resistance/ weight training can be performed to strengthen all the muscles that comprise the area of the back, with the result of stronger muscles and a better posture.

6. Improve Function In Everyday Life
The best way to help the body perform the daily tasks optimally, is to train the things that makes those functions happen in the first place… muscles, yes weight/ resistance training for functionality! What is function? The body only knows movements as it relates to function. Function is integrated training, using multiple directions (Multi-planar) movements that involve stabilization, acceleration and deceleration. In comprehensive terms functional weight training helps the body to work as a synergistic moving piece, resulting in a body that can perform better in doing everyday tasks, standing on ladders, reaching to pick up something off a high shelf, carrying suitcases up a high, narrow staircase etc. Take care of your body and it will take care of you! Read more on my article ” Core Training v. Machines.

Conclusion,
Start a weight/ resistance training program not because i have written this article, but for the reasons of building a lasting, better quality of life. You don’t just want to exist as you grow older, but you want to live… so lift to live!

Do it because muscle revolutionizes your metabolism, changes your body from the inside out, improves and enhances your own Human GPS, re- calibrates the aging process. Don’t not wait to get old and feeble to regret doing something, instead change your life’s course now. Start lifting today for a better tomorrow.

Why aren’t all people living to their true potential? Why are some frustrated or downbeat? Why are some people very overweight, broke, or with limited capital? The common denominator is mindset and perspective. We all come out of the womb the same way, however, as life moves us forward each individual has there own interpretation of the events and circumstances that cross their path, and it is in that that they develop their own beliefs, and the limits that they put on their abilities. Extraordinary people are not created, they become that way as they choose to live a life of purpose and strive for greater goals. What purpose is there to a life of no purpose.

No one is born with this type of thinking. No person is born with outstanding skills. We ALL start our life’s as apprentices and through consistency and determination become masters. Tardiness breeds mediocrity, perseverance and consistency breeds outstanding results.

The Self Limiting Nature Of Human Behavior

The main reason for this is our own individual mindset. The cornucopia of learned behaviors, interpretations of previous experiences, choices and values determine the core of the person we choose to become. People will use many scapegoats to make themselves feel that they are okay to be where they are in life. In most cases they are quite honestly deeply regretful and unhappy. I didn’t have a great start, I didn’t have any good opportunities, i had bad luck are all examples of this behavior in action! The reality is that everyone has an equal chance in life. Some people are born in a wealthier background, others are very tall and have more suitable body mechanics for basketball, others for running Marathons in a tad over 2 hours, others an ability to interpret the written word of law, or are mathematically gifted. However, all of us have an even playing field when it comes to making a choice of self-improvement.

The main factor that can come between a person realizing their full potential are the limitations that they attach to themselves, which are all created by false beliefs. They do not want to be in the position they are in, but have put themselves in a self imposed ‘Mind Jail’. They can of course relearn a mindset that will serve them better, and realize that they have all that they need to be the person they want to be. It’s about taking responsibility for your circumstances, actions and beliefs, then taking action steps on a daily basis, together with unstoppable consistency, that will be the mother of the changes that you want in your life.

To exemplify limiting beliefs in the fitness arena, i can give a client world class training modals, a clinical nutritional/ supplement schedule, with the client needing to follow the steps one day at a time to reach their desired goal. If they follow ALL the steps their goals would not only be met, but would be far surpassed. This sounds like it would be simple and would be attained by 100% of my clients… unfortunately in the real world far different with about 25% of clients reaching, or surpassing their individual goals.

Why Does This Happen? Their Mindset! To explain, a person can be given the best direction on the planet, but they are only working with me for 1 hour per day, maybe 3 times per week, so they are 23 times more likely to rely on their own learned interpretation for decisions on how to eat, and take care of themselves… as you can probably relate we know that most modern American food choices are not going to get any of the results that they want.
A person can put in a great effort in the gym when being pushed to their limits in a session by me, but when it comes to eating to the letter on the food plan, or following the supplement schedule things are far from perfect! Then come the excuses, i can’t eat like that, this doesn’t taste good, i don’t have enough time etc etc… all examples of false interpretations, fear of failure/success, and the stored mind ‘Tevo’, that is a collection of learned perceptions and interpretations from the time of birth until the present. Limits we has humans wrongly attach to ourselves.

If you and i are candid we know full well, that limited effort can only result in limited change/results regardless of instruction or resources available.

So it’s not a question of resources or ability. The problem is always Mindset. The things that hold people back, are deeply set in their beliefs, personal experiences, values and implementation.

Overcoming Our False Beliefs/Limits

You’ve most likely been there. You’ve held to the belief that this is something outside of you, a set of unfavorable circumstances. I may be you thought you are not attractive enough, too old or over the hill, too young, nobody will listen to you, not enough time or finances. You may even have begun all psyched up to find a way. Then life’s circumstances got in the way, and you began to believe it would be impossible for you. Perhaps you have been working on something for years, and really isn’t working out right. Therefore, you have reached the limit of your human potential, correct? FALSE!

The limits you believe you have are all totally Mindset, and here’s why: there really are limitless ways to achieve all that you want from life. The common denominator is a learned behavior of allowing yourself to make the relevant choices to reflect the outcome that you want. Let me put it this way choice and failure are both results that are mirrored the same way, but with the difference they are born out of totally different CHOICES! There are countless ways to fail. When you are conditioned to failing, then the combinations that lead to failure are those the brain is trained to see, and thus, these are the ones you pay attention to at the subconscious level. The best combinations of resources, activities and skills are no secret, but to be able to achieve them you must apply them into your life. Elementary.

How To Change Your Patterns From Failure To Success

Reenforce all the things that you have accomplished, as the more you turn your focus to the things that you have been/are good at the more this will become a reality in your everyday thinking. It is only a small change, but it is the small things multiplicated that make a hugh difference in influencing our life’s. Be open to new opportunities that will require you to do something different, as to have what you have not had before, you must first do what you have not done before. Look at what you want to accomplish and all the things you have at your disposal to achieve those goals. Be positive at all times, and with arms wide open for the changes that will be required of you. Get a notice board and put it up in your office at work or home, and write your goals down, with the action steps needed to reach each one. Then set a deadline, as a goal with no timeframe is no goal at all, just a pipe dream!

Be aware when you get into the learned behavior of making excuses for not doing something, as they will lead you to sabotage and failure to reach your new goals. These are repeat responses that have conditioned your mind to think this way, and set you up for failure, or incompletion of a goal. This time build a new conditioning of the mind, by reenforcing of all the things at your disposal to reach your goals. Think in terms of what you are doing and what more you can do to get to your current goal. This way your focus will be in the realm of the possible, and will in time condition your mind to focus on possibilities, instead of the false realm of impossibilities.

The mind can be conditioned for opportunity and possibility, the same way it can for sabotage and excuses, it’s all in a habit that will ultimately form your Mindset. When you think of possibility, taking your focus away from reasons why you can’t do something, it will become a new better, more flourishing way of living. A lifestyle of success and achievement , in place of one of cynicism and self sabotage and failure. Being stuck where we are in life is not governed by necessity, but by choice and habit, you like anyone else have the ability to make a change that will empower you to achieve ALL the things that you want from your life. The tragedy is not that we die, but that it takes some so long to give themselves the permission to live. You have tried everything within your own comfort zone, but not all the things at your disposal. This time work through the things that you avoided before because your mind told you that they were not possible. Think in terms that would have you saying ” if i did all the steps available to me, what would the outcome be?” If you try really hard, even when you don’t really want to, what do you think would be the outcome? See what happens? You have nothing to lose, but the world of choice and results to gain!

The limits of human potential are largely a learned behavior. Where there is a will there is a way, it’s all in the conditioning of the mind that are formed by repeated thoughts and habits. There is always a way, you can do all the things that you want, by consistently redirecting current learned thought reactions to circumstances and opportunities as they arise, and replacing them with thought patterns of what do i need to do to make a change, and what do i have available to get it done.

Remember it’s not how old or young you are, rich or poor, it’s about choosing to make a change and reenforcing your mindset to make them happen.

The limits of human potential are a choice, not a condition. What is made compulsory comes from yourself. Clearly the result of the limits we create are a result of what we believe or accept from other people as a reference to truth.

What are you really capable of doing? The limits of all human potential are a perception and mindset. Your limits of your human potential are up to you alone.

Lastly, use positive affirmation to prepare for the things that you are about to do. For example, if you are going to run a Marathon do not set out thinking how far it is to mile 26.2, instead say to yourself, that you are going to do it one mile at a time, that way empowering you, as opposed to being overwhelmed by the task at hand. Look at what you are faced with each day, and say to yourself that you are equipped and have all you need to accomplish them. You can apply positive affirmations to every aspect of your life, goals and challenges.

Make 2012 the year of change by applying some of these principles, and see your world become one of infinite possibilities and triumphs, instead of obstacles and un -overcome challenges.

I view 2012 as being a landmark year, as December 21st 2012 is promoted by the Dark forces in this world as being the end… while the Light views it as the beginning of a New World Age! This époque only occurs about once every (5) cycles of 5,125 years or 25,110 years. see my article- (“Is 2012 Armageddon?”) on my website. This time obviously is extraordinary and as such gives us all unique opportunities for change.

I spend time with many very accomplished people during my course of work, professional athletes, heads of companies and other outstanding folk. It would appear to most people that they have it all, “The American Dream”.

I get approached for advice on a daily basis, and can honestly say that some tell me that there is something missing in their lives. Life can be good, but there can be an underlying feeling that one can do a lot more with ones time.

I am very active in the spiritual realm and know from experience that if what we accomplish is not connected to God’s purpose for our lives, we shall regardless of wealth, prestige or society’s labeling, remain with a constant void that will require feeding over and over again in a perpetual search for true meaning. The next best car, larger mansion, vacation will give a transient feeling of contentment that will need refilling over and over again.

We ALL must discover our purpose in life. If you are not fulfilling your true purpose, you will never experience complete happiness or harmony. Balance is the precursor to true satisfaction, and without it there cannot exist true happiness!

Don’t get too comfortable with what you have been used to doing, as this is easy but can often stop us from moving forward to even greater things. In order to have what you have not had before, you must do what you have not done before. Striving to achieve a new goal, be it a promotion, new responsibilities, a new venture, all require taking risks and pushing your inner most limits. When we get comfortable we get complacent, and do not often take advantage of the abundance available to us, and create a box that keeps us stuck existing and doing what we have learned to do within the self imposed limits that living with this mindset has created… always a false limit akin to having a 200 mph road car with a 70mph cruise control on it. In order to move forward we need to take risks, and with faith all will be for our furtherance and good. Faith is believing in the good of things yet unseen. With faith we can eradicate fear of failure, or in some cases fear of success and the responsibilities it brings. Being unstoppable in pursuit of your goals, together with consistency will bring rich personal satisfaction and reward. Life is 90% sawing and 10% reaping. Connecting to your true purpose will first make others around you greater, and then yourself way greater at the same time.

Journal: The process of writing creates a deeper purpose to our otherwise ‘daily routine’, by establishing greater clarity of purpose and direction. If we think of a ship’s captain about to set for a long voyage, he would have his route and direction clearly written down to successfully reach his destination. We can all benefit from having that clarity in our lives, and instead of the everyday routine find ourselves on new journeys and doing things that we thought were not possible for us. Clarity precedes genius and mastery, as they can only be attained by doing.

Choose with care: Our lives are shaped by the choices that we make, and create our core values as a person and shape our actions. Think through the choices that you need to make, as they will define you as a person and how you live. Read things that motivate you and reenforce positive thoughts and actions. The things we read and the thoughts we have will become the world that we dwell in. The world is only what your thoughts make it! Look at people you admire and study what they do, and you will find yourself like a moth that turns into a butterfly.

Each Day Is A New Beginning: We are given each new day as a gift , we choose how to use it. Whatever you do may as well be good as you are going to spend a day of your life doing it. What am i going to do today? It’s up to you as each new day begins, as not only will your choice determine where you start, but also where you finish the day. Start at a place that will take you to where you want it to go.

Ask yourself what it is that you want to accomplish today? Choosing to set goals, regardless of how small, motivates us to stay active and productive no matter what our situation, or circumstance.

What we put into each day is what comes back! Make each day count, be a blessing to others and see your world expand beyond your horizon!

Be an inspiration to others and make all you do count! You can only create the world you want by being the change within it through yourself.

God bless,
Nick

Congratulations! Setting a goal is a great first step in the process. Having a goal; gives you a purpose to your training and therefore something to aim for.

But now, the question becomes “how do I actually do it?” And that’s where I can help!

In this article i am going to be candid and blow the exercise myths out of the water, instead giving you a template from the knowledge gained over two decades of a passion for fitness. The program that i will outline for you will give you the most effective results possible in the shortest time, and you will continue getting better!

Body Composition Makeover Basics

The most effective fat loss programs incorporate a foundation to work from as follows;

• Is preceded by a dynamic, movement-based warm-up.
• Puts focus on composite movements, that is large muscle group exercises that stimulate many muscles.
• Works tandem exercises in a superset format for upper and lower body movements

Training should take no longer than about 45 minutes of a continuous circuit, with minimum rest between sets. Utilize high reps in the 15-20 range.

Add HIIT cardio High Intensity Internal Training in conjunction with a strength training program. This gives the best bang for the buck… in other words the best calorie burning for your time put in! Why spend monotonous hours on the treadmill or elliptical for less results???
.
The base modal i have just outlined if followed will move you into another realm with your fitness. Rather than the stale old routine that your body is so accustomed to that it no longer responds to the stimulus, you will ignite your core and move your fitness to new levels, at the same time finding it challenging and fun.

No Matter how good your training program is, or how blessed your genetics unless you combine a nutritional/supplement program with your training you will get MINIMAL RESULTS.

To train hard and then do a meal at McDonald’s is like taking advanced driving lessons and talking on the cellphone!

Don’t get caught up in the ignorance some fitness experts profess of train hard and eat what you want, it will not work unless you are Aaron Brooks or Usain Bolt, and not many of us are.

Let’s get some results!

The Program

The program is going to be as outlined in the Body Composition Makeover Basics, with the focus on compound movements performed on a superset , tandem basis. This will be for upper and lower body exercises.

You’ll be performing either 2 or 3 sets of each exercise (depending on the week), and you’ll be performing 10-15 repetitions per set on most exercises, with (20) for the larger lower body areas

Overall, it will look something like this:

• Week 1: 2 sets of 12-15 repetitions. This is the week to prepare your body for the exercises that you will be doing, the foundation week. As the saying goes, you need to walk before you can run.
• Week 2&3: 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions. This is with a focus on more intensity through using weight volume, and less emphasis on repetitions. Intensity can be either through resistance or repetition volume. At the same time as making an extra effort to lift heavier, make certain that the form remains strict.
• Week 4: 3 sets of 15-(20 repetitions for lower body). This  is refining what you did in week 1, with the intensity of weight resistance that you did in week 2 and 3, so the workouts will be very challenging.

I recommend working alternate body-parts, ie chest/back and triceps on Day 1 and legs/shoulders and biceps on Day 2. Alternate between Day 1 and Day 2 workouts, rest a day and then repeat.

The cardiovascular part of your training can be done immediately after your resistance training segment of your workout, which is very time saving as you would have burnt your glycogen store ( energy stored in muscles), and will burn fat much more readily.

Bottom line is if you create a cause you will create an equal effect. The choices you make with what you eat and how you train will ultimately determine your destiny in your health and wellness.

I’ll outline things in a Day 1 and Day 2 format, and at the end I’ll even provide you with a workout template .

Day 1

Self-Myofascial Release (foam roller) This is great for releasing adhesions, improving blood flow and increasing range of motion. 5 minutes (Why Use Foam Rollers.)

Dynamic Warm-up – Kettle- bell swing 2 minutes.

• 1i) Dumbbell Squat , 2-3 sets of 12-15 repetitions.
• 1ii) Step-up, 2-3 sets of 12-15 reps, 60 seconds rest
• 2i) Split-Squat , 2-3 sets of 12-15 repetitions.
• 2ii) Dead-lift Single leg (Kettle-bell) 2-3 sets of 12-15 repetitions.
• 3i) Hanging Leg raise (Abdominal) 2-3 sets of 20 repetitions.
• 3ii) Triceps Dips, 2-3 sets of 12-15 repetitions.

Rope Training 3-5 minutes constant varying plane of motion( performed every 10 minutes for 2-3 minutes in duration.

Day 2

External Rotation Abducted 45% / Or Lateral From hip

Self-Myofascial Release (foam roller) – 5 minutes

Dynamic Warm-up Kettle–bell 3-5 minutes

• 1i) Push-ups off floor using dumbbell handles or ‘perfect push-ups. 10-15 repetitions.
• 1ii) Chin-up/Pulldown Variation, 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions,
• 2i)Incline Dumbbell Press on bench 2-3 sets of 12-15 repetitions.
• 2ii) Kettle-bell One Arm Row off Balance Ball 2-3 sets of 10-15 repetitions.
• 3i) Horizontal/Vertical Press Smith Machine or Barbell, 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps,
• 3ii) Hyperextensions. 2-3 sets of 10=15 repetitions.

Hammer Core Training ( Performed Every 10 minutes for 2-3 minutes in duration).

Nutrition 101

The arena of nutrition always presents most folk with their biggest challenge… It is not so much in the doing ie; the eating of healthier choices, but the idea of change that presents the obstacle.. The perceived idea of losing something , it not in some way being as good, all hold us back from making consistent good choices with what we consume on a daily basis. If we make inconsistent choices we will only be able to get inconsistent results.

One of the many reasons i wrote my first book Mind Set To Fitness (available on Amazon.com), was to empower people in making change in all areas, from the way they see themselves today, to the choices and hence their quality of life tomorrow.

I will here give you a menu that you can print out and take with you wherever you go as follows;

Breakfast;

• Oatmeal (made with water) applesauce to taste (unsweetened)
• Banana/ Berries
• Egg Whites ( 4 -6)
• Mid-am snack
• Apple/ pear
• 3 – 4 oz protein

Lunch

• 4-5 oz Protein
• Brown rice or yam
• Mixed greens ( only use vinaigrette based dressing)

Mid-pm snack, As Mid-am

Dinner

• 4-5 oz Protein
• Steamed veggies (no carrots)
• Mixed greens ( only use vinaigrette based dressings)

Don’ts;

• No Bread products( nothing wheat based)
• No Dairy- cheese-yogurt -milk etc
• No sugar
• No added salt

Does;

• Drink 100oz water per day
• Increase mixed greens consumption

This is just an outline to help you ‘Turbo-Charge’ your weight (fat) lose this New Year).

To make a body- makeover change it would require closes monitoring and adjustments on an ongoing basis, also a complete supplement regimen tailored to your specific needs and circumstance.

Is it an attitude makeover, a change of lifestyle or learning more healthful ways of treating and rewarding yourself?

Sorry to maybe burst your bubble but diets don’t work, and all the claims that advertise this and that wonder solution to your problems are nothing more than a myth!

What does work is making healthier eating choices (yes it is a choice) and doing some activity every day – using legs instead of your car. Although you may think that you can only make a small change, it can make a significant difference to your life, as all things are small before they can become big… the Pyramids started with first a thought and then a piece of limestone, the Glaciers started with a small piece of ice that became larger with each year that went by… Are you with me? Every thought, action and word we say has an impact on the quality of our life’s. So creating an attitude that nothing is too small not to make a difference will empower your life and all the things that you do within it! Empower to grow! Empower to lose!

The key is to change the way you look at staying in shape, and then it will become a condition to stay in shape, just like having a haircut, brushing your teeth, or for that matter chewing your food before you swallow it! The “i don’t have the time” excuse is just a cope out and not a reality! If You had a potentially life threatening health condition and the doctor said that you needed to start losing weight, you would find the time, so please don’t wait for that to be a reason to find the time to exercise. Make it a condition to start today as there is no better time to start than today, as when tomorrow comes it will be just another version of today!

Exercise

The current increase in overweight people is mainly due to lack of exercise and unhealthy food choices, rather than the amount of food we are eating. The saying “You are what you eat”, and it frankly is nowhere more appropriate than in this context. These poor eating habits coupled with a sedentary lifestyle of automobiles, fast food convenience, and couch potato attitude has turned us into a nation of “fatties”! This can easily be changed with a focus on what you put in has to be burned or it will store as body-fat. Try walking at times that you would normally drive, walk up and down the stairs as often as you can, and when possible take the stairs instead of the elevator.

It doesn’t sound like much of a change but you will be surprised how it adds up at the end of a day, week or month. I find that when people get conscious of their effort to increase their activity level, the next thing is that they start without maybe even realizing it, making better choices with what they put in their mouths. The next thing you know is your in shape! Give your body a reason to regulate it’s weight and it will!

FAD diets

FAD diets, such as eating only proteins, fibre or cabbage soup, are unhealthful and, in some cases, dangerous.
I recommend that people should not follow fad diets, but instead consult with a fitness/nutrition expert.
Each individual has a specific reason why they are putting on weight and any changes to their diet and lifestyle must reflect these factors.

They could range from depression and low self-esteem to unhealthy patterns of eating learnt from an early age and lack of exercise.It is important to realize that you cannot rush nature, and that lasting changes will not happen miraculously overnight, but will take consistent work and application. It will be the changes that you make one day at a time that will bring lasting results. Remember that it takes (30) days to create a new habit.

The only way you will achieve what you want is to move towards it one step at a time. I authored a book Mind Set To Fitness available on Amazon.com, which is designed to help you with your fitness journey… give it a try as you have nothing to lose apart from the weight.

RECOMMENDED WEIGHT LOSS

To avoid losing weight too fast, it is best to increase physical activity gradually and at the same time reduce calories slowly. To lose weight 500 calories are subtracted per day. Decrease caloric intake by 250 calories per day and exercise to utilize the other 250 calories. This method will prevent your metabolic rate from slowing down and at the same time promote lean mass. The benefit is that the more lean mass you have the more efficient your body will become at burning calories, hence maintaining weight loss.By eating 250 fewer calories per day and engaging in exercise that results in 250 extra calories being burned there is a net loss of 500 calories per day, or 3,500 per week. This will result in a weight loss of around 1 pound per week. This slow and gradual weight loss will be sustainable, will not trigger the starvation response and will have no negative impacts on your health.

Tips To Turbocharge Your Weight Loss:

1. TAKE AN INVENTORY OF THE FOOD YOU HAVE AROUND YOU BOTH AT HOME AND AT WORK.

It is important to recognize that the foods that we keep around us, both at home and at work are a learned behavior. In other words the things we eat on a regular basis are an eating lifestyle that we have grown accustomed to eating. It will be easy this way to evaluate some of the choices we make, and replace them with better ones, that will add up to significant daily calorie savings.

2. PLAN YOUR MEALS AND SNACKS AROUND YOUR DAILY SCHEDULE.

As the saying goes ‘Fail To Plan – Plan To Fail’. Planning is the foundation to facilitate all action steps, that are done consistently enough to get results. Without a plan things are done sporadically, and reflect in poor results. Inconsistent effort equals inconsistent results.

Think about your schedule for each day the previous evening, and plan your meals and snacks, taking into account your work load, and where you will be at a given time of the day. Each day can be different, but if your planning strategy is consistent we can stay on track by surrounding ourselves with good, healthful choices.

3. EAT REGULARLY

Eat frequently and plan to eat at certain times throughout the day, and stick to them. Regular meals keep your insulin (blood sugar) balanced and prevent binge eating.

A good plan would be to get up a little early in order to have time for breakfast, your most important meal of the day, as it triggers your metabolism for the rest of the day. The next step would be a mid- morning snack to prevent your metabolism going into ‘starvation’ mode. The same principle can be applied to a mid- afternoon snack. Add to these a good nutritious lunch and a lighter evening meal.

It is essential to weight loss to eat more- sounds strange? But very true the more you eat, the more you burn. Don’t get too excited … it means EAT LESS BUT MORE OFTEN. Each time we eat we stimulate our metabolism, and let our body burn more calories, through neurons (messages delivered through the brain) , that we are being fed regularly and do not need to store calories – ie, body-fat, which is stores to nourish us at times that we are not being fed.

Most of us reduce food intake when we want to lose weight, not by reducing portion size, but by the regularity of meals- thinking that if we only eat once or twice a day, we will lose weight quicker- TRUE! But only for about (2) weeks, until such time when our BMR (basal metabolic rate) figures out we are not eating, and here comes the ‘crunch’, your body starts to store ANY of the calories that you eat, as it is not sure when you will eat again ‘starvation’ mode. This is the way most people chase their tale with weight lose, and don’t reach their target weight, but more importantly reach it and stay there. Solution= eat less more often to lose weight and keep it off, for the rest of your life!

4. PORTION FOOD
Serving food family style on the table is putting the temptation to eat more than we need, and makes it a test not to reach for second helpings. Fun but will add to a great deal of unwanted calories.

I recommend serving food on smaller plates, this way we can still enjoy the ‘full plate’ look most of us are accustomed to, while taking in less overall calories than if filling a regular size meal plate, the norm in most of today’s households.

Apply the same portion control to your mid- am and mid- pm snacks, by putting them into smaller ‘ziploc’ bags, Tubberware. As humans are visual it will give us the effect that we are eating more than we are, hence feeling well fed, with an overall less caloric intake. This may sound like a small change, however, during the course of a day, a week or a month the calorie savings would be significant indeed.

5. EAT SLOWLY AND TAKE MORE TIME OVER A MEAL

It takes twenty (20) minutes for transmitters from your brain to get the message to your stomach that you are full, until that time our mind is in ‘free fall’ and has no gauge as to how much we are eating. This can be very significant when we are eating the ‘Modern American Diet’, high calorie food like a muffin (450/550kcal), which can be eaten in 2 or 3 bites. That is actually low in calories compared to some of the foods we eat , for example a Big Mac and French fries meal is close to (1000kcal).

Eat your food slowly, chewing it and savor the taste of it, as opposed to racing against the clock as most of us have a habit of doing, myself included! By eating slowly we will enable our brain transmitter to do it’s job, and we will feel full before we consume too much = less calories – less weight gain- cool!

6. NO LATE NIGHT SNACKING

With our modern life being lap top, big screen orientated in the evening, this is where most of us pack on the extra pounds. Try and make your evening meal as early as possible, and at a minimum 2 hours before going to bed. This will help your body begin to digest your food and better utilize it. If you are still hungry drink water, as we often mistake thirst for hunger. If this doesn’t do the ‘trick’, then cut up an apple, or similar ‘low glycemic fruit,’ this will satiate you without too many additional unwanted calories. Most folk have cookies, ice cream etc, with an average portion being 500Kcal +, over a week that adds up to 3500Kcal, and a month a whopping 15000Kcal. Remember that to burn a 1lb of stored body-fat we need to burn 3000Kcal. So In effect with 15000Kcal extra per month, we could be packing on 5lbs of body – fat per month.

7. DRINK PLENTY OF WATER
We are comprised of 60% water, and most of us are nearly always dehydrated, well in actual fact very dehydrated. Your body needs water for the following;

1. HYDRATION.
   Exercise causes water loss due to sweating. To prevent dehydration you need to make sure that you drink ample water, by that I don’t mean fluids, I mean water!
2. REGULATE NORMAL BODY TEMPERATURE
   Water regulates your body’s thermostat, rather like an air- conditioning system in your home or car. In addition it improves skin quality, lubricates joints, and helps mobilize fat.
3. DIGESTION
   You need 25g fiber per day for optimal digestive function. But since fiber binds to water, it becomes difficult if you do not drink sufficient water.
4. SATIATION
   We often misinterpret thirst for hunger. Drinking enough water will make you feel less hungry, plus keep your system hydrated. It is great for keeping your appetite in check, and it is good to drink about 8 – 12oz about 30 minutes before and after each of your meals and snacks. Try not to drink too much at mealtimes, as this may dilute important enzymes needed for optimum digestive function.

CARDIO
Cardiovascular training such as running/cycling burns approx 10-12 calories per minute, as compared to weight training 8-10 calories per minute.

9. WEIGHT TRAINING
Weight training increases your metabolic rate for an hour or two after you get done. The benefit can be even greater if you train intensely, or on a circuit training basis with 20-30 seconds rest between exercises.
So if you burn 300 calories during your workout it can be as much as 25% more, or 375 calories in total. The important factor to take into account here is, that for every 3lbs of lean muscle tissue you build, you will burn an additional 120 calories per day. Without even changing your diet it will result in about 6=8 lbs of fat lose in a 6 month

Conclusion:

Be sensible with your approach and do not rush the process. Instead of focusing on the weight you have to lose, focus on what you can do to get better and how you will look when you get there. This is a very significant change in the way you think, but makes all the difference to empowering yourself to move forward, as instead of focusing on the negative aspect, in this case fat, you focus on proaction and how you will look/feel when the weight comes off!

The only lasting way to lose weight and keep it off permanently, is to change eating habits and lifestyle, such as,

1. Eat 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day for improved metabolism and digestion. These small and frequent meals will also keep your energy levels running high by creating balance to blood sugar (insulin).
2. Eat 5 to 9 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables daily.
3. Increase your fiber intake to 20-30 grams a day.
4. Activate your metabolism early in the day with a healthy, wholesome breakfast within 1 hour of arising.
5. Chew your food slowly and drink water 30 minutes before/ after meals.
6. Drink 100 oz of water per day ( 10 – 12 ) glasses.
7. Eat your meals in a relaxed and quite environment. Never eat standing up.
8. Exercise 3-4 times a week for at least 30 minutes. Even minimal amounts of exercise will help keep you feeling great by raising your Serotonin levels (feel good hormone), while burning additional calories. Walking, bicycling , swimming and HIIT cardio are the best for optimal results. See HITT cardio training.
9. Be sure to take a good multiple vitamin/mineral supplement for optimal health. Also Chromium Picolinate 200mcg and Alpha Lipoic Acid 300mg taken together at breakfast and lunch, as this will aid your carbohydrate metabolizing and being used for energy (Glycogen) production, while controlling your insulin.
10. Don’t forget to enjoy each day, as when you cross one finish line, another start line begins.

OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER:

Perhaps your “diet” makes you fat

The first thing most people do when they want to lose weight, is they start out by “dieting”. This usually includes cutting calories, eating lots of salads, skipping breakfast and / or restricting food intake, even if you feel hungry. Most people’s idea of a ‘diet’ is to get to a certain weight and then revert back to the habits and lifestyle that got them to be overweight in the first place. No surprise that they end up gaining the weight back that they lost while on the ‘diet’, and more!

This ‘yo-yo dieting’ is obviously a problem, and the only way to lose weight with lasting results is to change your nutritional habits, together with your lifestyle. There is no short term solution, only a total change of mindset to food and lifestyle will bring life changing results. “If you want what you have not had before, you must do what you have not done before”.

This is why a long-term diet must really be healthy and sustainable to be successful, or you may find yourself not being able to stay on track. A comprehensive, fit lifestyle diet should leave you feeling energized and on top of the world.

So what does a healthy diet actually consists of?

Most people lose weight when restricting simple sugars, high glycemic carbohydrates, and fructose from their diets. Refined carbohydrates such as breakfast cereals, muffins, cookies, crackers and other processed foods are broken down quickly into sugar, which increase insulin levels and cause insulin resistance. This is the main factor underlying many diseases and conditions in these modern times, including weight gain, and Type2 diabetes.

When cutting carbohydrates out of your diet, it is important, well crucial to your weight lose and thereafter maintenance to replace them with healthy choices or alternatives, such as green leafy vegetables, proteins and healthy fats that are high in Omega-3s. This will provide you with satiety and help combat the urge to binge or overeat.

The body works more efficiently and feels better off vegetables. rather than high glycemic carbohydrates and simple sugars, as they do not increase your blood sugar (insulin) as quickly, and gives you dramatically more sustained energy.

Counting calories is not the answer

Traditional nutritional education says that if you eat more calories than you burn, you will have weight gain. But it is more complicated than that, as the type of calories consumed is more important than the number of calories.

In terms of weight, calories from fructose are one of the most impactful, and shut down the body’s appetite control system. Fructose does not stimulate insulin properly, and as such, does not suppress ghrelin (the “hunger hormone”), or stimulate leptin (the “satiety hormone”), which combine to develop insulin resistance and make you end up eating more in the end .

Counting calories is not enough

Traditional nutritional wisdom says that if you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. In actuality it is not that simple, as the type of calories consumed is more important than the number of calories.

In terms of weight management, calories from fructose are one of the most detrimental, as they shut down the body’s internal appetite control mechanism. Fructose, that is everything from sodas to cookies unbalance insulin production, triggering false messages to your bodies information mechanism, leading to Leptin resistance (“satiety hormone”) and an increase in Ghrelin (“hunger hormone). which combine to develop insulin resistance and make you end up eating more and more, potentially leading to obesity.

Keeping total fructose intake below 25 grams per day if you are in optimum health ,and below 10 grams per day if you need to lose weight is the best way to move forward.

“Fructose is “isocaloric but not isometabolic,” per Dr. Robert Lustig. This means that you can have the same amount of calories from fructose or glucose and fructose and protein, or fructose and fat, but the metabolic effect may be very different despite the same amount of calories. This is because different food types stimulate different hormonal responses, having a major influence on the amount of body- fat that accumulates.”

That is why simply counting calories alone is not enough to lose weight successfully!

Weight Watchers one of the worlds most popular nutritional programs recently acknowledged this fact and actually changed their formula. The new system or way of thinking, discourages the eating of processed foods, with an emphasis on whole foods.

When i put clients on a balanced clinical nutrition plan, they do not count calories , as when you are eating the right proportions, of the right kinds of foods geared for your hormonal efficiency your body reaches a metabolic balance, meaning it works as it is supposed to and burns and regulates your body fat index, as it was designed by nature. Nutritional plans to be successful require them to be designed around the individual, taking into account current factors, such as fitness level, body fat, age etc