Today, my personal trainer, shared his thoughts on how to stop burning stored sugar and start burning more stored bodyfats in just 3 simple steps...

STEP #1: Try to consume zero starches or fruits for 3 or 4 days in a row during the week. This will help accelerate depletion of glycogen (your stored energy) and get your body burning fat again. This should equate to a total of 25 to 50 impact carbs for the day. Consume protein in every meal to help increase satiety and keep your body in "fat burning mode". You'll program your body to burn a ton more belly fat by using this approach a just a few days of the week. STEP #2: Increase your fats and double your servings of green cruciferous veggies on deplete days. When you lower carbs for a few days you'll automatically need energy from other sources. Friendly fats and cruciferous veggies should be your go to macronutrients to help provide this needed energy. Some good examples to use are extra fish or krill oil, olive oil, coconut oil, grass fed butter and small amounts of raw nuts for fats -- spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, arugula, green beans, Brussels sprouts and cabbage are great choices for extra veggies. This will help provide all the fiber, vitamins, and minerals necessary to maximize fat-loss during a lower carb phase. It will also DECREASE your cravings in a big way. STEP #3: Double your daily water intake when you deplete carbs. Remember, for EVERY gram of carbs you eat over the weekend (or any other time) your body holds nearly 3 grams of water. So if you had a few slices of pizza, some bread and a bowl of ice cream we're talking an extra 700 to 1000 grams of water sitting under your belly skin. Consuming extra water is the fastest way to UNDO the damage of over-eating, getting rid of excess water retention, and facilitating other metabolic processes that burn fat. A good rule of thumb is to consume at least 50-60% of your total body weight in ounces of water a few days after overeating. After 3 or 4 days of using this strategy, your body and hormones will be PRIMED to burn PURE fat when you exercise. You just have to make sure you're using the RIGHT TYPE of exercise or all this could be nothing but a waste of your time and energy.

I love my nuts! 

I have four nuts that I am extremely fond of, and of course I didn't pick these 4 exact nuts by accident.  After all, I am a nutrition nut (pun intended) so you know there's gotta be a reason for these 4 nuts here...and there IS.

Here's what I'm eating:

Cashews
Almonds
Pistachios
Walnuts

I always make sure to choose organic, raw nuts instead of the "regular" versions.

You see, almost all "regular" nut brands cook their nuts by frying them in oil, usually peanut and/or canola oil.  Just check the label and if you see added oils on the list of ingredients then you know your nuts have been FRIED.  This high heat, damaging cooking process can steal all the health benefits from your nuts and can even leave them riddled with health-derailing trans fat -- yikes!  Just imagine choosing a healthy snack like nuts, especially the 4 I'm about to share below, and having the manufacturer screw everything up with irresponsible processing methods...it happens all the time.

So choose organic, raw nuts.  Most regular stores carry them now.

Alright, so what's up with cashews, almonds, pistachios and walnuts and what makes them so special?

1. Walnuts are higher in Omega-3s than most nuts (which are Omega-6 dominant).  You already get plenty of Omega-6's in your diet, which can even create a nasty little problem in your body's most delicate cells called TOXIC inflammation.  

2.  Cashews, like most nuts are filling (due to their healthy fat, fiber, and protein content) and also contain many antioxidants while being higher than most nuts in heart-healthy mono-unsaturated fatty acids.

3.  Pistachios are one of the lowest calorie nuts...you can eat a whopping 50 nuts while only consuming 160 calories.  When you subtract the calories from their high fiber content, you're looking at even fewer calories.

4.  You've heard of super foods...well, almonds are a super "nut".  Also high in heart-healthy mono-unsaturates, almonds also boast significant quantities of these vitamins and minerals:  vitamin E, magnesium, copper, vitamin B2 and phosphorus.

Again, I buy these raw at the store, mix 'em up myself, and enjoy a couple small handfuls for a mid-afternoon snack most days.  Quick, convenient, portable, delicious, fat-burning snackage!

And my wife also loves my nuts.

I LOVE a good steak.  Remember, everything in moderation.

Well, today I went and bought my first naturally-raised, organic grass fed beef steak, which is also hormone and antibiotic free.

Now, yes, organic grass-fed beef is a bit more expensive than hormone and antibiotic-laden grain fed beef, but if you ask me, there aren't many items higher on my priority list than my health and the health of my family.

I will gladly spend a bit more and spend less on entertainment, travel, dining out, accessories, clothing, etc. to ensure my kids and family are eating food that contributes to their health instead of food that destroys it.

WELL worth it!

I will let you know tomorrow, how great it tasted.

Well, this Easter Sunday will be my 29th Wedding Anniversary!

I've almost lost 30 pounds and I feel really good.  So for our anniversary I went out and bought my wife and myself two new bicycles!!!

It's been a LONG time since I actually rode a bike, and it's a good thing the old saying is true...once you learn how to ride a bike, you'll never forget. 

I was talking to a friend about the benefits of eating chicken over beef.

I have been eating a lot of salads lately and my favorite is a spinach salad with steak strips on top.

My friend says that chicken is so much better and healthier than beef!  I t contains less calories per ounce, has way less fat, and doesn't contain heart-disease-causing saturated fats!

I asked my friend where she got her information from, and informed her that she is not completely right.

First, there are many cuts of beef, like a juicy eye-round roast for example, that are practically as lean as chicken.  Even more, these cuts are actually leaner than certain parts of a chicken, such as legs or thighs.  And if you are eating the skin of the chicken, there is no comparison.

If you really want to go super lean and cut out all the fat, then both chicken and beef give you good options.

Bottom line, there are lean and fatty versions of both depending on the part of the animal you are eating and how it is prepared.

Apart from that, there is nothing wrong with fat, or bread for that matter.  Fat and grains are ingredients that our bodies need, just like carbs and proteins.

Just a reminder...EVERYTHING IN MODERATION!

CARDIO!

That's right, long boring cardio is officially the WORST workout of the year.

Why?

Well first, it's boring.  I mean, who actually enjoys sitting on an exercise bike or running on a treadmill for 45 minutes?  Not many people.

But much more important than that, it fails to produce fatloss RESULTS.  Are there health benefits?  Sure.  But you can get those same health benefits (and more) with much shorter, much more exciting, and invigorating workouts.  More on that in a minute...

But first, here's what research has to say about cardio:

Utter AC, et al.  Influence of diet and/or exercise on body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness in obese women. Int J Sport Nutr. 1998 Sep;8(3):213-22.

-In this 3 month study, women did 45 minutes of cardio a day, 5 days a week, and lost no more weight than those who dieted alone!  Seems like a royal waste of time to me!

But perhaps this one study was a fluke? Nope!

Redman et al. Effect of calorie restriction with or without exercise on body composition and fat distribution. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Jan 2.

-In this study, subjects did 50 minutes of cardio, 5 days a week, and once again lost no more weight than those who dieted alone!

Well, maybe if they increase it to a full HOUR of cardio a day, SIX days a week, then cardio will actual product substantial results?  No again!

McTiernan et al. Exercise Effect on Weight and Body Fat in Men and Women. Obesity 2007 June - 15:1496-1512.

-Over the course of this one year study, subjects performed aerobic exercise for 60 minutes a day, 6 whopping days a week (who even has TIME for that?) and lost only 3.5 pounds on average in an entire YEAR!

3.5 pounds of fatloss after an HOUR of exercise, nearly every day, for an ENTIRE year.  Man, oh man, cardio really is the worst workout ever!

But as mentioned, there is a much better alternative, and that alternative lies in short, intense bouts of exercise.

In fact, a recent study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that 15 minutes of a circuit-style resistance training workout elevated metabolism for a full THREE days!  And that's only from 15 minutes!

Other studies have found similar results with interval style workouts as short as 4 minutes producing dramatically more fatloss than long, extended bouts of cardio.

Here's an example bodyweight, short-burst exercise routine that you can try today to boost your metabolism and your fat loss results:

30 seconds of bodyweight squats
30 seconds of push ups
30 seconds jumping jacks

Repeat 4 times.

That workout right there only takes SIX minutes and you'll burn way more fat than you will with those long, drawn out, boring cardio sessions.

Well I started working out with my personal trainer at Get In Shape Personal Training in Eastlake, and let me tell you...wow, was I out of shape!

When my personal trainer asked me what I wanted to do, I expressed my interest in restarting my metabolism.

So he told be of a simple routine, which, if done correctly, would burn more calories and start my metabolism better than spending 40 minutes on a treadmill.

Three simple exercises, that would take less than 5 minutes to do.

First exercise, extend your arms straight out, and do as many squats as you can in 30 seconds.

Second exercise, do as many push-ups as you can in 30 seconds.

Third exercise, do as many jumping jacks as you can in 30 seconds.

First set 90 seconds.

Start second set and repeat, 90 seconds.

Third set, 90 seconds.

This will take you about 4.5 minutes to do!!!!!

I do this every morning before work, and I feel like I got my day started with a burst of energy, and I feel great about it.

Give it a try.