There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday, and the other is called tomorrow.
~The Dalai Lama

Puppy Power Lift.

Happy Saturday, guys.

If you starve yourself, you won't lose weight.

I call it "starvation mode." It happens when you restrict your calories to lose weight. While you can lose "weight", you're not losing any fat.

Restricting your calories causes your leptin levels to drop. Leptin is a hormone that influences the thyroid, which regulates your metabolism. When leptin levels decrease, so do the levels of certain thyroid hormones, preventing fat loss. (starvation mode)

This means that you can keep eating less and less, yet not lose any fat.

The only weight you lose when you restrict calories is, you guessed it, your muscle. Literally, when you don't eat enough, your body burns your nicely toned muscle for energy, and stores every drop of fat you've got in there.

And then you end up looking skinny-fat like Lindsay Lohan. Bones and fat. (Though she is way more bones than fat.)

Found this "skinny fat" example on fitnesspal.com:

She weighs more but looks better-- why? She doesn't restrict calories and she has muscle tone, and muscle weighs more than fat. (Having muscle increases your metabolism, too... but we'll talk about that another day.)

One more, I promise. The lovely Kate Upton:

Skinny fat! I'd rather eat and look healthy.

Calorie restriction is also extremely bad for your health. On top of that, your hair could fall out, your skin looks old and dirty, and you get sick easier. Have I convinced you yet?

I guarantee the girl below eats fresh, clean foods all day long (without going overboard!), performs challenging workouts regularly, is in a better mood, and sleeps better...

....just saying.

Making sure that you're getting the right amount of carbs, proteins, and fats per day will keep your metabolism in check and keep you feeling great. To figure out what you should be eating, check out Choose My Plate, & How Many Calories You Should Be Eating Per Day 

source: Men's Fitness June 2013 Kevin Van Aelst

Fit people burn less calories.

It's true. Bummer, I know. Here's why: You burn the most calories when your heart rate is high; The more you exercise, the more fit your heart gets (remember, it's a muscle!), so it can pump blood more efficiently, and burn less energy (calories) in the process. Get it?

So how do fit people avoid plateau and continue to have fitness improvements?

Cross-training. Doing different things on different days. (Hiring a personal trainer to design a periodized weight training program for you!). Always training harder. Once something gets easy, make it harder. Increase your duration or your intensity. If something isn't very challenging to you, you can't expect it to change your body.

Clean fifteen, Dirty dozen.

Yesterday's post was about pesticides and the risks of non-organic produce. It's important to note that the benefits of eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables (even conventionally grown ones) carries benefits with it that far out-weigh the risks. However, we want to minimize our risk as much as possible, when possiple. The Environmental Work Group (EWA) puts out a consumer's guide to pesticides in produce called, you guessed it, "The Clean Fifteen & The Dirty Dozen."

Here's the list I pulled straight off EWG's website: (I thought about putting the names, but if you can't identify all of these fruits and veggies, get your booty to the produce aisle and try new things!)

The Dirty Dozen (plus two) are the twelve foods most contaminated with pesticides. Best to get this stuff organic!

The Clean Fifteen are the foods that are least contaminated with pesticides, and are acceptable to buy non-organic.

There you have it! The Clean Fifteen (acceptable to buy non-organic) and the Dirty Dozen (Best to buy these organic.) Eat up!

Things you should know about Pesticides.

Courtesy of panna.org

A while back I did a post on what it means for a food to be considered organic, one of them being no synthetic (chemical) pesticides are ever used. Non-organic fruits and vegetables are sprayed and treated with pesticides which the EPA acknowledges are toxic.

Here's what the EPA says about pesticides:

Pesticides are designed to (in most cases) kill pests. Many pesticides can also pose risks to people. However, in many cases the amount of pesticide people are likely to be exposed to is too small to pose a risk. To determine risk, one must consider both the toxicity or hazard of the pesticide and the likelihood of exposure. A low level of exposure to a very toxic pesticide may be no more dangerous than a high level of exposure to a relatively low toxicity pesticide, for example.


So they're saying that in small doses, severely toxic pesticides pose about the same amount of risk as excessive doses of relatively low-toxicity pesticides. So what's the risk they're talking about?

The "risk" of pesticides.

The risk of consuming pesticides depends on the pesticide. Considering most non-organic produce contains more than 30 different chemical pesticides, if you're eating non-organic produce, you're likely being exposed to all of these risks. In general, pesticides have been linked to cancer, ADHD, and birth defects. Specifically, some pesticides are considered carginogens, meaning they are cancer-causing. Some affect the nervous system, which is responsible proper brain-body function and also diseases like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, and even carpal tunnel. Other pesticides mess with your hormones (like insulin and thyroid) and your endocrine system. 

Not worried about your endocrine system?

You should be, because it plays a huge part in your mood, metabolism, tissue function, and reproduction. Problems with your endocrine system could mean metabolic disease, infertility, depression, excessive weight gain, ADHD, and more.

So, seriously, how much risk do we have?

Good luck finding a straight answer to this on the internet. The truth is that the EPA approves the use of pesticides based on how they have assessed the risk factors of both individual pesticides and combinations of pesticides. These can be viewed here. They also put limits on how much of a pesticide can be used, the clothing that must be worn when it's sprayed, etc. etc, because this stuff is sooooo seriously dangerous. So, if the EPA's guidelines are strictly followed by the farmers spraying the pesticides, then the EPA's conclusion is that there is "reasonable certainty of no harm" of consuming pesticide residues on produce.

So they're "pretty sure" that it's "relatively safe" to consume pesticides on food if the pesticides are used in accordance with the EPA's guidelines. That's too many gray areas for me.

How much pesticide consumption is ok? That's the big question! If you google this stuff, there's tons of radicals out there that say you'll probably get cancer if you eat a non-organic strawberry, and others that say they're totally safe. Pesticides the way we use them now have not been around very long, and in recent years we have seen an explosion of the diseases that pesticides cause. Correlation? Possibly. Probably.  It has, don't forget, been proven that pesticides are linked to severe health complications. So, you kind of have to be your own guide here. The EPA doesn't have a statement on just when your pesticide consumption will harm you. The studies done on human consumption of pesticides are fairly limited. Of course, we can't pump people full of toxic pesticides and wait for them to croak, right?? (Or, is that what we're already doing at a slower process??).

I digress.

If you want my opinion, I think it's safe to say that eating non-organic produce once wont kill you, but eat it constantly and you could be in trouble. Pesticides do build up (in your colon) over time, so I'd rather not take a chance here.

The bottom line.

I know I've got a crappy attitude toward this, but there are alternatives to chemical, synthetic pesticides. Most people don't even know what the risks of pesticides are, and those who do know are probably breaking the bank to avoid them. If you're willing to spend a little more money, you can get the no poison guaranteed fruits and veggies. It's a little more expensive to buy organic fruits and vegetables, which is a bummer, but I don't mind paying extra to know that I'm not exposing myself to a chemical that, in the right amount, can harm me. Check out The Dirty Dozen to avoid the produce with the highest amount of pesticides.

PAN (Pesticide Action Network) works to reduce pesticide use worldwide. Check it out if you too have a crappy attitude toward pesticides.

Oregon State on History of Pesticides

Everything the EPA has to say about their approval of Pesticides

Banana Ice Cream

You've probably seen this all over Pinterest-- Creamy, smooth, rich "ice cream" out of nothing more than a frozen banana. I didn't believe it. Too good to be true, right?

How about it tastes too good to be true! The sweet stickiness of the bananas, when whipped up in the Ninja, became gooey and smooth like soft serve ice cream. It still tasted like bananas, so I rolled with it and added some Jif Natural peanut butter to the Ninja and blended it some more.

Then, over top, I drizzled strawberry and chocolate syrup. Banana split! The cool thing about this, besides it's only, like, the funnest way to eat bananas, is you can add in anything you want to change the flavor.  We did another batch and mixed in some Justin's Hazelnut Almond Butter (Not Nutella!) instead of peanut butter, and oh my God. Seriously, do it.

Recipe

Frozen Bananas. Peel a few bananas and cut them into chunks. Toss them into a ziploc bag and freeze.

1. Put frozen banana chunks in blender and blend until creamy and smooth.
2. Add topings.
3. Enjoy! And then repeat over and over again, because you wont be able to get enough of this!

Here are some other ideas to add to your frozen banana ice cream:

coconut milk
fresh strawberry puree
blueberries
chocolate chips
walnuts
sprinkles
crushed pineapple (and maybe a little brown sugar, helloooo pineapple upside down cake!)
angel food cake
flavor extracts

What else do you guys put in your banana ice cream?

Why you should hire a personal trainer.

I was training a client a few weeks ago who, after I made a slight adjustment to her form, said: "See, that's one of the reasons I train with you-- even when I think I'm doing it right, you make sure I do it better." This got me thinking about how, if you have weight loss or fitness goals, hiring a personal trainer is well worth the money.

A while back I read an article where the high-and-mighty Planet Fitness claimed that paying a personal trainer is just "paying for a friend," and that everything you can get from a trainer you can get from a solo workout at Planet Fitness.

Now, I'm not just insulted because I'm a trainer. Before I became a trainer I spent years in gyms using the machines, lifting free weights and running endlessly on the cardio equipment. I subscribed to Shape, Fitness Mag, and Men's Health. I've been in your shoes before, I know how it feels to spend every day in a gym and to obsess over what you're eating and not see huge results. When I became a trainer I learned that there is a science behind weightloss and lean-muscle building, and that normal people don't (and aren't expected to) possess this knowledge. Even if you did possess all the knowledge of a certified personal trainer, the amount of time and effort that goes into designing just one single workout is enough to exhaust you before you even step foot in a gym. I digress.

Certified personal trainers are experts in the absolute best ways to train individuals at each and every different fitness level. You're paying for a professional to become an expert in exactly what YOU need to do to reach your clearly-defined goals, in and out of the training room.

Which brings me to, I guess, the end of my rant. Below are a few of the highlights of what I deliver to my clients as a Personal Trainer.

Individualized.

Each program is meticulously designed FOR YOU. Everything goes into how your program is designed, from your body, fitness level, and goals to your personality and your daily life outside of training. You do NOT get a one-size-fits-all program. You do not get the same program as anyone else, ever.

Periodized.

Each program is periodized meaning I progress you in different ways at different times, so you're always increasing your fitness level and a plateau is never reached.

Measurements.

I perform an entire panel of body composition measurements (Body Fat %, BMI, Weight, Measurements, etc.) regularly so that we can monitor your losses. I also have you perform fitness tests from day 1 so that you can see and feel your progress when we retest. 

Lifestyle Changes.

I pride myself on being a teacher, so training with me means you will become a student of health and fitness. I believe that the only way to create new habits and change old ones is by learning and having a support system. You will never stop learning. Yes, you will get your ass handed to you in each and every session, but you will also gain invaluable knowledge and learn the tools needed to lead a healthier lifestyle when you're not in a training session.

No More Dieting.

If you're training with me, you will never diet again. I'll teach you what you need to know about nutrition, what you should be eating and when, and what foods to avoid. I love love love food, so I've become pretty good at finding healthy versions of my old favorite foods. If you have a passion for eating, you're choosing the right trainer, that's for sure.

Motivation.

It's not easy to walk into a gym and give it your all every single time. It's not easy to make it to the gym even when you've got it scheduled in your planner. It's a fact that if you schedule a personal training session, you're more likely to work out, and you don't have to muster up all of your mental energy to get the job done. 

If you can get that for $10 a month at Planet Fitness, then be my guest. ;)
(Come get some, Planet Fitness!!)

The best alternative to sugar.

Do you have a sugar addiction? I do.

The more sugary sweet stuff you eat, the more you crave it. It's a never-ending cycle and those chemical artificial sweeteners (Splenda, Equal, etc.) are sooooo not the answer.

For a while I was using Truvia, which is the common grocery store brand who produces powdered Stevia. It took me a long time to realize it, but Truvia was making me sick and bloated every time I used it. "But why?" I thought, "Stevia is natural, not chemical!"

The answer? Maltodextrin.

Maltodextrin is a starchy food additive used to "bulk up" a product, and it's in Truvia. The second maltodextrin hits my digestive tract my belly blows up like a balloon. So, desperate to continue satisfying my sweet tooth, I found this:

Liquid gold, I mean Stevia Extract. This stuff is pure, clean, no joke. There's no additives, just the extract from the stevia leaf. It tastes way better than the powdered Truvia (maltodextrin has a slight chemical taste) and you only need a teeny tiny bit of it. 

4 ounces is about 11 bucks, and it lasts a whole lot longer than Truvia.

Hate the taste of Truvia and loathe artificial sweeteners? Buy pure liquid stevia extract on Vitacost.

Sugar addicts, unite. :)

Why it's important to work your booty.

Aside from getting a round, perfectly toned backside:

-The glutes are the largest muscle in the body, so when you work them, you burn the most amount of calories. 

-When you have weak glutes, your pelvis tilts forward, pushing your abdomen outward. (Look at the picture below.) This gives you even more of a belly pooch than you might have, and can make you look permanently bloated or just chubby around the tummy. Not cool. 

-Working the glutes fixes (and prevents) poor posture.

Welcome those squats, you need 'em!!!

How many calories should I eat per day?

To lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you take in. That's the easy part. Figuring out what that number is, now that's the hard part. 

Your BMR tells you how many calories your body burns at complete rest. This means not getting up to pee, not typing on your iPhone, literally nothing. As if you were in a coma. 

Your BMR is useful because you know that you need at the very least, this amount of calories. You never ever ever want to eat less than this number, because your body will go into starvation mode where you store all your fat, and burn lean muscle mass. (Basically, you lose lean weight and gain fat. you get "skinny fat". Soft and squishy body type). Not good.

Now, what also needs taken into consideration when determining how many calories you need per day is how many calories your body burns in a day via general daily activity and exercise. It is incredibly difficult to determine the exact correct number of calories you personally burn in a day, because everyone's bodies burn at different rates. So, the BMR and "daily caloric needs" calculators are only estimates. 

Here are the calculators:

BMR calculator

Daily Caloric Needs Estimator (the amount of calories you need per day to maintain your current weight.)

The caloric needs estimator tells you how to MAINTAIN your current weight. So, to lose weight, your calorie intake for the day should be between those two numbers.

It is a challenge to eat enough calories so that your body won't be running on lean muscle fumes, but not too many calories which will cause your body store fat. There is a lot of trial and error involved, but you can get a good starting point by using the calculators, and knowing these two numbers (your BMR and your daily caloric intake) you can make adjustments to figure out what works for you. 

Sprouted Grains vs Whole Grains

Sprouted grain products, such as Ezekiel bread, offer all the same health benefits as a whole grain plus more: they're more easily digestible, they offer an increased amount of vitamins and minerals, and your body can better absorb the vitamins and minerals offered by the grain. 

The Science of Sprouting

A grain is a seed, and the seed's "shell" is called a hull. Legumes, nuts, seeds, and grains all have hulls. A substance called phytic acid is found in the hull, which decreases our bodies' ability to absorb some of the calcium, B vitamins, iron, magnesium and zinc available inside the grain. When grains are sprouted, the phytic acid in the hull is broken down, which allows our bodies to better absorb what the grain has to offer. Another way to break down the phytic acid in a grain or legume is to soak it overnight (soaked oats, soaked beans). Cool, huh?

Another reason to eat Ezekiel bread is that it's flourless, meaning the grains are 100% whole and not processed. And, if you remember, 100% whole grains (not whole grain flours) are an important part of a balanced, clean diet.

And, there's cinnamon raisin Ezekiel that has zero added sugar, it's freakin' delicious. 

Is Gluten really the devil??

Make no mistake, Gluten-Free doesn't mean healthier. Gluten doesn't make you gain weight. It doesn't increase your risk for heart disease, nor does it clog your arteries or raise your blood pressure either. However, SOME people should not eat gluten.

There are two reasons that you shouldn't be eating gluten: 

#1: You have celiac disease (only 1% of people have this, ask your doctor to test you if you suspect it.)

#2: You don't have celiac disease, but your body reacts negatively to consuming gluten. You'll experience stomach pains, cramping, bloating, nausea, diarrhea, or constipation. This is called gluten sensitivity, according to new research. Again, ask your doctor or start keeping a food diary to determine if gluten makes you feel like crap. A lot of people experience this, but it doesn't necessarily mean YOU do.

By eliminating gluten from your diet if you DON'T fall into either of these groups, you're doing your body a disservice. Here's how:

-Whole grains are good for us. (Unless of course you have a gluten allergy or sensitivity.) They're part of a clean, whole-foods balanced diet and can aid in healthy weight maintenance and reduced risk of many chronic diseases. Don't get confused, though: whole grains are described as "100% whole grain/wheat" in the ingredients list-- NOT enriched, bleached or refined ANYTHING, and not "wheat flour." It must be 100% whole to be considered a whole grain.

-The processed snacks (pretzels, cookies, brownies, pasta, etc.) which marketers have gone to great lengths to remove the gluten from are not better for you, they're simply more processed. A gluten free cookie is not healthier than a regular cookie. Most gluten-free snacks have more sugar, or are made with corn, which is processed and doesn't contain the amount of nutrition that whole grain and whole wheat does. (Translation: not good for your waistline.) 

Keep in mind that gluten itself doesn't make you fat or unhealthy, so by replacing a wheat product with a sugary corn product, for example, your waist line is probably suffering. Don't get confused: this doesn't mean that naturally gluten-free foods (namely fruits and vegetables) are unhealthy, it means that processed snacks that have had the gluten removed are likely even worse for your waist line than their gluten-ridden counterparts. Eliminating everything processed from your diet is your best bet, NOT eliminating the gluten from your processed products. 

Are you guilty of hopping on this bandwagon a little too soon? A recent study shows that 30% of adults want to or are attempting to remove gluten from their diets. Marketers love this because they can remove the wheat, add some sugar or corn, jack up the price, and appeal to the people who want to be healthy but don't really know much about the trend. 

I hope you can use this new knowledge to avoid getting fooled in the grocery store, or to determine if you should be limiting or eliminating gluten from your diet. 

Bottom Line: Don't eliminate gluten unless you have been diagnosed with celiac disease or if gluten doesn't agree with your digestive system. Eliminating gluten for any other reason is not going to make you any thinner or any healthier. Instead, eliminate processed grains and instead eat whole grains and whole wheat.

Source: IDEA Fitness Journal