New Deadlift Personal Best

I like to recognize my clients' achievements. Stephanie, whose previous best was 115 pounds, sets a new personal record (and female HTS record) with a 145 pound deadlift (easily)! Nice job Stephanie!

Not Just What You Eat, But How You Eat Matters

I spend a lot of time discussing with my clients what they should be eating, but I am coming to realize that how they eat will has a significant impact on their body fat and health. In a previous post, I discussed the importance of "liberally feeding your lean muscle mass and judiciously starving your body fat stores.' And, that had a lot to do with what foods you are eating; cutting out processed carbohydrates, sugars, high-fructose corn syrup, and hydrogenated vegetable oils. Focusing on adequate protein, fats (especially Omega-3 fatty acids- more on that in the future), and lots of fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and unrefined whole grains (in moderation). Here are five ways to improve your eating habits (just in case mom didn't teach you):

1. Don't buy foods with more than four ingredients (unless they are spices), or if you can't pronounce any of the ingredients. "Would you like some more exthoxylated mono and diglycerides on your sandwich?"
2. Don't buy your food from a gas station. Americans now spend more money on food (food-like substances) and cigarettes than gas at gas stations. That hot dog has been on that warmer for a long, long time. Buy your gas and head out of there without any purchases. You will spend enough on gas, you don't have to spend over $8.00 per gallon of water (sold in smaller sizes to conveniently fit in you cup holders).
3. Don't eat in your car. I have been guilty of this before, but if you think about it, you are really not benefiting yourself. Most likely, the food is processed, fast food, and easy to eat. You are mindlessly eating (maybe just to keep yourself busy). You are likely to spill on yourself or your car. And finally, you are distracting yourself while driving, putting yourself and others in danger.
4. Eat with others. People tend to eat a lot more food when they are by themselves. I guess, you would be embarrassed to pig out in front of friends.
5. Plan on investing a little time and effort into meal preparation. Yes, you will have to wake up 10 minutes earlier in the morning to prepare a decent breakfast. But, you are more likely to eat healthier and save money if you are willing to invest a little time and effort into preparing your food.
   

Meet Me at the Market

Eating fresh, locally grown foods is a very smart way to nourish your body, keep it healthy, and support your local environment. This Saturday, May 30th, the Carmel Farmer's Market opens. It is located in the south parking lot of the Carmel City Hall. Click here for more info. I will be there from 8:00am to 8:30am, hopefully getting first pick. I have never been, but am looking forward to it. Hope to see you there (instead of at Dunkin Donuts)!

Embracing Physical Culture

Today, the idea of being fit or more specifically, looking fit is very appealing for many Americans. Popular magazines, television, and the internet all glamorize and promote the idea of looking fit (even if it is by means of medical, surgical, or pharmacological intervention). Though, it is increasingly elusive in an era of escalating obesity rates and incidences of 'diseases of affluence'.

Americans' busy, fast-paced lifestyles have left many to fall victim to 'quick fixes'- be it infomercials, commercial gyms, supplements, or the latest exercise fad. They want the results, but don't or can't make the investment of their time and effort in exercise training, nutrition, and recovery. These are the same people who try a variety of fitness classes, like flipping through channels on the television, to see which one they like; step aerobics, Pilates, yoga, spin, boot camps, you name it, they have tried it. They lose interest, fail to see results or just simply stop altogether. Eventually, they start the cycle all over again, never really making much improvement with their bodies.

As a trainer, word of mouth is one of the greatest ways I get referrals for new clients. I am recommended to others based on the results of my clients. Some clients get excellent results and some clients get mediocre results (I like to think that there is more of the former than the latter). But is it because I do a better job of training some clients and not others? Is it because some clients are just genetically predisposed to fail? No and no. The underlying factor that determines if a client sees significant results in their fitness, health and body composition is if they commit to a Physical Culture. That is, are they committed to learning correct exercise techniques, progressively training their bodies' with appropriate training programs, supporting their training with sound nutrition and sleep, and ultimately understanding that Physical Culture is a lifestyle, not a quick fix. For those people who have adopted a Physical Culture, their bodies speak for themselves. They don't make excuses or dread going to the gym. In fact, they enjoy it. They accomplish feats that others just can't imagine. It is pretty neat to see the determination, drive, and results in these people (and luckily a lot of my clients fall into this category).

Exercise training cannot simply be put on hold for a month or two when your life gets busy. It has to be integral to your lifestyle. Exercise training, first and foremost, should be viewed as a stimulus to improve your body and how it functions. You should look forward to it for its immediate and long-term enhancement of your mental and physical well-being. It should not be a punishment, or a chore, or a way to combat your poor nutrition habits.

So, for those of you who have embraced Physical Culture, you will continue to reap the benefits for a lifetime. For those of you who have not, but want to improve your body, look beyond the marketing hype of the infomercials, supplements, fitness fads, and commercial gyms. You don't need an Ab Lounger, or creatine powders or a $6000 treadmill with a flat-screen television to achieve a strong, lean, healthy, and vibrant body- just a lifestyle anchored by the three pillars of fitness- consistent exercise training, sound nutrition (real, whole foods), and recovery (active and passive).

More Turkish Get-Up Fun

To make the Turkish Get-up more challenging, try using a living, squirming weight, such as a six year-old kid for your resistance. Just don't hit their head on the ceiling or drop them.

Training Images of the Week

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Janet warms up during a recent group training session with single-leg deadlifts, While Julie preps for her set of pull-ups.

Julie not only completes her pull-up, but is able to smile for the camera, too!


Jon stays very focused during his side bridges.

Stephanie, with pretty good technique on the snatch, completes a rep.

The Tuna Solution

Tuna fish is a good, high-protein, low carbohydrate food, but it can be inconvenient to eat if you are on the go. It has to be prepared and refrigerated or you have to eat it out of the can (and you may have to drain it). While grocery shopping yesterday, I found a good solution: Bumble Bee Easy Peel Sensations. This is classic Bumble Bee tuna fish in a 5oz, easy peel-open can, seasoned in three flavors- Lemon & Pepper, Sundried Tomato & Basil, and Spicy Thai Chili. Simply peel the foil off and you are ready to eat. So far, I have only eaten the Spicy Thai Chili. I liked the taste and texture.

Nutritionally, they offer: 30-36grams of protein, 6-8grams of fat, and 4-18grams of carbohydrates (the Spicy Thai Chili has 18grams, while the others only have 4grams).

Nutrition Simplified

After discussing the post from the other day on Calorie balance and weight loss with a couple clients, I came to the conclusion, that as complicated as nutrition for fat loss can be, it can all be summed up in this statement:

"Liberally feed your lean muscle mass and judiciously starve your body fat stores."

Straight forward enough? Most people eat a bunch of junk(>50% of their total Calories are from refined carbohydrates) that stimulates storage of body fat. When they want to lose weight, they simply restrict their total food intake (including the good Calories that your muscles need). They don't know that, inevitably, they are setting themselves up to fail because they are losing lean body mass. They are creating an 'internal starvation' for their lean body mass, while still growing their body fat stores. As I discussed in the previous nutrition post, the 'Calories in/Calories out' equation changes, and total weight loss plateaus (because they are starving their lean body mass).

So, take time to ensure you are getting high-quality Calories and hold off on the low-quality Calories. Simply starving yourself won't work.

A New Turkish Get-Up Personal Best

Jen hits her new personal best (and an HTS female record) with a 40-pound Turkish Get-Up, today at the gym. Nice job, Jen!

For those of you who are not familiar, the Turkish Get-Up is full-body lift that demands great shoulder, torso, and hip strength and stability. It can be done with a kettlebell, dumbell, or even a barbell.

Fat Loss = Calories In - Calories Out......Not Quite.

For years, the advice on how to lose fat from experts in the medical, health, and fitness fields has been eat less (diet), move more (go for a walk). The formula for fat loss was simply:

Change in Body Weight = 'Calories in' - 'Calories out'

However, as we know, the number of people who are successful with this method has been very slim (no pun intended). Is it lack of will power? Lack of motivation? Or, is it that this advice is flawed?

Well, it appears that the advice is flawed. While you will see some changes in your body weight if you follow a low-Calorie diet, inevitably, it fails in the long-run. The above equation is just too simplistic. In the equation, you can change one variable, such as decrease your 'Calories In' and you will see a small decline in body weight. But, most people will attest, your body weight will plateau fairly quickly. The body adapts; the equation changes. Here are some examples of how the equation can change:

Calories out' varies tremendously, even at rest.

Resting metabolic rate fluctuates as a function of 'Calories in'. As you restrict your Caloric consumption, your resting Caloric expenditure will plummet. Additionally, your appetite will greatly increase. The body copes with a lower Caloric intake by lowering its energy expenditure and attempts to increase Caloric intake by increasing appetite. On the other hand, resting metabolic rate will rise significantly if you raise the 'Calories in'. side of the equation, and appetite will decrease.

The loss of body weight is usually not exclusively body fat.

When you lose weight from a restricted-Calorie diet, the body meets its energy demands by breaking down skeletal muscle and converts it to glucose via gluconeogenesis (process of chemically removing nitrogen and converting amino acids to glucose in the liver). So, a significant amount of weight loss is from lean muscle mass. Concurrently, resting metabolic rate will drop, as it is directly related to muscle mass (which is an energy sink-uses lots of energy, especially if you workout regularly).

All Calories are not equal in their role in metabolism.

"It doesn't matter if you eat celery, cookies, or meat, a Calorie is a Calorie." Well, if you used food for energy outside of the body, this statement is probably true. However, we use different biochemical pathways to derive energy from various nutrients (fat, protein, carbohydrate, or alcohol) inside the body. Some pathways are more efficient than others to extract the energy in the chemical bonds of the ingested nutritive substances. For example, converting protein to glucose uses over 25% of the energy it would supply as glucose.

Hormonal control of nutrient availability determines what fuel can be used for energy.

The body maintains very precise levels of nutrients in the blood based on its needs. Fatty acids and glucose are included. They are finely regulated by a variety of hormones. Interestingly, the composition of the diet and when it is consumed affect whether the nutrients are taken up by active tissue (muscles, brain, heart, etc.) or stored as triglycerides in the adipose (fat) tissue. One of the most important hormones is insulin. It is a storage hormone, signaling the uptake of glucose and fatty acids to be stored. Insulin is opposed by a variety of hormones, including glucagon and epinephrine. A diet high in carbohydrates, will raise insulin levels, thus stimulating adipose tissue to take up glucose and fatty acids from the blood. Vital organs will experience a state of semi-starvation. Consuming a diet rich in refined sugars leads to the ironic condition of malnourished obese individuals, who have high levels of circulating insulin. With weight loss or a carbohydrate-restricted diet insulin levels will go back down to normal levels.


I hope you can appreciate that the body is a very sophisticated organism that has functioned amazingly well for thousands of years. Now, too many Americans are over fat. Applying a simple equation (law of energy conservation, energy is neither created or destroyed) developed in the 19th-century from steam engine design has consistently failed to help us improve our body fat levels. Unfortunately, lots of medical, health and fitness experts will continue to recommend restricting Calories and simply expending more. Until they finally realize that they are viewing the root of the problem (obesity) wrongly, Americans will continue to struggle with obesity and its complications. We need to view it as a metabolic malfunction based on the modern diet (high consumption of refined carbohydrates) and the modern environment (lack of the appropriate hormonal signals to build muscle and keep burning fat naturally, such as regular, natural spikes in growth hormone and testosterone in response to resistance training and high intensity exercise). Fortunately, some of you are getting the results you want with the right information.

Are Diet Beverages Keeping You From Losing Body Fat?

Over the past twenty years, Americans have increased their consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages dramatically. They now constitute a significant number of carbohydrates and Calories in the American diet. In an effort to cut down on the additional Calories, many have turned to 'Diet' alternatives. These beverages (sodas, juices, and energy drinks) have what is called 'non-nutritive sweeteners' or artificial sweeteners (FDA has approved five: acesulfame-K, aspartame, neotame, saccharin, sucralose). The assumption (and marketing thrust) has been that you can enjoy your favorite beverages (and continue buying them) without worrying about consuming the extra Calories or sugars. You can get your caffeine and sweet fix without the adverse effects of all that sugar.

On the surface, replacing sugar with artificial sweeteners seems like a good idea. Consume less empty Calories, the better for your body weight. Unfortunately, studies have shown that drinking diet beverages in place of sugar-sweetened beverages doesn't help with weight loss. If you buy into the "Carbohydrate Hypothesis", which I find very interesting (and will address in another post), basically it states that managing insulin levels are key to keeping body fat off. Glucose (simple carbohydrate) is one of the most powerful stimulants of insulin release from the pancreas into the blood. However, insulin secretion may also be stimulated by artificial sweeteners. The sweet taste identified in the mouth will trigger a neurological stimulation of the pancreas to release insulin into the blood (study1, study2 study3 study4 ). The rise in blood insulin levels causes a decrease in fatty acid release from the adipose tissue and forces the rest of the body(muscles, brain, heart, etc.) to take up more blood glucose for its energy needs. The lowered fatty acid and glucose level in the blood stimulates the appetite center in the hypothalamus (part of the brain that helps regulate the internal environment of the body by monitoring and releasing hormonal and neurological signals). Thus, you may have a higher insulin level, decreased release of fatty acids from the adipose tissue, and a greater appetite from consuming artificially sweetened beverages. These physiological changes may cause you to consume additional Calories and/or store more fat- not what you want from your "Diet" drink.

Here is a quick overview to help you understand the mechanism:

1. Taste an artificial sweetener in your "Diet" drink
2. A neurological signal is sent from the hypothalamus to Insulin-releasing cells of the pancreas.
3. Blood insulin levels rise, causing a decreased release of fatty acids from the adipose tissue.
4. Increased uptake of blood glucose by other cells because there is less fat available for energy.
5. Lower blood glucose and fatty acid levels sensed by hypothalamus
6. Hypothalamus appetite center is stimulated.
7. You feel hungry, but have stored additional fat in adipose tissue instead of using it for energy.

Now, I have only reviewed a hypothesis about how artificially sweetened drinks could make gain more body fat (or at least not help you lose body fat). I am in no way recommending consuming real sugar-sweetened drinks in their place (that would be even worse). Also, there are other factors that come into play such as: whether the drink was by itself or with food, the type (Sacchrin seams to have a greater affect than Aspartame) and concentration of the artificial sweetener, individual differences in insulin responses, body fatness, baseline insulin levels, etc.

When choosing your beverages, don't assume a "Diet" drink has no effect on your body because it has zero Calories in it. It may be indirect, but the effects of drinking a "Diet" drink may be significant enough to cause you to gain body fat, or at least prevent you from losing body fat.

I Want To Do That!

Split Snatch from Dan Hubbard on Vimeo.

A fun variation of the Barbell Snatch is the 'Split Snatch'. The difference is the 'catch' which is done in a split stance or lunge position. You can alternate feet, like I do, with each repetition. With a little practice, to get used to the split-stance catch position, you can do that, too!

Breakfast Recipe: Onion, Mushroom, Spinach, Cheese Omelet

In the last post, I discussed the importance of managing insulin to help prevent excessive fat storage in the adipose tissue. One important point was limiting carbohydrate, especially refined carbohydrates or sugars in your diet. What I have observed with my clients is that breakfast, if it is consumed, is usually high in carbohydrates (cereals, breads, bagels, etc.) and low protein. Here is a fairly quick and delicious recipe that is high in protein and lower in carbohydrates.


Ingredients:

3 Extra Large Eggs
1 oz of milk
0.5 Tsp of olive oil
1 oz mushrooms
1 oz of onions
10 baby spinach leaves
1 slice of Swiss cheese
salt and pepper

Step 1: Saute onions, mushrooms, and spinach in frying pan (I use a little olive oil, 0.5 tsp) over med-high heat for a few minutes. Then put them on a plate.
Step 2: Break eggs into a bowl, add one oz of milk, whisk until uniform. Cook egg in frying pan for a few minutes.

Step 3: Add sauteed onions, mushrooms, and spinach and salt and pepper to partially cooked eggs. Then place the piece of Swiss cheese on top of vegetables. Let eggs continue cooking until they are fully cooked. Fold over the eggs to complete the omelet.


Nutrition Information:

Calories: 448
Fat: 34 grams (68%)
Carbohydrates: 6 grams (5%)
Protein: 28 grams (27%)

The higher fat and protein content will keep you full all morning long. Plus, it will help you off-set a higher carbohydrate meal eaten later in the day. Enjoy!

Managing Insulin, a Key for Fat Loss

So, you want to lose body fat (or prevent it from accumulating)? Then controlling your insulin secretion is critical. Insulin is the hormone that stimulates adipose (fat) tissue to take up fatty acids and glucose and store them as triglycerides. We are most familiar with Insulin from its action on lowering high blood sugar (like in diabetics), but where do you think the blood sugar goes?

Opposing hormones, like Epinephrine, Glucagon, and Growth Hormone (to name a few) increase the muscles' uptake up sugar and fatty acids from the blood (notice I said increase, they are always taking glucose and fatty acids up at some level). These hormones, also, stimulate the increase in the breakdown (lypolysis) of triglycerides from adipose tissue and release fatty acids into the circulation.

Exercise suppresses Insulin levels and raises the levels of the opposing hormones (listed above). This should make sense because of elevated energy demands. Often overlooked, especially with the low-fat diets, is that the composition (quality) of your diet plays a significant role in Insulin secretion. Carbohydrates, especially those that are only glucose (like common starches, i.e. breads), or composed of glucose (like table sugar or high-fructose corn syrup) cause a spike in your blood glucose levels and a corresponding rise in your blood insulin levels. Carbohydrates are also necessary to 'build' triglycerides in the adipose tissue. Glucose is converted to a (two) glycerol molecule that serve as the 'backbone' of the triglyceride molecule.

So, carbohydrate restriction (especially refined, and simple carbohydrates) is key to fat loss. Also, most refined carbohydrates have little nutritional value, are concentrated, and fail to suppress your hunger. So, cut out the sugars to stimulate your body to breakdown fat, not store it.