Modifying your metabolism...

Often times I am asked if our exercise programs come with a eating plan to follow. It sounds like a logical question. As much as myself and other health professionals say that nutrition and eating are the biggest components to a fitness program, you'd think we would have a customized nutrition plan ready to go for you.

Unfortunately, even if I did give you a strict nutrition plan to eat 5 times per day, with 140g of protein, 42g of fat and 200g of carbohydrates what are the odds you'd actually follow it? I've written programs like this for myself and my compliance with it is less than 90%.

So wouldn't it be easier to give you a few general goals that give you some freedom to make some decisions so that you aren't eating the same 6 foods over and over? Some people don't mind eating the same foods everyday. I'm one of those people. But others needs a lot of variety. My wife is one of those types of people.

I recently put together a little report on how to modify your metabolism through 5 different means that are pretty quick to implement. In it I discuss the 4 components of your metabolism and which part of your metabolism the 5 strategies effect. This way you can see that by implementing all 5 you are really beginning to change your body to be a fat-burning machine!

Because you guys are on our mailing list I'll give you the quick run-down of th 5 Ways to Kick Start Your Metabolism...Today!

1. Eat protein with breakfast. And not just a single egg (which has only 6g of protein). I'm talking add some PROTEIN! Have a protein shake along side that bowl of oatmeal. Or have a smoothie with some protein tossed in for good mix. Smaller individuals will want aroudn 15-20g of protein in their breakfast while larger individuals will want 25-35g of protein in their breakfast.
2. Exercise at work. By increasing your energy expenditure multiple times over the course of the day, you're constantly giving your metabolism a kick in the pants. So go up and down the stairs twice (act like you forgot something if you need an explanation) or walk quickly out to your car and back in. Just get your heart rate up a couple times during the day for 2-3 minutes. But don't do it so much that you sweat. That might raise a few eyebrows. And careful with the yoga stuff...
3. Use your kids as weights. Play with your kids. Pick them up and down, raise them over your head, swing them around a little (within reason). All of these things will increase the intensity of any motion. And you'll give your kids memories (or nightmares) for a lifetime!
4. Walking Intervals. Some people walk for fitness while others walk to get from place to place. If you're walking for fitness or as transportation, throw some intervals in there. Walk fast until you feel you're breathing hard and your heart rate is higher and then slow down a bit. Alternate these higher and lower walking speeds to give your metabolism a quick shot in the arm.
5. Eat more fat. Research has shown that our bodies will shift our metabolism to use the energy we have the most of. In addition newer research is suggesting we might be able to modify our metabolism to prefer a type of energy on a daily basis! This means that you have the potential to shift your metabolism to use fat on a daily basis. So how can we increase our fat intake? Fish oil supplementation has been shown to have an array of benefits including reduced inflammation, increased fat mobilization, improved cardiovascular function, brain development and immune system function.

Head over to the website www.pairmarotta.com/fitness and enter your email address to get the report emailed to you!

To Snack or not to Snack?

There is a bit of a conundrum that is faced when trying to lose weight. Actually there are a few. But I am just going to tackle one for today: Snacking.

 

Some people see it as their downfall, the reason that they are overweight. "I can't stop snacking! I feel like I eat all day."

 

Other people swear by it for weight loss. "I eat 6 times a day and have lost 10 lbs this month!"

 

So which is it? 

 

Research and "belt science" would indicate that eating too much causes us to gain weight. At the same time research shows that those who eat 4-6 meals per day actually reduce more body fat than those who eat 1-2 times per day.

 

The truth? Eating frequently (every 2-3 hours) helps to speed up your metabolism, BUT....

Belly fat juice.

If your snacks are Tootsie Rolls, Doritos, M&M's and Pepsi (that includes diet too!) I will personally GUARANTEE that you will GAIN weight when you snack.

 

But if your snacks are carrots, cottage cheese, apples, yogurt, blueberries, almonds, pistachios or iced tea, then I will personally GUARANTEE that you will LOSE weight when you snack!

 

Eating frequently has been shown to alter your metabolism. If you eat more, you're metabolism will rise following your snack. However, if you eat sugary stuff your metabolism will not rise as much as when you have a high protein-high fiber snack such as apples and yogurt, or carrots and cottage cheese. 

 

Fruits and vegetables will ALWAYS be a better choice than chips, candy and soda. Chips and candy have almost ZERO nutritional value and as a result are energy sapping slugs that only send your insulin levels through the roof. And when insulin is constantly high, it stores excess energy as FAT. 

 

Belly Fat Fighters

Protein on the other hand has a much slower digestion, requires more energy to breakdown and when it is broken down can be used for repairing muscles, organs, bone as well as providing energy. And it increases your metabolism for up to 30%. And a fast metabolism is the key to getting rid of stubborn belly fat.

 

So how to sum this up and make it practical?

 

Snacks like cottage cheese, yogurt, 1 piece of fruit, baby carrots, broccoli sprouts, or a small handful of almonds or pistachios are the BEST foods for losing belly fat. Eat snacks in between your main meals and a small one before bed and your metabolism will begin to speed up and you'll start to see that spare tire slowly begin to deflate!

Just a quick peek into the future...

If we could look 12-weeks into the future and look at ourselves, where will we be? What will we be doing and what will we look and feel like?

12-weeks from today it will be July 22: The middle of summer. Here are a few guarantee's.

July heat is a sure thing.

• It's gonna be hot. July 22nd is near the beginning of Bakersfield's hot season which usually lasts from the first week of July through mid-September. 

Yep and that's about all I've got for guarantee's! Everything else is unknown.

And there is some real beauty in this because you have 12-weeks worth of decisions to make. There will be tough times and good times but you have the choice as to how you will respond to them.

When it comes to how you look and feel, 12-weeks is enough to make some pretty significant progress! But consider that weight loss and body changes take hard work during exercise and some REALLY hard work in the kitchen! 

If you've been involved with the Hi-5 FitCamp, you've heard me say that you can't out-train a bad diet. There is simply no way around it. But changing your body is easier with a plan. Now although I can't give a custom nutrition plan for everybody, because everybody is a bit unique, here is what a typical day of food selection should look like. But again, quantity will be a bit different depending on each person's weight.

Breakfast

• Oatmeal + protein powder + fruit
• 1 Multivitamin
• Fish oil

Snack

Start going nuts for shakes!!

• Cottage cheese + salsa + flaxseed tortilla chips
• 1-cup water

Lunch

• Sirloin steak mixed into a large salad + pecans + vinaigrette dressing 
• 1-cup water/tea
• Fish oil

Snack: Smoothie (click here for the ultimate smoothie guide)

•  1 fruit + 1 veggie + handful of nuts + protein powder + liquid 

Dinner* (1/2 plate should be veggies, 1/4 plate meat, 1/4 plate grains)

• Meat + veggies + nuts + complex carbs (i.e. cous cous, quinoa)**
• 2 cups water
• Fish oil

**if you don't want grains, just add more greens to your plate! 

 Now this may seem quite a bit different than what you're currently eating. If it feels like this, then just make a small change at a time. For example, if you usually don't eat breakfast, you could have a small bowl of oatmeal and a glass of milk. Do this for a week, then add another healthy habit!

Want more information? Shoot me an email and I can help guide you in the right direction!

Another Gourmet Nutrition Recipe

Well as I continue to work my way through Gourmet Nutrition, i've found another great recipe! This time its the Fruity Cashew Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa). 

Pretty good stuff and its fairly simple to make. 

• Add 1/2 cup of quinoa to 1 cup of boiling water or vegetable broth (although I recommend the broth for more flavor). 
• Lower to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. 
• While that is cooking, chop 1/2 an apple, 1/4 an orange (tiny bits) and 1/4 cup of cashews. 
• After the quinoa has cooked for 10 minutes add the chopped fruit and cashews, turn off the heat and let sit for another 10 minutes. 
• Then add 1 tsp of chopped cilantro at the end.

This goes great with chicken skewers (according to the book). I didn't have it with BBQ'd skewers as my 2-1/2 year old daughter Lucy was running around with me and she doesn't do well around BBQs. So I just had the quinoa. Good stuff, it would probably go good with a pineapple burger or some other tropical protein dish.

So to everybody who purchased this awesome cookbook, what's your favorite dish out of the book so far? You can post your reply here, on our Facebook page or head over to the forum bearcave.freeforums.org. 

Have a great Wednesday and enjoy the rest of this Bonus week of workouts!! 

Living the "Life"

You've got a lot of time away from us.

How many hours do we meet per week in the Hi-5 FitCamp? 

4 hours per week.

How many hours are available in a week?

168.

How many hours are left for you to manage on your own away from the Hi-5 FitCamp?

164. That's a lot of time. 

How you prioritize your time outside of exercise is going to have a much greater effect on how successful you are in changing your health. So how do you really make a significant change in your health? 

You live "the Life." You live like a healthy person lives. You know those "freaks" who are all "granola" and "uber-healthy"? You need to become one of them. Your concern for your health needs to be present in every aspect of your life.

Eat, drink, sleep, think, speak, breath, move and ooze it.

You need to eat, sleep, drink, think, breath, speak, work, move and ooze health. Am I saying you need to drop everything you do and "hit the gym"? No. You and I both know that there are plenty of gym addicts out there who don't sleep enough, eat horribly, hang around with unhealthy people and make lifestyle choices that are not conducive to looking, feeling and being your best.


So how do you live "the Life"?


Its really pretty simple. You keep your health at the front of your mind. Think about what you're going to eat the next day, think about your schedule and how to make healthy choices and build your day around a healthy lifestyle. 


For some of us, this may be a MASSIVE undertaking because we are so entrenched in our current routine. But as we saw at the top, exercising for 4 hours a week is not going to undue a 164 hours of poor food choices, poor sleep habits, mismanagement of food and a sedentary job.

Social support is the key to fitness success!

It can be difficult to keep that mentality as the day wears on. So what I am currently doing is setting up a forum for the Hi-5 FitCamp. The forum is there for us to offer support, encouragement, ask questions and pretty much be our "Bear (crawl) Cave." 


Social support is actually the NUMBER 1 FACTOR in success of a fitness program. Our "Bear Cave" will be here to provide that support, which will be crucial during the holidays!


When it gets up and going I will be sending out an email so be on the lookout!


Also, I wanted to add that this morning's workout, as well as the week's workouts have been AWESOME! You guys have really stepped up to the challenge this time and I am looking forward to see you guys continue to change the way you look, feel, move and live!


Have a great weekend and be sure to stay active (even if it means going to Dick's Sporting Goods and burning up the Golf Simulator!).

Are you afraid of these?

There are many foods that many people are deathly afraid of.

Not in the sense that this food will instantly harm them, but because statistics and information has been misguided and taken to an extreme.

Foods such as eggs, red meat and, dare I say.....chocolate.... are looked at as foods that are high in fat, cholesterol and are seen as flat out bad for you.

Here is an article from Core Performance that will hopefully help you shelve some of those bad thoughts and show you how to incorporate them into a healthy diet (by diet I mean your standard eating habits).

So head over to core performance, dig around the site and see what else you can learn about foods that so many people think are bad, but can actually help you to your healthy fitness goals!!