Are you using this strategy?
One of the simplest ways to calculate whether you're making progress towards your goal is by taking note of your actions throughout the day.
Basically, there are only 3 outcomes of any action.
You can make it far more complicated than this, but I find simple is always best...
Also, this strategy doesn't just work with trying to transform your body or improve your health, but can be applied to any business or life goal.
So here are the 3 outcomes that are involved in each choice you make:
1. Forward Progress
When you make a choice that brings you closer to your goal this would simply be considered forward progress.
It means that whatever choice you made is a positive one that has you moving in the right direction towards your desired outcome.
For example, choosing the fish and vegetable dish over the pasta when you go out to eat is moving you toward your weight loss goal.
Obviously, the more of these choices you make the faster you will progress towards your goals.
2. Taking a Step Back
Unlike forward progress, when you make a choice that doesn't move you toward your goal you are choosing to take a step back.
Of course this may seem pretty obvious as well, but when you really examine the choices you make throughout the day using this strategy I think you'll begin to see why your current actions are leading to the results you've gotten thus far.
It's really all about becoming aware of and awake to the big and small choices we make everyday of our lives.
Sometimes it's not the huge glaring choices that move us further away from our goals, but the piling up of a lot of minor choices that add up to having a negative impact.
For example, eating a processed bowl of cereal every morning with a tall glass of juice seems harmless, but as you've seen in my previous article all that sugar adds up.
The same goes for using regular salad dressing instead of opting for a tablespoon of healthy oil or fresh squeezed lemon juice. It's a relatively minor choice, but compounded over time along
with other minor choices it makes a great deal of difference...
3. Neutral Choices
Remaining neutral is the 3rd and only other outcome of your actions.
It means that the choice you made neither brought you towards or away from your goal. Many people believe that this 3rd outcome doesn't even exist and that you're either moving forward or backward in life.
I have to say that I agree with that statement of there being no "neutral" choices when neutral actions become prolonged. This means that when you string together multiple neutral actions it actually takes you a step back.
An example of a neutral choice would be not working out for a day because you are tired.
This decision not to exercise won't necessarily hurt you that day, but if you continue to take days off even if you are eating well you will eventually slow your metabolism and slide backwards away from your goal.
As I said before, just becoming aware of the choices you make throughout the day will lead to much greater progress towards your goal. The reason I say this is that most people unconsciously sneak in extra calories and make other choices that prevent them from really having the body they want.
By stopping yourself for a second before you go to eat something and ask yourself, "Is this healthy for me and is it going to move me closer to my goal?" you will really begin to take personal responsibility for your actions.
(This goes for all decisions, not just eating!)
Remember, you're the only one who can get you to your goals. Myself or other coaches can help guide you, but you must make the decision to really go after it.
This is why I feel bad for people who email me saying that they can't work their legs or they can't eat chicken, or they can't...
You get the point.
If you can't work your legs, train your upper body.
If you can't eat chicken, then have some fish or a protein shake...
There's always a way and your goal should be to come up with more answers than critiques or excuses.
You know you have it in you and now that you've been armed with these simple strategies of assessing a situation into 3 possible outcomes I hope you're ready to tackle your goals - or create new ones!
Lastly, keep in mind that you're human and that not every choice you make is going to take you closer to your goal so don't be too hard on yourself. Aim for 80% or better (B average) and you'll always be progressing closer towards your goal rather than stepping back or just standing in place...
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Lose Weight and Keep It Off: A 20-Second Exercise
Weight loss requires a concentrated effort. What typically happens is people make massive changes until they lose weight. Once they reach their goal, they revert to the old behavior that was the cause of weight gain. It sounds crazy, but it is the pattern. I want to change this! I want to see you lose weight and keep it off!
I am your Weight Loss and Wellness Coach. That means I will help you create a healthier body, mind and spirit. I am here to guide you long after the weight comes off. That is the fun part!
So let's look at a technique that will not only help you lose weight but also enrich your life. When you are making a change, you will need a plan. This plan should take into consideration your usual habits. You will want to make the new habit so easy to implement that it literally will take less than 20 seconds. Studies show that if the new behavior exceeds 20 seconds, your brain will talk you out of doing it. 21 seconds seems like too much effort, LOL.
I am not making this up. Shawn Achor writes about it in his book "The Happiness Advantage". He went as far as sleeping in his gym clothes to get in the habit of working out in the morning.
Really think about what needs to change. Then think about what you need to do instead. Make the new behavior easy to engage in within 20 seconds. Make the old habit too much effort. Make the old habit a pain to do that takes much longer than 20 seconds.
In the beginning, you will need to prompt the desired habit until it is conditioned to happen automatically. This takes only 21 days! This will work - give it a try.
I am your Weight Loss and Wellness Coach. That means I will help you create a healthier body, mind and spirit. I am here to guide you long after the weight comes off. That is the fun part!
So let's look at a technique that will not only help you lose weight but also enrich your life. When you are making a change, you will need a plan. This plan should take into consideration your usual habits. You will want to make the new habit so easy to implement that it literally will take less than 20 seconds. Studies show that if the new behavior exceeds 20 seconds, your brain will talk you out of doing it. 21 seconds seems like too much effort, LOL.
I am not making this up. Shawn Achor writes about it in his book "The Happiness Advantage". He went as far as sleeping in his gym clothes to get in the habit of working out in the morning.
Really think about what needs to change. Then think about what you need to do instead. Make the new behavior easy to engage in within 20 seconds. Make the old habit too much effort. Make the old habit a pain to do that takes much longer than 20 seconds.
In the beginning, you will need to prompt the desired habit until it is conditioned to happen automatically. This takes only 21 days! This will work - give it a try.
Best Nutrition Tip of All Time?
This nutrition tip bears repeating...
In my opinion the absolute best thing you can do to lose weight, get healthy, or live a life full of energy is to eat by this ONE RULE:
"Only eat whole foods with ONE ingredient."
The reason why one ingredient whole foods are the best for you is thatthey contain zero processing, and therefore are the most naturally nutrient packed, which provides you with the maximum enzymes, nutrients, and energy to fuel your body with.
Plus, they are satiating and are the exact foods nature intended us to eat.
Some of the best ones in the grocery store don't even have a label... (keep in mind that if the food doesn't have a label on it that's usually a dead give away that it's probably a one ingredient whole food.)
Here are some examples of one ingredient whole foods:
*Spinach
*Apples
*Broccoli
*Kiwis
*Berries
*Kale
*Celery
*Chicken
*Salmon
*Eggs
*Quinoa
*Brown rice
*Oats
*Yams
*Almonds
*Walnuts
*Sunflower seeds
*Raw honey
*Spring water
*Herbal tea
The items above are just examples to get you thinking of hundreds of other items that make the cut.
Pretty much all vegetables, fruits, whole grains, meats, fish, eggs, nuts, and natural beverages are single ingredient items that can all be beneficial for you.
However, you have to keep in mind that if any of the items above are placed in sealed containers they may have been processed out of their natural state. Be aware of this since if they have been processed to increase shelf life or processed in anyway, then they are most likely no longer a ONE ingredient natural food, but rather a chemically processed man-made food product.
Here are some examples of so-called natural foods that have been processed:
*Fruit juices (heated, condensed sugar - not fresh squeezed)
*Vitamin waters (it's sugar water with synthetic vitamin derivatives)
*Breads (except some rare, cold processed varieties)
*Overcooked "to-go" vegetables (overheated and destroyed enzymes)
*Processed fruit smoothies (heated, not made fresh and usually have sugar added)
*Roasted salted nuts (not same as raw, but not a bad choice)\
*Processed sugar and other sweeteners (Lo Han, stevia, and raw honey are better choices)
Of course, there are certain exceptions to this rule, as in food combining other WHOLE ONE ingredient foods as in the making of hummus, which includes natural uncooked chickpeas, olive oil, and sea salt.
But, it's still better to focus the majority of the time on simple clean, all-natural one ingredient eating.
I don't want to overload this article with detailed do's and don'ts. Instead, if you can make 80% or more of your foods ONE ingredient, 'no-label,' whole foods then I have no doubt you'll be on your way to living a life full of vibrance and looking in the mirror at the image of someone who looks fit, lean, young, and healthy.
Remember, your living body is made up of what you put it into it, so you literally are what you eat!
Here's to eating how nature intended us to!
In my opinion the absolute best thing you can do to lose weight, get healthy, or live a life full of energy is to eat by this ONE RULE:
"Only eat whole foods with ONE ingredient."
The reason why one ingredient whole foods are the best for you is thatthey contain zero processing, and therefore are the most naturally nutrient packed, which provides you with the maximum enzymes, nutrients, and energy to fuel your body with.
Plus, they are satiating and are the exact foods nature intended us to eat.
Some of the best ones in the grocery store don't even have a label... (keep in mind that if the food doesn't have a label on it that's usually a dead give away that it's probably a one ingredient whole food.)
Here are some examples of one ingredient whole foods:
*Spinach
*Apples
*Broccoli
*Kiwis
*Berries
*Kale
*Celery
*Chicken
*Salmon
*Eggs
*Quinoa
*Brown rice
*Oats
*Yams
*Almonds
*Walnuts
*Sunflower seeds
*Raw honey
*Spring water
*Herbal tea
The items above are just examples to get you thinking of hundreds of other items that make the cut.
Pretty much all vegetables, fruits, whole grains, meats, fish, eggs, nuts, and natural beverages are single ingredient items that can all be beneficial for you.
However, you have to keep in mind that if any of the items above are placed in sealed containers they may have been processed out of their natural state. Be aware of this since if they have been processed to increase shelf life or processed in anyway, then they are most likely no longer a ONE ingredient natural food, but rather a chemically processed man-made food product.
Here are some examples of so-called natural foods that have been processed:
*Fruit juices (heated, condensed sugar - not fresh squeezed)
*Vitamin waters (it's sugar water with synthetic vitamin derivatives)
*Breads (except some rare, cold processed varieties)
*Overcooked "to-go" vegetables (overheated and destroyed enzymes)
*Processed fruit smoothies (heated, not made fresh and usually have sugar added)
*Roasted salted nuts (not same as raw, but not a bad choice)\
*Processed sugar and other sweeteners (Lo Han, stevia, and raw honey are better choices)
Of course, there are certain exceptions to this rule, as in food combining other WHOLE ONE ingredient foods as in the making of hummus, which includes natural uncooked chickpeas, olive oil, and sea salt.
But, it's still better to focus the majority of the time on simple clean, all-natural one ingredient eating.
I don't want to overload this article with detailed do's and don'ts. Instead, if you can make 80% or more of your foods ONE ingredient, 'no-label,' whole foods then I have no doubt you'll be on your way to living a life full of vibrance and looking in the mirror at the image of someone who looks fit, lean, young, and healthy.
Remember, your living body is made up of what you put it into it, so you literally are what you eat!
Here's to eating how nature intended us to!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Diet for "Beer Belly"
We present a three-day dietcycle that aims to free you from accumulated fat and cleanse the body.
Diet enhances the metabolism and melt fat. Ideal for removing the effect of the so-called "beer belly". 100% success rate for removal of excess weight and the elimination of the abdomen would get if you combine this diet and exercise program.
In the full cycle of the diet are removed between 6 and 10 kg.Diet with menus for three days to repeat over a month. This means that after the diet on the third day, start again with the regime for the first day and so for 1 month.
Drink at least 4 cups of water (1.5 liters) of water per day.
Breakfast:
First day
Black coffee or tea with 1-2 sachets of artificial sweetener
½ grapefruit or grapefruit juice
1 toast, smeared with a little vegetable oil (peanut can, or if you do not like with a little olive oil).
Second day
Black coffee or tea with 1-2 sachets of artificial sweetener
1 hard boiled egg
½ banana
1 toast
Third day
Black coffee or tea with 1-2 sachets of artificial sweetener
4-5 plain crackers
50 g cream cheese (you can smear on crackers)
1 apple
Lunch:
First day
100 g tuna
1 toast
Black coffee or tea with 1-2 sachets of artificial sweetener
Second day
100-150 g cheese 100 g tuna
4-5 plain crackers
Third day
1 hard boiled egg
1 toast
Black coffee or tea with 1-2 sachets of artificial sweetener
Dinner:
First day
80-100 g chicken or lean meat (in no pork)
1 cup cooked green beans, maybe canned.
3-4 medium carrots
1 apple
1 cup regular vanilla ice cream
Second day
2 sausages (preferably chicken)
1 cup steamed broccoli or 100-150 g cabbage salad, sprinkled with olive oil.
3-4 medium carrots
½ banana
½ cup regular vanilla ice cream
Third day
100 g tuna
3-4 carrots
1 cup steamed cauliflower (if not love, yet make coleslaw)
A few slices of cantaloupe or watermelon
½ cup regular vanilla ice cream
How to loss body fat with diet
Rule #1: Avoid “white” carbohydrates
Avoid any carbohydrate that is — or can be — white.
Dont eat the following foods : bread, rice, cereal, potatoes, pasta, and fried food with breading.
If you avoid eating anything white, you’ll be safe.
Rule #2: Eat the same few meals over and over again
The most successful dieters, regardless of whether their goal is muscle gain or fat loss, eat the same few meals over and over again. Mix and match, constructing each meal with one from each of the three following groups:
Avoid any carbohydrate that is — or can be — white.
Dont eat the following foods : bread, rice, cereal, potatoes, pasta, and fried food with breading.
If you avoid eating anything white, you’ll be safe.
Rule #2: Eat the same few meals over and over again
The most successful dieters, regardless of whether their goal is muscle gain or fat loss, eat the same few meals over and over again. Mix and match, constructing each meal with one from each of the three following groups:
Proteins:
Egg whites with one whole egg for flavor
Chicken breast or thigh
Grass-fed organic beef
Pork
Egg whites with one whole egg for flavor
Chicken breast or thigh
Grass-fed organic beef
Pork
Legumes:
Lentils
Black beans
Pinto beans
Lentils
Black beans
Pinto beans
Vegetables:
Spinach
Asparagus
Peas
Mixed vegetables
Eat as much as you like of the above food items. Just remember: keep it simple. Pick three or four meals and repeat them. Almost all restaurants can give you a salad or vegetables in place of french fries or potatoes.Spinach
Asparagus
Peas
Mixed vegetables
Some athletes eat 6-8x per day to break up caloric load and avoid fat gain. I think this is ridiculously inconvenient. I eat 4x per day:
10am – breakfast
1pm – lunch
5pm – smaller second lunch
7:30-9pm – sports training
10pm – dinner
12am – glass of wine and Discovery Channel before bed
Rule #3: Don’t drink calories1pm – lunch
5pm – smaller second lunch
7:30-9pm – sports training
10pm – dinner
12am – glass of wine and Discovery Channel before bed
Drink massive quantities of water and as much unsweetened iced tea, tea, diet sodas, coffee (without white cream), or other no-calorie/low-calorie beverages as you like.
Dont drink milk, normal soft drinks, or fruit juice.
Obesity and the risks it hides
What is Obesity ?
It is a chronic condition defined by an excess amount body fat. Crtain amount of body fat is needed for heat insulation, storing energy, shock absorption and more other functions. The normal amount of body fat is (expressed as % of body fat) arround 25-30% in women and 18-23% in men. Women with over 30% body fat and men with over 23% body fat are obese.
What are health risks associated with obesity?
Obesity is not just cosmetic consideration; it is a dire health dilemma directly harmful to one's health. In US arround 300,000 deaths are directly related to obesity, and more that 80% of these deaths are in patients with a BMI (body mass index).
Obesity also increases the risk of developing a number of chronic diseases including:
Insulin Resistance. Insulin is necessary for the transport of blood glucose (sugar) into the cells of muslce and fat (which is then used for energy). By transporting glucose into cells, insuling keeps the blood glucose levels in the normal range. Insulin resistance is the condition whereby the effentiveness of insulin in transporting glucose (sugar) into cells is diminished.
Fat cells are more insulin resistant than muscle cells; therefore; one important cause of insulin resistance is obesity.
Type 2 (adult - onset) diabetes. The risk of type 2 diabetes increases with the degree and duration of obesity. Type 2 diabetes is associated with central obesity; a central obesity mean him/her body is sharped like an apple.
High blood pressure (hypertension). Hypertension is common among obese adults. A Norwegian study showed that wight gain tended to increase blood pressure in women more significantly than in men.
High Cholesterol (hymercholesterolemia)
Stroke (cerebrovascular accident)
Heart attack
Congestive heart failure
Cancer
Gallstones
Gout and gouty arthritis
Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) of the knees, hips, and the lower back
Sleep apnea
Obesity is leading preventable cause of death worldwide, with increasing prevalance in adults and children.
It is a chronic condition defined by an excess amount body fat. Crtain amount of body fat is needed for heat insulation, storing energy, shock absorption and more other functions. The normal amount of body fat is (expressed as % of body fat) arround 25-30% in women and 18-23% in men. Women with over 30% body fat and men with over 23% body fat are obese.
What are health risks associated with obesity?
Obesity is not just cosmetic consideration; it is a dire health dilemma directly harmful to one's health. In US arround 300,000 deaths are directly related to obesity, and more that 80% of these deaths are in patients with a BMI (body mass index).
Obesity also increases the risk of developing a number of chronic diseases including:
Insulin Resistance. Insulin is necessary for the transport of blood glucose (sugar) into the cells of muslce and fat (which is then used for energy). By transporting glucose into cells, insuling keeps the blood glucose levels in the normal range. Insulin resistance is the condition whereby the effentiveness of insulin in transporting glucose (sugar) into cells is diminished.
Fat cells are more insulin resistant than muscle cells; therefore; one important cause of insulin resistance is obesity.
Type 2 (adult - onset) diabetes. The risk of type 2 diabetes increases with the degree and duration of obesity. Type 2 diabetes is associated with central obesity; a central obesity mean him/her body is sharped like an apple.
High blood pressure (hypertension). Hypertension is common among obese adults. A Norwegian study showed that wight gain tended to increase blood pressure in women more significantly than in men.
High Cholesterol (hymercholesterolemia)
Stroke (cerebrovascular accident)
Heart attack
Congestive heart failure
Cancer
Gallstones
Gout and gouty arthritis
Osteoarthritis (degenerative arthritis) of the knees, hips, and the lower back
Sleep apnea
Obesity is leading preventable cause of death worldwide, with increasing prevalance in adults and children.
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