I was having dinner last night with some friends
when my buddy’s wife said that he actually did the
grocery shopping this time. And that’s a big deal.
Because Andy hates the grocery store. When they go
shopping together he complains because she takes
such a looooong time. But so do I. In fact, I
like going to the grocery store. But I also know
what I’m doing, what I’m looking for, and what I
should avoid.

Maybe you like it. Maybe you hate it. But unless
you have a loving spouse that does it all the
time, there are a few tips to stick to when
heading out for your food.

1. Shop the perimeter. The aisles have fresh
produce, meat, and dairy. The aisles in the middle
contain boxed, packaged, and wrapped stuff, which
is a lot of times highly processed and not good for you.

2. Keep a list. And stick to it. A list gives you
boundaries to work within. It also prevents you
from grabbing random food items – particularly
ones that are bad for you. Make a list at home
when you have a clear head. This will save you
time and money.

3. Don’t shop when you’re hungry. This is the
BIGGEST mistake of all. What will you do in a
store with food of ANY choice when you’re hungry?
You’ll buy it! And buying Fruity Pebbles or Ding
Dongs may sound good at the moment, but will only
make you feel bad later. Go shopping once you’ve
had your meal. And if you have to go on an empty
stomach make sure you have a list!

4. Take your kids. After a nutrition consultation
with our clients we provide them with a ready-to-
go grocery list. This is a great time to bring the
kids along to teach them and instill good habits.
The earlier you do this the better.

I remember when I went to the grocery store with
my mom and dad I would try to sneak Froot Loops
into the shopping cart. I was always caught and
told to put it back. I didn’t like it at the time,
but I learned what a good breakfast was. And what
a good breakfast was not.

The next time you go grocery shopping keep in mind
these tips. They’ll help you stay on track and
stay healthy.

Now go eat something healthy,

Tim

P.S. If you’d like some help with your meal
planning and grocery shopping send me an email or
request a nutrition consultation here.

P.P.S. Our next Spring Boot Camp for Women
starts next Monday 5/25. We’re now offering
morning and evening classes! Go here for more
info or call 314.863.7799.

Posted under Nutrition Tips, Weight Loss Tips, health

Sleep more.

Ha Ha. I’m kidding of course. We all know getting the right amount of sleep prevents us from getting tired. But if you’re like most of the people I talk to, you can’t always get a solid 8 hours. So how do you keep from getting tired? Even downright exhausted.

Well there are things you can do to increase your energy levels even if you don’t get a lot of sleep. And I’m not talking about a double shot espresso or Red Bull. There are natural steps you can take to help increase your energy levels throughout the day.

And it’s important to mention what kind of tired you are. One of our clients came in the other night for her workout and she was exhausted.

“How are you feeling Kim?”

“Tired. I have a huge proposal tomorrow. I’ve been working all day and I still have a lot to go. But physically I’m ok.”

What Kim knew is that she was mentally fatigued and not physically fatigued. Once she left her work at work and started her workout her energy levels soared! She was smart enough to differentiate between mental and physical energy.

And that’s a BIG secret! Mental fatigue is usually related to stress. Once you acknowledge this you can cope with it through exercise, meditation, or something else that makes you happy. This will help return your energy level while not relying on foods and drinks to ‘pick you up’.

Ok, now that you know there’s a difference between mental and physical fatigue we can talk about the five steps to never getting tired again.

1. Make a schedule and stick to it. We’re creatures of habit. Making a regular schedule for eating and sleeping will have a profound effect on your weight loss.

2. Eat 5 -6 times per day. You’ve been hearing this for years. And I’ll admit it’s hard. Eating helps boost metabolism. And doing it in smaller spurts throughout the day will help keep your metabolism burning and prevent you from crashing mid afternoon. 

3. Don’t use food or drinks to give you needed energy. This only cures the symptom of being tired. Your goal should be to cure the problem. Relying on sugary foods and drinks will only add weight while giving you a temporary fix on your energy.

4. Schedule a power nap for 15 minutes on days you don’t get enough sleep. While naps do not necessarily make up for inadequate or poor quality nighttime sleep, a short nap of 15-30 minutes can help improve mood, alertness and performance. And you’ll be in good company. Winston Churchill, JFK, Ronald Reagan, Napoleon, Einstein, Thomas Edison and George W. Bush are known to have valued an afternoon nap.

5. Make sleeping seven to eight hours per night a priority. No one likes to admit they watch a lot of TV, but studies and surveys tell us we all watch too much. Replacing one hour of TV or internet with sleep will help you turn 6 hours to 7 or 8.

Put one or more of these five steps to use and you’ll increase your energy throughout the day. For my full article on sleep you can visit the Fitness Expert Network here.

Now go eat something healthy,

Tim

P.S. Thinking about a change in your life? You can schedule a FREE health and fintess consultation here.

Posted under health

When I was a kid, my family would take the 3 hour
drive down to the Lake of the Ozarks every weekend
during the summer. With 4 kids in the back of the
car, you can imagine some of the stuff my Mom and
Dad had to live through! I know many of you can
relate. The only difference was back then they
didn’t have a DVD player to keep us occupied.

Every so often that drive would be extra special.

My dad liked to make good time in the car. But
stopping at Casey’s General Store for candy was a
must have to keep my siblings and I from going
crazy.

To please my Mom, we would stop at Wendy’s for
some ‘coffee’. Now ‘coffee’ isn’t really coffee.
‘Coffee’ was actually a Frosty!

My mom would ask ME to go in with her to get a
‘coffee’ while everyone else stayed in the car.
She’d get me a Junior Frosty and we’d go back to
the car having enjoyed our ‘coffee’. Just me and
Mom. No one else.

I can’t begin to tell you how much my Mom has done
for me in my life. The love, support and care
she’s given me is beyond anything I could describe
to you. I’m very blessed to have a Mom like I do.

And getting ‘coffee’ with my Mom was a special
little time we shared that I’ll never forget.

We help a lot of moms here at Fitness Together
get started and achieve their health and fitness
goals. And the one reason always preventing
them from having started an exercise program
earlier is putting EVERYONE else first. Well,
this weekend, you’re number 1! As a Mom you
deserve it.

I’d like to wish all Moms, especially our FT
Mom’s, a very Happy Mother’s Day. You deserve to
be honored for the love, care, and support you
give to us.

Tim

P.S. I’d love to hear your Mom stories. Post a
quick story of why you’re Mom is special.

P.P.S. I love you Mom! And yes, I won’t forget to
call;-)

Posted under Personal

Less in, more out. Weight loss should be that
simple right? But its not. There are many other
factors that play into your fitness and weight
loss goals.

And one of those factors is your stress level. And
more specifically the stress hormone cortisol.
You’ve probably heard of it. Or at least some of
the pills that claim to control it. It’s a vital
area to control to achieve your health and fitness
goals.

Non-exercise factors, such as lack of sleep,
inadequate nutrition, and high stress levels are
being looked at more closely by researchers
to determine their affects on fitness, weight loss,
and health. They’re finding these non-exercise
factors can affect levels of cortisol which in
turn will affect your weight loss and health.

I’m always so impressed with how smart our bodies
are.  Thousands of years ago our body’s mechanisms
for handling stress kept us alive. But our bodies
are exposed to new and different stressors of
today. And in today’s society, people constantly
have stress hormones over-stimulated in their
bodies.

Symptoms of stress and chronically high cortisol
levels are related to many of today’s health
problems including heart disease, hypertension,
cancer, ulcers, lower back and neck pain,
headaches, and the list goes on. Further,
uncontrolled stress may lead to weight gain.

It’s been my experience that lifestyle effects
the progress of your overall program. We’d like to
think if we just start exercising we’ll achieve
our goals. But this isn’t so. Those with
chronically high stress levels, inadequate sleep
and poor nutrition will not be able to recover and
adapt to exercise at the same rate as someone that
had no stress, adequate sleep, and proper
nutrition. And that can make a BIG difference.

This is one possible explanation of why fat loss
and fitness improvement may grind to a halt in
some people, while others continue progressing.
Cortisol can be the  deal-breaker for some fat
loss programs.

That’s not good. Some experts even say elevated
cortisol levels may be as detrimental to overall
health as elevated cholesterol or elevated blood
sugar.

Again, not good. Elevated cortisol levels can also
lead to lowered testosterone, impaired immunity,
vitamin depletion, and increased blood pressure.

As your stress increases, cortisol is released.
And although there are positive effects for it,
this can have a damaging effect on your waistline.

Stress can increase carbohydrate cravings causing
you to eat more and thus gain more. In addition
cortisol tends to promote fat storage,
specifically in the abdominal area. A study found
that stress related cortisol secretion in men is
strongly associated with abnormalities in glucose,
insulin and lipid metabolism, as well as abdominal
obesity.

A lack of sleep can also raise your cortisol
levels and impede carbohydrate metabolism. Sleep
loss has been associated with elevated hormone
levels that regulate appetite and may be a
contributor to obesity.

Ok, so stress raises cortisol. And cortisol
effects your fitness and weight loss. Now what?

Control your stress, sleep more, and eat right.

Well duh. But what else can we do to keep cortisol
at bay? Try following these three steps to help
keep cortisol levels in check.

1. Eat smaller balanced meals throughout the day.
The benefits of eating multiple meals per day are
numerous. Besides ramping up your metabolism, a
diet strategy of smaller and more frequent meals
has been shown to keep cortisol levels lower than
less frequent meals. Multiple meals–at any
calorie level–will result in greater cortisol
control than less frequent meals, and we know
keeping cortisol in check yields less fat, more
muscle, better recovery and more energy. All the
stuff you want, right? Strive to eat five
balanced meals per day throughout all phases of
your training program.

2. Supplement with Vitamin C and E. This will
cushion the negative effects of free radicals,
compounds that are released with training. Free
radicals target tissues such as muscles, weakening
them and increasing inflammation and breakdown.
When this happens, cortisol levels spike. By
providing your body with antioxidants, such as
vitamin C and vitamin E, you can help control
cortisol. Both are contained in Vitalizer, a
multi-vitamin mineral supplement recommended to
all of our clients.

3. Stay on top of your post-workout nutrition. As
mentioned, cortisol rises when you train–it’s a
natural reaction. One of the best ways to avoid
excessively elevated cortisol levels is to be
disciplined with your post workout nutrition. By
supplying your body with exactly what it needs as
soon as the workout is done, you’ll jump-start
your recovery and help blunt cortisol spikes. This
is one of the reasons we have our clients
supplement with Physique, a post workout shake
designed to be taken immediately after their
workout for recovery.

We all know that exercise is good for us. But done
so with proper nutrition, sleep and stress will
help you achieve an OPTIMAL healthy and fit life.

Now go eat something healthy,

Tim

P.S. If you would like help putting together
a COMPLETE program in place, customized
to you request a complimentary consultation
here.
P.P.S. Not ready for a consultation, but want
more info? No problem. Request it here.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Nutrition Tips, Weight Loss Tips