Time to test your Nutrition IQ.

Give this some thought. When do you think your
body needs nourishment? What’s the most important
time?

If you can make sure you eat the right foods at
these two times, you’ll greatly enhance your
bodies metabolic process which will help you burn
more fat and have more energy!

Before I tell you the answer I want to tell you
about a very interesting commercial I saw on TV
the other day. It was a commercial on Kashi
cereal.

Their entire angle to sell more boxes of cereal
was PROTEIN. “As much protein as an egg…now in a
bowl.” An egg has 6g of protein, a serving of
Kashi has 9-13g.

To my knowledge, no company has ever made a
comparison for cereal like this before. And my
guess is it will work. But regardless, it’s a
smart thing to do.

Why? Because ALL cereals are a bowl of sugary
crunch. Yes, Grape Nuts is a better option than
Frosted Flakes. But you’re still only getting
carbohydrates from both. And that’s not a good way
to start your day. Kashi is clearly
differentiating themselves from the rest of boxes
on the aisle.

Notice Kashi didn’t take a diet angle like Special
K or others. That’s why I like it so much.
They are appealing to a smart consumer. Someone
that knows it’s about exercise AND nutrition and
not some 6 week crash diet. That type of strategy
will create long-term, loyal Kashi fans.

So, the quiz question, what are the two most
important times of the day to eat?

I just gave you a big hint with the Kashi
commercial.

Breakfast and post-workout are the two most
important times to eat during the day.

Breakfast is where you ‘break’ the ‘fast’ your
body goes through while you sleep. So an ample
amount of carbs, PROTEIN, and a little fat is
essential. A complete, balanced meal like that
gets your metabolism revving and keeps you
satiated longer.

After your workout is very important too. You’ve
just depeleted your bodies energy stores and now
your muscles are screaming for nutrients. The
right nutrients will help you recover quicker.
It’s why we recommend Physique to our clients.

So remember, pay close attention to your breakfast
and what you nourish with post-workout. Doing so
will increase your metabolism, burn more fat, and
increase your energy!

Posted under Nutrition Tips, Weight Loss Tips

My blog post last week was about Drew Carey’s 80
pound weight loss. I revealed his fatal flaw to
lasting results. Nonetheless, he’s doing a lot
right.

But this week John Goodman has lost a reported 100
pounds! And he has done it the RIGHT way.

Let’s talk about how he did it.

His Turning Point

“It’s been constant. It’s always been in the back
of my mind. It just ate at me the whole time. That
may be part of the reason I shoved food in my
mouth so much. That satisfaction.”

When John got a role in Santa Clause he said
enough was enough. But he finally wised up and
didn’t set the ever-futile New Year’s resolution.
He hired a trainer and got on a program.

Whether you have a specific turning point or not,
you MUST decide enough is enough.

His Nutrition

“I had to clear out my own house first. It was
built on a bad foundation.”
“…But also fresh vegetables, lean protein… I’m
not a real hard-on about keeping strict calorie
counts. I know what’s in my wheelhouse, what I can
eat and what I can’t. And I’m satisfied eating it.
I cannot tolerate sugar. I crossed over to the
diabetic side, but I can’t tolerate it anyway
because it creates hunger.”

Spot on John. First fix the foundation. Get rid of
the crap. Now he’s getting protein and cutting the
sugar. Very important. And if you notice his
nutrition is supportive to his exercise.

His Alcohol

“Alcohol is alcohol. I’m an alcoholic. I would
drink no matter what. That’s just part of being an
alcoholic.”
“…and the big key was drinking.”

Goodman has cut out alcohol completely. The
problem with alcohol is not the calories or how
many carbs are in your beer. That’s marketing
hype.

Alcohol inhibits your metabolism. And your
metabolism is your body’s process for burning the
fat. If you want to lose weight and get in shape,
cut out the alcohol.

His Identity

This is very important and I probably don’t give
it as much attention as I should. I’ve talked to
men and women over the years that feel as if their
weight helps identify themselves. If your weight
helps identify you, i.e. being the ‘big cuddly
bear’ or defines you in any way, then YOU WILL NOT
LOSE WEIGHT.

I’m not being a cold s.o.b. here. I’m being
honest. How you define yourself will dictate how
you think, act and live your life. I identify
myself as being a healthy guy. Will I always be
healthy? Yeah, I probably will. I may eat a donut
from time to time, but I won’t let myself become
grossly unhealthy. Because that’s not how I define
myself.

So if you identify yourself with being ‘the big
guy’ or in some other way with your weight; you
won’t lose it. You might lose some for a period of
time, but you WILL gain it back.

So… on weight being apart of his persona and
being worried about losing his weight and having
people perceive him differently in the acting
realm…

“Hey, that’s too bad. I’ll scream and cry when I’m
in the unemployment line, but that’s really
secondary. I am what I am. I can act at different
weights. It’s a miracle I was hired at all for a
lot of these jobs.”

Don’t let ANYONE tell you who you are and what you
can or can’t do. Ever!

His Exercise

All cardio John?

“This time we mixed in strength training with
resistance bands. They’re great for me because I
can contract and release slower, and that builds
up better muscle for me.”

“I was doing a job in New Orleans twice a week
called Treme. I was only working a couple days a
week. I wanted to treat this other thing
(exercise) like a job–to get healthy.”

This speaks to how much he’s exercising. I wish
more people took their health and fitness as
serious as John has.

His Effort

Does he like it?

“I do. I’m still a sucker for highs, and I get
those endorphins. It’s just a feeling of well-
being. I’m where I’m supposed to be. I’m doing
what I should be doing. I feel good. I’m hopefully
extending my life. Before, I didn’t care.”

Being fit, firm and strong; able to handle stress
or any situation that comes your way; not just
looking good, but feeling good… that’s when you
have it all. That’s when life is at it’s best!

But I can’t adequately describe to you what being
fit feels like. That feeling must be experienced.

There are a TON of lessons to be taken from John’s
weight loss journey. I hope you pick them all up.
Of course the 80/20 rule will apply to these
lessons.

Many will read this and say, “Well, he’s a
Hollywood actor, with money, and time, and blah,
blah, blah.” And those people won’t do a thing.
They’ll stay the same. Stagnant. Inactive.
Unchanged.

The other camp will take this as another success
story (yes, I have given you others) to model and
motivate and make a change in their life. What you
do is your decision. But I hope you decide wisely.

If you haven’t signed up for a free trial you can reserve your spot here.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Nutrition Tips, Weight Loss Tips

I always enjoyed the Drew Carey Show. I thought he and that tall skinny guy, Ryan Stiles, were hilarious.

Drew took over Bob Barker’s place as host of the famed Price Is Right. Earlier this year he decided to lose the weight he’s carried for so long. To date he has lost 80 pounds!

I’m going to breakdown the good parts of his program and then reveal his fatal flaw.

Let’s start with the GOOD.

“I was sick of being fat on the camera.”
Believe it or not, this is good. If your current situation is not making you sick, then you’re likely OK with it. Just because someone may need to lose weight or improve their fitness doesn’t mean they want to. A lot of times a heart attack, starting medication, or just a trip to the doctor can spur taking action. For Drew it was sick of being fat on camera.

“I’m not diabetic anymore. No medication needed.”
Obviously good. Type II diabetes is growing more and more and it’s controllable with diet and exercise. Drew has conquered this one.

“I don’t drink anything but water.”
Although not totally necessary, it’s a good step. Alcohol, soda, energy drinks loaded with sugar will all slow down weight loss results.

“Lots of cardio…at least 45 minutes of cardio.”
The third leg of the 3 Legged Stool of Body Transformation. He doesn’t mention anything about strength training, but I would guess he is doing some. But cardio is just as important. And he’s certainly doing it.

“(Losing weight) was easy because once you see the results, then you don’t wanna stop.”There is no greater force than your own momentum. Once you get the ball rolling it picks up speed and gets faster and faster and faster. Soon you don’t want to stop. And it’s a heckuva lot easier!

He wants to lose weight so he can “be looking that great at 86″ like his predecessor Bob Barker. “I’d love to be able to play with him without getting tired, enjoy my life and watch him grow.” As I told a group of Enterprise employees I spoke to yesterday, you must start with goals, motivation, and commitment. Drew clearly has his reason ‘why’ down pat. He wants to see his step son grow up and live a healthy, enjoyable life. Retiring with health problems is no way to grow old.

Drew is doing a lot of good. But as I mentioned, there is a fatal flaw. Did you find it?

“No carbs…not even a cracker. No bread at all. No pizza, nothing. No corn, no beans, no starches of any kind.” If you guessed this was his fatal flaw, you guessed right. Whether he’s doing Atkins, South Beach, or some new and cool Hollywood diet we don’t even know about, he will soon fail. You can’t expect to stay on a diet by eliminating one of the macro-nutirents(carbs, protein, and fat). They are ALL essential. It’s not about eliminating them but balancing and controlling them to support you and your exercise program.

Mark my words, he will gain his weight back. I won’t say how much or how long, but he will gain it back. That’s my prediction.

I imagine he goes to some good restaurants and dinner parties. And sooner or later his craving for a donut or carbohydrate treat will cause him to crack. And that will be the start of a slippery slope. It’s just a matter of time.

That doesn’t discredit his hard work. I just hate to see people work so hard and invest so much with the wrong solution. I hope you’re not making the same fatal mistake.

If you haven’t checked out a free bootcamp trial click here. Come get fit and have fun with other St. Louis women!

Posted under Nutrition Tips, Weight Loss Tips

What would you say if I promised you easy, no
effort weight loss? Just take this pill, and POOF!
you drop the pounds.

Sounds great, right?!

But what if I followed that promise with a range
of possible side effects including memory
lapses, suicidal thoughts, and heart palpitations?

“Hold it Tim! That doesn’t sound so great.”

The pharmaceutical industry continues to search,
(yet it will never find) for an answer to weight
loss in a tiny little pill. Their latest effort is called Qnexa.

I could save them millions of R&D dollars if they would just ask me whether these weight loss pills will work or not.

But they won’t. Because there is BIG business in
weight loss pills. Wall Street analysts say any drug with modest results could become a blockbuster. So I assure you pharma execs will stop at nothing to develop ‘that’ drug. Even if it has side effects such as sucidal tendencies.

The FDA panel’s chair, Kennth Burman said this
about Qnexa, “Some of these side effects are
serious and could be life-threatening and must be
weighed against a relatively modest weight loss.”

If you stop and think about that, we’ve taken
weight loss to a whole other level. We’ve gone
from side effects like gas, bloody stools, and
cramps (remember Wow! Chips with Olestra) to
sucidal thoughts. It’s madness! People will soon
be deciding whether to risk life-threatening side
effects in order to lose some weight.

Don’t fall victim to the weight loss pills… to the diets… to the HYPE! Be a smart consumer. Anyone that needs to lose 20 pounds knows they didn’t gain it overnight. And you certainly won’t lose it overnight. At least not safely and permanently.

Go with what’s been tried and true. Exercise and
nutrition. Sure, it won’t happen in a week or two.
But the time and effort you put in will help you
discover a body and a person you haven’t seen in
awhile. Take the first step and start today.

I would love to help you. You’re welcome to request a free bootcamp trial by clicking here. You’ll see how St. Louis women get fit and firm and start losing weight and getting in shape the right way. Oh… and I promise the only side effects will be looks from your man and questions from your girlfriends about what your ‘secret’ is!

We hope to see you soon!

St. Louis Bootcamp for Women

P.S. Whatever you do to lose weight, please do it safely. If you’re unsure seek out a professional. Call your doc or a fitness trainer. Trust them. Not the big weight loss companies.

P.P.S. I don’t expect you to trust me right away. I believe trust has to be earned. You can see what our ladies say about us and then request your fre.e trial here.

Posted under Nutrition Tips, Weight Loss Tips, health

I’ll go out a limb (a sturdy one) and say you’re going to indulge at some time during the holidays. Don’t worry, this isn’t a guilt trip email. In fact, I too will eat, drink, and be merry!

So at some point you will over indulge. And human nature tells us what happens next. You’ll realize what you’ve done and desire to be better and not do it again. That’s a fact. Once you feel bad, you’ll want to feel good. If you have a beating heart you will feel these two emotions. 

So here’s the tip…

When the second emotion strikes… when you have the desire to lose weight, to get in shape, heck just to feel better – about yourself and your health… take action. Immediately. Do not delay about this.

You see, you must act before the feeling passes and the idea gets dim. ASAP. If you don’t, then you suffer from the Law of Diminishing Intent. If you don’t translate your intent into action it wanders. And in one day, one week, one month… you won’t be able to find it. Soon, you probably won’t even remember it.

Develop your ability to take action. Do NOT lose time. Strike while the iron is hot. Act when the idea is fresh and the emotion strong. Otherwise the idea is wasted and the emotion passes. Disciplined action equals results. And I mean ‘lose weight and inches, tone and tighten, feel good, see it in the mirror’ results!!

Now go take action,

Tim

P.S. I was away from my email over the weekend and had 2 emails in my inbox on Monday with upsetting news. Jim Rohn passed away last Saturday from his battle with pulmonary fibrosis. Jim Rohn, America’s foremost business philosopher, influenced hundreds of thousands of people, myself included. In fact, I learned the tip above from him.

He had an extraordinary gift at making success easy and understandable. He turned success into common sense. If you’ve listened or read any of Jim’s material you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, I would encourage you to do so. Your life will be better because of it. Thank you Jim. May you rest in peace.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Nutrition Tips, Weight Loss Tips

I just got off the phone with Lindy, one of our clients. She mentioned how awesome her workouts have been going and how her soreness has been greatly reduced. It didn’t surprise me. And I had a hunch as to why that was happening.

I’ll tell you her secret in a minute. But first, do you know the 2 most important times for nutrition?

Breakfast and after your workout. The reason is simple. It’s when your body is screaming for nutrients. Let’s take a closer look at why.

Every time you go to bed you’re essentially going on an eight hour fast. When you wake up, assuming you have a metabolism that’s moving, you’re hungry and the body is looking for nourishment. That’s when you ‘break’ the ‘fast’.

You’ve probably heard skipping breakfast is a nutrition no-no. Eating breakfast kickstarts your metabolism for the day, gives your body the much needed nutrients after you sleep, and starts your daily nutrition out on the right foot. We coach all of our clients to eat a good breakfast complete with protein every morning. It’s essential to weight loss and fitness success.

The other time your nutrition is most important is after your workout. This is often overlooked and sometimes, sadly, sabotaged. When you workout you’re expending the body of its energy. This process actually breaks down the muscles. Have you ever felt so sore you can’t move for a couple of days after a tough workout? This is a sign the body has not received all the needed nutrients. And not getting the needed nutrients leads to slow recovery, slow results, and a lot of that unnecessary soreness.

Addressing your nutrition immediately after your workout dramatically speeds up the recovery process. It will reduce your soreness, maximize your release of anabolic hormones (like growth hormone and testosterone), and allow your body to maximize building muscle and burning fat. When you consume a well-balanced shake after exercise, carbohydrate stimulates insulin to drive the branch chain amino acids (protein) to the muscle cell. That way you can maximize recovery and get right back in the gym very soon – ensuring faster results for your program.

**A note to those wanting to focus on general fitness, but particularly, women: terms like anabolic drive and testosterone might bring pictures of Ah-nold to mind. But this is NOT for bodybuilders. You will NOT get big and bulky because of this. These are natural body processes. And they’re relative to you.

We recommend Physique to all of our clients. Physique is formulated with the exact ratio of carbohydrates to protein to reach anabolic drive. Lindy, our client I just spoke with and mentioned earlier, said this:

“At first I thought it was useless calories. After all, I just spent 45 minutes burning calories off. Why would I want to put them right back in? It wasn’t worth it to me.

But as my workouts got progressively harder, my muscles got progressively sorer. After stealing some of my husband’s Physique (he’s religious with it) I was amazed by the results! My soreness is not as evident -if any at all. I was more concerned about Physique from a calorie standpoint. But now I realize there’s a lot more going on inside my body after a workout. And Physique helps me recover.”

Lindy’s initial reaction is typical. There is also what appears to be a lot of sugar contained in Physique. But this is all working strategically in your favor and leads to faster fitness results.

Breakfast with protein and Physique. These are two quick modifications to make in your own diet to leap frog you past slow and steady fitness results.

To your fitness success,

Tim Chudy

P.S. If you would like more help with your fitness and nutrition, request a complimentary consultation here. Or if you just want more info on our programs and services you can get our complete infopack here.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Nutrition Tips

Have you ever had one of those days? Something went wrong at the office, your significant other won’t see your point of view, or maybe a relationship is getting you down. Whatever happened, you spent all your energy on it and you now need a little release. Something for YOU.

I bet you’ve had one of those days before. And I bet you’ve gone to food to feel better. Let’s face it, Ben & Jerry’s makes you feel soooo gooood doesn’t it? And how could it not? It’s chocolate and vanilla ice cream, with fudge brownie and gobs of chocolate chip cookie dough. I’m feeling good just talking about it! 

I’m not going to wax intellectual about food being a drug and letting food by thy medicine. That’s all good and fine. But what I want to talk with you about today is how to break the habits of emotional eating. I want to show you how to avoid the trap of going to food when you’re stressed, frustrated, or depressed. I want to give you a solution. You’ll see some very positive results if you put to use what I’m about to share with you.

There are 6 steps to conquering stress eating. Let’s get started shall we?

Step 1 – Decide and Determine

You have to decide that you want to stop stress eating. That may sound 3^rd grade to you, but not many people actually do it. Then you have to determine what has prevented you from stopping. Maybe it’s work. Maybe it’s fussy kids or a friend that you’re not getting along with. Whatever it is, acknowledge what has been the roadblock to your success.

Step 2 – Shift the pain

Pain and pleasure. We’re either moving towards pleasure or away from pain. That’s our human nature. If you’re a stress eater then you are associating eating with a nice warm fuzzy feeling. That feeling could be the freedom to chose, making you feel good, food tasting delicious, or some other warm fuzzy feeling.

Your success relies upon shifting the pleasure of eating to absolute pain. Downright, miserable pain. You see, when you get home after a rough day at the office you might eat some pizza. Obviously this should not be on your nutrition plan. But it tastes good doesn’t it? And every last bite is worth it, right? You may be thinking pizza is well deserved after a rough day. You don’t think about how the pizza will make you feel after you eat it. Or the 20 pounds you gain over the years. You only associate the pleasure of it after a hard days work. And that MUST stop.

Step 3 – Pattern Interrupt

This is a simple but powerful step. When you go to bed at night you likely have a ritual. Wash your face, brush your teeth, a little reading, and lights out. It’s a pattern. And over time you develop the habit. The same goes with emotional eating. When X happens, you go to food. It’s clockwork. You’ve conditioned yourself to do so. And that pattern MUST be broken.

A pattern can be broken by consciously replacing whatever the feeling is with the new feeling you want. You can RE-condition your actions to develop new habits. It’s really that simple.

You’ve done this before whether you realize it or not. Think of a time when you’ve been depressed. Your demeanor takes a specific pattern. Your shoulders slump, your eyes drop and you talk softly with a  negative tone. You’re conditioned to do so. But what happens if you go see a funny movie when you’re down? You laugh. You slap your knees and smile. It may not last but for a moment. But you DID break the pattern. And over time you can shift your patterns. And that my friend, is change.

Step 4 – Create a New Pattern

What’s the alternative? If you’re not going to eat when you’re stressed or emotionally weak, what are you going to do? Think of every possible option. Write them down. I’ll help you with your first one. Exercise! But make it your own. Give yourself some options and begin to create a new pattern.

Step 5 – Take Action

You must take action. Now! And again, and again, and again. You must focus and reinforce your new pattern. If you can do this over and over again with emotional intensity you’ll condition yourself to change your old pattern.

Step 6 – Test

Ok, you’ve done the first 5 steps. Now you need to see if it works. And the best way to do this is test it. You can do this in real time or you can sit and imagine yourself in the moment. How do you feel? How would you act? What do you feel inclined to do? If it’s not in line with your new pattern, then you must go back and repeat one of the steps. Maybe you didn’t create a new pattern that was powerful enough. Maybe you didn’t take action on that pattern. Whatever it is, redo that step.

Do you know the only type of person that likes change?

A baby with a wet diaper.

But you’re capable of change. You CAN change! It’s not a matter of if you can, but if you’re motivated to. If I put a gun to your head and said to stop stress eating you’d do it wouldn’t you? Of course you would! It’s a matter of life and death now. And that’s what helps change. The more serious your motivation is, the easier change will come.

These steps will help you change your behavior and stop your stress eating. If the desire is there and you commit to implementing these steps into your life, you will make a radical change. You’ve got the formula. Now go and act!

To your nutrition success,

Tim Chudy

Posted under Nutrition Tips, Weight Loss Tips

I bet if I were to take a look at a couple areas in your life, I know how successful you’d be at accomplishing your health and fitness goals.

If you read anything on personal development, experts will say that if they look at the 5 people you surround yourself with and the last 5 books you’ve read, they’d be able to determine your success. Financially, mentally, emotionally, etc…

I think that’s true. One of my favorite authors and speakers Nido Qubein says, “Trash in, trash stay in.” He’s talking about head trash. And it’s not a matter of IFyou have it, but how much. The right people and information, i.e. friends, coworkers, books, TV, will either lead you toward success or failure.

So what does that have to do with me knowing how successful you’ll be with health and fitness results? A lot really. Keep in mind I get to work in a health and fitness laboratory. I see what works and what doesn’t on a daily basis. And I’ve been doing it for awhile now. So here are the 4 areas I would look at to determine if you’ll be successful or not.

1. Commitment. It begins and ends here. When I sit down in a consultation I don’t take this step lightly. It’s everything. I always say, if you’re interested you’ll fail. But if you’re committed you’ll succeed.

Think about it. Everyone wants to look and feel better. Everyone is interested in losing weight and feeling stronger. Who doesn’t want to be proud looking in the mirror every morning? But not everyone is committed to it. Ann Hynes, our Client of the Month, gave this advice, “I’d say the struggle is hard, but the results are worth it.” The struggle IS hard. If it wasn’t, everyone would do it.

So what gets YOU committed? Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Or just a little bothered by it. Think about this and get emotional with yourself. Sit down and have a little private talk with yourself. But for Pete’s sake, GET COMMITTED!

2. Your friends and family. Support is key. That’s one of the reasons why clients of Fitness Together do so well with losing weight and getting in shape. Every time they workout they step into a positive and supportive environment. We’re constantly reinforcing they’re good behaviors and helping them fix the bad ones.  Further, we help get their friends and family on board.

Peggy is in her 6th week of training. Her spring vacation hit right after the third week. This is a slippery slope for some. But Peggy’s husband has been supporting her every step since she started training with the FT family. From her nutrition to her cardio he has helped her stay committed. And it shows. She’s down 12 pounds in 5 weeks and can’t keep her pants from falling down!

3. Nutrition. You are what you eat. And it’s true. If you eat well, you’ll do well. If you eat like crap, you’ll feel like crap. As we tell our clients, nutrition is the foundation. It must support your exercise.

4. Your inner voice. Just like head trash we all have an inner voice. Sometimes it’s the devil on our left and sometimes it’s the angel on our right. But it’s constantly talking. And whether you realize it or not, we listen to it!

I believe we create our own environments. And we do so through the power of our minds. Picture your mind like a garden. You’re constantly planting seeds of thought in your subconscious. Most of the time you don’t even know you’re doing so because of habitual thinking. But sure enough you reap what you sow. Good or bad. So if you’re constantly saying to yourself, “I’ll never lose this weight.” then you will outwardly live that thought and never lose weight.

If you want to be your best, you need to plant positive seeds. Keep a positive affirmation at the top of your mind throughout the day. Since nutrition is your foundation, start there. Try saying to yourself ‘Nothing tastes as good as fit feels!’ Reinforcing your behaviors with positive beliefs is a secret of the successful. And if done consistently, there is no telling what you can accomplish!

Take a look at these four areas and rate yourself. You probably have room to improve in at least one of them. And that’s good. We should always always strive for constant improvement. Pursue progress, not perfection.

To your fitness results,

Tim

P.S. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Do you have any affirmations you like to use?
Would I win the bet? Post a comment below.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Nutrition Tips, Weight Loss Tips

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

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