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 received an email from one of my mentors
last week. He was using the problem I’m
referring to in a different light. But
immediately I realized it’s the biggest problem
mother’s face. Here’s what he said…

“Author and motivational/self actualization guru,
Larry Winget, has a book out that I recommend to
you. It’s called “No Time For Tact.” Great title.

VERY serious advice that cannot be overlooked for
long or you *will* pay the price.”

I think he’s spot on. But this is THE biggest and
most common problem I hear from mothers.

I firmly believe we’d be lost without our mothers.
They always put themselves on the bottom
of the totem pole and serve others first.

But it shouldn’t be that way. And it doesn’t have to be
either. I just finished meeting with Jennifer Janson. She
trained with us last year and came back in to get get
re-started.

Jennifer runs her own ‘company’ of 6 at home. Plus
her husband. When she went on hiatus from FT, she
realized that going it alone and doing it on her own was
not realistic. Too much distraction. Too much room for
error. Too much time. She was better when she had a
disciplined and structured exercise routine. It was time
for her. No one else to think about. No one else to tend to.

FT helps leverage her health and fitness. And she
knows her family is better served because of it.

This is even more important with your health, your
fitness, and your weight loss. You will serve
others better (spouse, kids, friends, etc…) if
you serve yourself first.

How to be effectively “selfish”:

Plug these into your calendar first:

- Your personal down time
- Your workouts
- Your nutrition
- Your sleep

And then be discplined about
honoring and protecting that time. Will it
be perfect? No. It never will be. But you
can certainly strive for it.

If you are married, have kids, work a lot of
hours, there are always others to tend to. It
takes discipline and commitment or your time can
soon fade away.

Gotta guard against that – at all costs.

Here’s to the Mom’s out there!

P.S. If you think this is only applicable to mothers
you’re sorely mistaken. Make sure you take time
for yourself, your health, your fitness, and watch
your care for others improve!

P.P.S. Would you like help being ‘selfish’? Would you
like a way to leverage your health and fitness? See
how Jennifer does it by clicking here.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Personal, 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

Ever heard someone say “No pain, no gain”? Or “You gotta use it or lose it.”

Both are true.

I just finished reading a business newsletter and the author talks about achieving goals should be tough. He says, “If anybody ever gets everything aligned exactly as they’d like, with no unintended consequences, no price tags attached to their achievements and rewards, no downsides to the upsides, I’d like to meet him or her.”

He’s basically saying that to get what we really want we’ve gotta work at it. Sometimes, we’ve gotta scratch and claw and let nothing get in our way. And when it comes to your fitness, to looking good and feeling good, it’s no different.

The hardest part is always getting started isn’t it? I mean, who likes doing pushups and squatting lower than your legs will allow you? And not to mention waking up the next day and having it hurt to walk and making sitting down on the toilet painful. It’s hard stuff! But the payoff is worth it.

You see, I believe all the success we work for in life comes with a price tag. You won’t get smarter without putting in the time to read. You won’t climb the corporate ladder without putting in time and effort at the office. You won’t look good in your swimming suit without breaking a sweat. So as the saying goes… no pain, no gain.

And being comfortable is the worst. Remaining in your comfort zone is what I call the ‘Jackpot of Mediocrity’. It’s easy. That’s why so many people do it. It’s a piece of cake to, well, eat a piece of cake. Sorry for the punJ. It’s easy and comfy to indulge during the holidays. But I hope you’re not OK with mediocrity.

It takes being uncomfortable to achieve some results. Debbie Miersch does not come in everyday of the week for her strength AND cardio sessions because it’s fun. But her time and effort are worth it. And with a little pain comes gain. She’s lost 40 pounds to date! Way to go Debbie.

No pain. No gain. Simple as that.

But there’s more.

You gotta use it or lose it. Thankfully this is the easy part. Once you go through the pain and suffering…once you get past your legs being so sore it hurts to go down the stairs…once you get past eating the right foods at EVERY meal…once you get past only having one alcoholic drink a week…that’s when it gets easy. Because maintaining a healthy and fit body is a lot easier than getting one. You can afford to indulge a little here and there. But you still gotta work at it. You never want to stop because you’ve reached your goals. That’s the worst thing to do.

If you don’t use it, you WILL lose it. That’s why maintenance is just as important as getting started.

If you’re not currently exercising or need help with a maintenance program come in for a complimentary fitness consultation. I’ll help you get on a plan that works for you.

Regards,

Tim Chudy

Posted under Fitness Tips, Weight Loss Tips

Here’s something to fear… ”Cancer Group Finds Excess Body Fat Alone Causes More Than 100,000 Cancers in U.S.” That was an article I read from Reuters. A colleague told me he saw an article in the USA Today on the same study. By now it’s been picked up by other reporting outlets and you may have seen a similar article. It was fitting since I wanted to write to you about cancer.

And a quick note about the quotation above… the key word is ‘Alone’. The study found that body fat alone caused cancer. Not body fat, physical inactivity and lack of nutritious foods cause cancer. Your excess body fat alone.

As many of you know October was breast cancer awareness month. I can thankfully say none of my immediate family or friends have suffered from this cancer. And obviously, it does not pose a threat to me. But recently I talked with breast cancer survivor and client, Maria Mallonee the other day. And I thought her advice was well worth sharing.

Maria is quite interesting. She’s a medical mystery. She has no genetic disposition for breast cancer. She’s a runner and has kept a healthy weight throughout the years. But after a regularly schedule mammogram they found a lump. “I would say the NUMBER ONE tip I would give is do self breast exams, but HAVE YOUR MAMMOGRAM!!!  Don’t put it off for any reason!!”

Breast cancer among other cancers is a killer. And if you choose to stick your head in the sand about it, you could be in for a rude awakening. Had Maria not taken the necessary steps to watch for this she might not have been a survivor. You MUST take the necessary steps to ensure you remain healthy and well. I’m going to give you specific steps to follow in a minute.

You probably know 60% of Americans are overweight. Maybe you are, maybe you aren’t. But apply the study to you. If you have some extra fat on you, even just ‘that last 10 pounds’, then maybe you need to ask yourself how at risk you are.

Could losing an extra 10 pounds save your life?

Wow, that’s a powerful question. How hard would you try to lose weight if you knew it would prevent you from having colon cancer? A heart attack? Or another deadly disease?

It’s a good question for self inventory.

A lot of times people call me when they have a wakeup call. Hopefully it’s an early sign that gives them time to take some action. Unfortunately not everyone’s wakeup call comes early enough.

So it’s time to take a self inventory. And action! If you don’t care about your health, no problem. Stop reading and delete this email. But since you’re still reading I’ll venture to say your health and well being are important to you. If you want to be in control of your health, and not bounce through life crossing your fingers hoping and praying to avoid cancer, then now’s the time to take action.

Here are 7 tips for cancer prevention straight from the Mayo Clinic. Oh, and keep in mind every bit of effort counts. Picture yourself putting dollars in the health bank every time you do something good.

Maintain a healthy weight – as I mentioned earlier, there is a clear link between excess body fat and cancer. Endometrial, esophageal, stomach, pancreatic, kidney, gallbladder, breast, uterus, and colorectal to name a few. By now you should know being overweight can lead to A LOT of health issues. Overweight is synonymous to smoking. You know it’s bad for you, so don’t do it.

Stop smoking – see previous sentence. Tobacco puts you on the fast track to cancer. Quitting smoking is one of the best decisions you can make for your health.

Physical activity – this will obviously help you keep a healthy body weight and as a consequence aid in cancer prevention. Make sure to incorporate strength training and cardiovascular training as part of your program.

Lower the fat in your diet – studies show a decrease in risk of cancer with those that maintain a low fat diet. Shoot for less than 30% of fat from your total calories and stay away from saturated and trans fats. And eat plenty of fruits and vegetables which have shown to reduce the risk of cancers.

Limit alcohol – experts aren’t sure how strong the link between drinking and cancer is, but they know it exists. And it doesn’t matter which kind of alcohol. Go with my rule of thumb, 1 drink twice a week, or 2 drinks once a week.

Limit your exposure to the sun – skin cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer and also one of the most easily preventable. My siblings and I were all lifeguards and my mom would punish us if we got sunburned. No lie. Do the same for your kids.

Get screened – Ok, this won’t prevent any cancer, but a screening or self exam will help you discover cancer early. And the earlier the better. So please heed Maria’s earlier advice. Talk to your doctor to determine which screenings are appropriate for what age and interval.

There are your 7 tips. You can’t control genetics, but YOU CAN control other factors. Take a self inventory of your health and think about the next 5, 10, or 20 years. What do you want them to look like? Do you want to be plagued with illness? Or do you want to have the freedom to do what you desire? The choice is yours.

To your health and wellness,

Tim

P.S. Wanna join a group of women that are losing weight and having fun while doing it? Click here for your free class.

Posted under health

I’ll get to the big news in a minute. But first, the secret…

I just implemented a Corporate Wellness Program with an insurance firm in Clayton. We’ve put together an 8-Week Challenge to help everyone get motivated and in their best shape! It’s a ‘Biggest Loser’ Challenge in-a-box if you will.

Last week as we were going through their Fast-Start Orientation we covered goal setting.

This step is often overlooked with an exercise program. But it’s so important! If you don’t have anything to work towards, then you’ll end up just spinning your wheels. And that’s not productive.

To help ensure weight loss and fitness results you must set goals.

As I spoke to the group of 20 or so, most hadn’t heard of S.M.A.R.T. goals. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. Your goal must incorporate each category. I’ll break them down one by one and give you a few examples.

Specific – Your goal must be specific. “I want to lose weight” is not a goal. That’s simply a wish. But, “I want to lose 18 pounds” is a specific goal. Now we know where you are (your current weight) and where you want to go (your current weight minus 18 lbs.).

Measurable – Goals must have some form of measurement. Weight is easy. You step on the scale, and then you step off the scale. What about getting in shape? How do you measure that? Maybe it’s walking up a flight of steps without panting. Maybe it’s to run 30 minutes without stopping. Whatever it is, make sure your goal can be measured.

Attainable – I’ll admit this is my least favorite. I like to be aggressive with my goals. And I hope you do too. But keeping a foot in reality is important. For instance, a goal for me “To make it in the NBA” would not be realistic (no matter how much I would like it to be . I’d be setting myself up for failure. Make your goal aggressive, but attainable.

Realistic – This one is somewhat like attainable. Losing 30 lbs. in 30 days is not realistic. Nor is it safe! Give your goals some boundaries. When setting health and fitness goals you must keep physiologic abilities in mind. When losing weight, 1-2 pounds of weight loss per week is a safe estimate, but having a resting heart rate of 30 or doing 1000 pushups in a minute is not realistic.

Timely – Last but certainly not least. I heard someone say once, “Nothing would ever happen without a deadline.” And you know what? It’s true. Without a deadline or some sort of timeline, the chances of follow through are slim to none. Adding a time element creates a sense of urgency. Going back to the goal of “I want to lose 18 lbs,” adding “in 12 weeks” now gives you your deadline. Always, always, always have a deadline.

Goal setting is always our first step when setting up a health and fitness program. A SMART goal is one that works. Take out a pen and paper now and write down some goals. Make sure each one includes each category. (If you have an ipod, stay tuned… my brother’s company is putting together a SMART goal App as I write. I’ll keep you posted!)

To your health and fitness success,

Tim Chudy

P.S. If you think your company might be interested in the “8-Weeks to Your Best Body” Corporate Challenge please call me directly at 314.863.7799.

P.P.S. Hope you had a great holiday weekend. Over the past couple of years you may remember me mentioning my girlfriend Joella. Well, I took a surprise trip to New York City over the weekend and popped the question. She said, “Yes!” making me the happiest guy in town!  I couldn’t be more excited and thought I’d share the awesome news with you.  I love you Jo.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Personal, Weight Loss Tips, health

[USA Today] Is child obesity child abuse?

That was on the front page of yesterday’s USA Today’s Life section. A headline like that sparks immediate attention.

Jerry Gray of Travelers Rest, South Carolina is being charged with criminal neglect of her 14 year old, 555 pound son Alexander. This is a HUGE case (no pun intended) given childhood obesity has been on the rise and this could set a precedent for criminal action against parents with morbidly obese kids.

I’m not going to get into the legality of an issue like this. I’ll leave that for your opinion and the courts. But with most issues like this, the problem is to the left.

According to the CDC 40% of kids 12-15 years old, and 50% of teenagers 16-19 years old have been told by a doctor or health care professional that they are too heavy. THIS is a serious problem. And in the case of Alexander it’s gone way too far.
Obesity and in this case, morbid obesity, is a gushing wound with no bandage. At what point does it become a concern? A child weighing 555 pounds is absurd. This is a child’s life we’re talking about. And to me, the worst part of this is Alexander’s future. Aside from the teasing and taunting I’m sure he’s getting, his health and quality of life will suffer tremendously as he ages.

Something MUST be done now!

Sorry if I’m going on a bit of a tirade. But seeing this on the front page just fires me up. I work with women and men that want to lose weight and improve their health. Sue D. joined the FT family yesterday morning by deciding to lose weight and get back into shape. Her choice to make a change in her life will pay off. BIG time. I know that becasue our FT clients prove that day in and day out.

But there’s so much more to losing weight and improving health. Not only do you change your body but you transform your life in the process. You become alive and more energetic. You’re able to give more of yourself to family and friends. You’ll work with more passion and productivity. Everything in life becomes richer, fuller, and more enjoyable when you look and feel fantastic!

Alexander is now in foster care while the case waits to be heard. I hope, for his sake, he’s on a proper nutrition and exercise plan. Whether it’s you or your child, you must sit and take a good serious look at reality. You’re either moving closer or farther from good health. That’s an everyday move. Eating a twinkie moves you farther. Eating fruits and veggies moves you closer. Where are you going? Where is your child going? If you need help or information please request a consultation here. There is also a ton of free info at our site you can get your hands on.

If your child needs help losing weight, being active, or improving his or her health please let me know. If there’s enough interest I’d like to have a kid’s fitness class before school starts. Send me an email and tell me about your kid(s) and their situation. Or feel free to call the studio, 314.863.7799, so we can talk by phone. Regardless, decide today – one little choice – to lose weight, get in shape, and live a healthy life.

To your health,

Tim Chudy

P.S. Click here to request a consultation. We can talk about your situation and what it’s going to take for you to reach your goals.

P.P.S. A lot of times people struggle to lose weight because of their nutrition. Specifically with stress eating. Keep your eye out for specific steps to stop that emotional and sometimes uncontrollable urge to eat.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Weight Loss Tips

Summer is here! And it’s never too late to get that beach bod.

We’re half way through 2009. Can you believe it?! Did you have a New Year’s resolution? If you’re like 90% of Americans you had a resolution to lose weight and get in shape. But if you’re like 90% of Americans, that resolution went bye-bye long ago.

But do not fear. Boot camp is your answer! Women are getting fantastic body changing results faster than ever. And they’re having a blast while doing it! Just look at what some of them have to say…

“I really look foward to class. My body craves the feeling! My clothes are fitting differently. I’m seeing and feeling muscles in place I never have before.” Kilinyaa, St. Louis, MO

“I had tried to lose weight and start working out on my own, but had been unable to stick to a plan. I feel better overall. I love the supportive environment and my clothes are fitting better!                          Cindy – St. Louis, MO

“I love the variety and the positive attitude of everyone. I’m seeing my body change into a more toned and healthy one!                               Anne – Frontenac, MO

The fact is, boot camp is a FAST, FUN way to get FIT!

Now it’s your turn. Register for Summer Boot Camp here. But you must be proactive about this. Spots are limited and you’ll want to claim yours before they’re gone! Click here to register.

To your beach bod,

Tim

P.S. We added an evening time slot too. You can workout at 5:30am OR 5:30pm. Click here to register.

Posted under Fitness 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

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