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

I hesitated to title this post with that quote.
I thought you might think that’s me making that
claim. But I assure you I’m not.

I was probably just as shocked as you to see that.
I saw it on the back of a minivan driving into the
studio today. Call Harriette for more details. Or
to tell her she’s blowing smoke!:-)

3 dress sizes in 10 minutes is really what we want
isn’t it? We want immediate results. Our entire
society is built around speed. Everything is
faster. From computers to kids growing up.
It all happens fast.

But fitness results are not. It takes time to lose
weight and get in shape.

One of the most often asked questions I get is,
“How long will it take Tim?” That’s the
question everyone wants to know. But usually it’s
not what you want to hear.

It’s why my finace dislikes fitness. You may know
she’s a chef. She loves planning, preaparing,
and cooking a meal. Lucky me:-) But her final
result is instant. At the end of all that work
her meal is complete. My taste buds are wowed and
there’s a big smile on my face. She see’s the
result.

It’s different with fitness and weight loss.

Your fitness and weigtht loss takes time. A long
time for some. As frustrating as that may be it’s
just the way it is. And I have to continually
remind Joella of it. She’s looking for immediate
results. She expects to change after 2 workouts.
But it just won’t happen.

What are your expecations? I mean, really and
truly, when are you expecting to look and feel
good? One month? Three months? One year?

It’s different for everyone. But I’ll
try and give you a better idea.

When it comes to fitness the body works through 3
phases. Neural, muscular, and lipogenic. (That’s a
fancy word for burning body fat.)

The first phase, neural, is what I like to call
your initial hump. When you start an exercise
program you are in essence adding a stressor to
the body. (Ironically this stressor helps decrease
stress.) In the beginning it’s hard. The weights
feel heavy and wobbly. You sometimes feel akward
and unsure, and overall weak.

As you begin to
workout you actually breakdown your muscle before
you build it. Lactic acid builds up in your
muscles and causes soreness. Ah yes, the dreaded
soreness. Sometimes you find out about muscles you
forgot you had. Or maybe you didn’t even know you
had them! Walking up and down stairs, squatting to
the toilet, and other daily activities can become
gruelsome. This inital hump usually lasts about
two weeks.

The second phase is muscular. After your body gets
past neural and systemic changes you’ll begin to
build muscle. You start to feel stronger. You’ll
notice increases in your energy and your
metabolism starts to raise.

I love this phase. And it always reinforces how
important strength training is for you. Because
lean muscle contributes so much to your body. Your
metabolism increases, your energy stokes, you
start to firm up and notice lines in your arms and
legs. You’re looking and feeling good like you
should!!

With the increase in metabolim and lean muscle
leads you into the last phase. Body fat burning.

This is where it counts. This is when you’re
turning your body into a machine. You metabolize
calories like a well oiled piston. It just
cranks!!(Hence my favorite saying, “Crank it!”)

You use up needed carbs, protein, and fat. Food
becomes fuel to your body. No longer do you eat
just because but it has an entire new meaning!

It takes roughly 12 weeks to go through these
phases. Some may go through them quicker. Some
slower. If you have 40 or 50 pounds to lose, it
will take you longer. If you’re looking to lose
that last 10 pounds you might do it 8 to 10 weeks.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. There’s one more thing.
Your body goes through these phases with one BIG
catch. Your diet! If you’re diet is not supportive
to these phases then you will slow the process.
You can’t out work a bad diet.

Set yourself up for success. Don’t put ‘Lose 3
dress sizes in 10 minutes’ into your mind. It
won’t happen. Give yourself realistic expectations
and set incremental goals along the way. Enjoy the
little victories and you’ll have one BIG victory
at the end.

P.S. Want to lose 3 dresses the right way? There’s
no better, faster way to results than our boot camp.
But don’t take my word for it. Investigate, then decide.

Posted under Fitness Tips, Weight Loss Tips