Your Willpower Sucks

I had a deep conversation with one of my clients about willpower yesterday and I feel compelled to share some of my thoughts on it.

Willpower touches on nearly all aspects of healthy living. Eating right, exercising, avoiding alcohol, reading more, working harder, and spending less.

Our willpower is not at some constant level all day, waiting around for us to use it. Nope, it gets weaker with each decision we make. Ever wondered why you give into that late night dessert after resisting sweets all day? You said no to the cake at work, and you didn't go to lunch with the crew. But when you got home and ate dinner you couldn't turn down the cookies that were left over from the party last weekend.

Where was that willpower to bail you out then?

Roy Baumeister, a prominent psychologist, has researched the phenomenon of decision fatigue. This is the idea that our willpower decreases with each decision. Decision fatigue is what leads to analysis paralysis. This is why it is tough to make good decisions when your brain is low on mental energy.

The key to making a healthy lifestyle change is achieving more with less will power. Well how in the world do you do that? I'm going to tell you!

I've got two easy hacks that will help you reach your goals without relying on willpower alone.

1. You should plan your day the night before or days before.

Have what you are going to eat planned out and prepared the night before. You can easily take the stress of 'figuring it out' away. Most people are exhausted before they even get to work in the morning. You woke up trying to think of what to wear, what to eat, and how you were going to fit in your errands after work. You are mentally exhausted before you even got in the car to drive in the terrible traffic. Your efforts to avoid eating sweets all day won't last long with that type of daily mental fatigue.

Pack your gym bag and place it in the car the night before. Scrounging around for your sports bra or Under Armour tights in the morning when you are running late can be mentally exhausting. Lay out your clothes and make sure they are ready to go will eliminate some of that decision fatigue. 

Research from Harvard Business School shows that when we make decisions for our future selves, we make better decisions.

So, the night before, plan out as many decisions as you can.

2. Commit in advance.

I often hear, "I"m going to wait until I get off work to see if I 'feel' like going to the gym. Let me be the first to give it to you straight, nine times out of ten you aren't going to feel like going. Your feelings are always going to take the more comfortable route. Committing in advance takes the question out of whether you will do something or not.

This is sometimes why having a trainer to hold you accountable comes in handy. Deciding to hit the gym or get your home workout in can be hard when you are on your own. But if you know your trainer is going to be asking you, "How did the workout go?" then you will be more inclined to get it done.

It may be because you parted with your hard earned money and you want to hold true to your commitment. Or you may have a deep respect for your trainer and don't want to let them down. Whatever it may be, it all comes down to committing in advance.

These are just some strategies that may help you when have a healthy lifestyle goal you want to achieve. Don't get caught in the crossfires of believing that your willpower will get you through.

You see, it’s much easier to have discipline when you set things up in your favor.

Lift Light Weights For Big Muscles

I absolutely love the art of of bodybuilding. The science of gaining muscle has always fascinated me. I don't care too much about being on the beach, social media, or on stage showing off my physique. But I love the experimental process of creating a healthier body and mind. However, gaining muscle is still one of those topics that is terribly misunderstood. 

For those who want to maximize their muscle gaining potential, stay away from lectures by gym bros. They will typically give you what they think worked for them or what they saw in some magazine.

You might hear, "You have to lift to failure." "If it's not heavy then you aren't working hard enough."

But if your goal is to gain muscle and you have been searching for the truth, I'm here to give it to you. Science says it makes sense to train across the continuum of repetition ranges. While there may be validity to focusing on the so-called "hypertrophy range" (6-12 reps), both high (15-20+) and low (1-5) repetition ranges should also be incorporated into your training program.

Not only does such an approach ensure full stimulation of the spectrum of muscle fibers, but it also serves as preparatory work for optimizing performance in the hypertrophy range. Low rep work enhances neuromuscular adaptations necessary for the development of maximal strength. When max strength increases due to low rep work then you can guarantee you will be stronger at moderate loads. This will give you greater mechanical tension which is key to gaining muscle. Let’s say your low rep work increased your bench press from 150 lbs to 225 lbs. Now you can go down and train in the moderate rep range (6-12) with loads that was close to your old max. That is an example of how you can increase mechanical tension.

Now let's look at the other side of that equation. Performance of higher-rep sets help over time raise lactate threshold. This means you will have the ability to delay the onset of fatigue. This will increase time under tension during moderate rep training. Time-under-tension refers to how long the muscle is under strain during a set of an exercise. If you normally train biceps with curls at 50 lbs and the set lasts around 10 seconds. What will happen if you trained biceps with 25 lbs and the set lasts for 30-45 seconds? Over time you will get stronger and can increase the time under tension at that 50 lb set.

There are infinite ways in which varied intensities can be integrated into program design. Perhaps the best way to ensure continued progress is by periodizing training rep ranges over time. This simply means that you should have times in your training where all rep ranges are covered. How you go about covering that spectrum comes down to personal preference and making your program fit you instead of vice versa.

Another option is to base loading strategies on the type of exercise performed. I've experimented with this a lot in the past. I would focus on low to moderate-reps (~1-10) for multi-joint movements such as squats, rows, and presses. And prioritizing higher rep training (15+) for single-joint, isolation type exercises like curls, shoulder raises, and leg curls.

There are no set in stone rules here. The response to training varies by the individual and that is why you shouldn't follow what Jimmy in the gym said is the best program. You need to experiment with different approaches and find out what works best for you.

Stop Using Exercise As Punishment

I strongly dislike when exercise is used as a form of punishment.

You should exercise because you love your body, not because you hate it.

I coach people on improving their mentality every day. Mental toughness is something that you will have to work on daily. Exercise mentality means more to me than the type of exercise you are partaking in.

It hurts me to the core when I hear things like, "I need to perform extra cardio because I over indulged on the weekend." "Can I have a hard workout today because I have to eat out tonight?"

It hurts me because I care why you are working out more than the type of workout you are doing. If your workouts are fueled with that sort of mentality then you have to change things up. That mindset is a negative form of motivation and is a road to disorder.

You don't need to punish yourself for giving into a craving. You might have ate too much yesterday. But you don't need to call yourself fat and get on the stair master for an hour because of it. The journey is filled with ups and downs. Ditch the mindset that you must be perfect. It leads to bad habits. It will lead you down a road of always feeling guilty about enjoying your favorite treats, and terrible restriction. Then you will force yourself to perform a super challenging workout to “make up” for the damage. Not only is that mentally draining, but you will start to dislike strength training because it became punishment. This “punishment” mentality also leads to some severe binge eating habits.

You need to relax. Seriously. Keep things super simple, and stop putting so many restrictions on yourself. Focus on consistency instead of trying to be perfect.

The only goal you should have with your workouts is to become a stronger, more awesome version of yourself. Because you were born awesome.

Your workouts allow you to improve your quality of life. To set some personal records, get stronger and build your self-confidence. Your workouts help you discover how much your body is capable of.

So the next time you enjoy a favorite treat or not-so-healthy meal, enjoy it, forget about it, and move on.

Big Backside = Long Life

Can we all agree that we get weaker as we get older? I'm pretty sure common sense would say your muscles don't hang around if you aren't using them.

In the science world strength declines at a very fast rate after the age of 40. So for example, a man 55 years young, even if he was an Olympic gold medal winner in weightlifting at 24, will typically lose 30-33% of the strength levels he had three decades before.

Your backside. Your rump. Your bum. Your derriere. Your backside.

When you neglect to save the largest muscle of the body we create some major issues.

The biggest reason why the glutes shut down is due to inactivity. A muscle will quit working properly if you fail to consistently activate it. It will also stop working suitably if you fail to regularly activate it to its capacity.

If your glutes are not strong, your entire lower body alignment may fall out of balance. Have you ever seen anyone walking bent over? Or how about anyone that sits in a chair and their lower back is screaming in pain?  Weak glutes can lead to issues such as ACL injuries, Achilles tendinitis, shin splints, runner’s knee and IT band pain.

If the glutes are not strong enough to do their job then something has to do it for them. Other muscles will take over that work load. Which is not a good thing. The hamstrings, low back, quadriceps and calves may become over active and that can increase your risk of injury.

Strong glutes support the back. When your glutes aren’t activating as they should, your psoas muscle, a hip flexor muscle that runs from the spine to the legs, takes over. An overstressed psoas causes back pain and compression in the lower lumbar vertebrae of the spine.

Not all back pain is a result of weak glutes, but it can be a contributing factor.

I love the hip thrust exercise. It can be scaled to any fitness level and can activate glutes through a full range of motion.

One thing I like about them is that there’s a fast learning curve so clients tend to pick them up fast. They can be a little awkward at first but I’ve found some ways to improve the experience that I hope you’ll find helpful.

Pause each rep for a second at the top to help ensure that you're coming all the way up and achieving full extension. Pausing will also ensure that you’re using glutes to do the work instead of the lower back.

Position your feet in such a way that when you're at the top of the movement your shins are perpendicular to the floor.

Sometimes you will push through your toes which don't activate glutes to their full capacity. Instead your quads take too much of the load. To ensure that you are targeting glutes you should try to lift your toes off the ground. Or try to pick your toes up within your shoes.

Here's a video of a perfectly performed hip thrust.

Why I Love Dumbbell Exercises

Dumbbell exercises have been a huge part of my training regimen since I started lifting weights at age 12. My dad had a set in the garage that I would use. The old school ones where you had to screw the weights on. It definitely sharpened my math skills.

Dumbbells are great tools to have in your strength training arsenal.

They allow for a lot of variety within your workouts. They have a lot of real world practicality and they have some significant advantages compared to barbells.

Of course they aren't included in most gym discussions because they aren't macho man exercises and leaves very little room to ego lift. But they have the best carryover in real life in my opinion. You will never barbell bench press something in real life unless you are stuck under an object and have to press it off of you. Pretty sure those chances are fairly slim. However, you will be faced with obstacles in life where you have to handle different weights of things and have to get in and out of various shapes. Having dumbbells in your training regimen will help improve your fitness to enhance your quality of life. 

I’m not claiming that dumbbells are the best workout tool and that they’re superior to any other piece of equipment. Barbells, kettlebells, machines, or anything else can definitely play a role in your strength development but this article will just dive into the positive aspects of using dumbbells.

Dumbbell exercises can be a little easier on the joints when you are starting out in your lifting journey. You may have some old shoulder injuries, elbow pain or back pain. Dumbbell exercises can be a little safer until you gain full mobility within all your joints, tendons and ligaments. An example of this is to take a look at flat bench dumbbell press and compare it to it's counterpart flat bench barbell press. The dumbbell version tends to be a bit more elbow and shoulder friendly because you can have more natural movement since your hands aren’t fixed in place. You have the freedom to turn or rotate them as you press. Those little tweaks can make for a very safe exercise and not hold you back from making very good strength gains.

The same thing applies to a dumbbell standing press compared to a barbell overhead press. Having your palms face your face instead of facing forward could be the difference into you forming that shape pain free. This is why I recommend people who have had previous shoulder or elbow issues to use dumbbells in their training.

This is why many of my favorite upper body and lower body exercises use dumbbells.

So if you’ve noticed some problems with certain upper body barbell exercises, try swapping them out for the dumbbell version and see how things feel.

I'm a huge advocate for training the body unilaterally as well. We all have a dominant side. Sometimes using a barbell can only exaggerate that. Using dumbbells can improve your weaker side and help you create a more stable, functional physique.

The last reason I love dumbbells is because they are great for home gyms. You don't need any fancy equipment early on in your journey. A pair of dumbbells can take you such a long way. A pair of power block dumbbells can save you a ton of space if that is a resource that is limited in your household. These dumbbells increase in 2.5 pound increments from 10 to 50 pounds. That is perfect for a home gym.

Dumbbells can be a great tool if you’re new to the wonderful world of strength training and want to ease into lifting. Begin by performing basic compound exercises with dumbbells and strive to get stronger.

No workout tool is perfect for everything but dumbbells are a great place to start in your lifting journey.

No More Cheat Meals

Cheat meals.
Cheat days.
Reward meals.
Diet breaks.

These are very popular terms in the fitness world.

I can't stand how people loosely use those terms. It basically means you need to put a label on why you deserve to eat whatever you want in a specific time frame. 

The idea behind cheat meals and days is that you schedule a specific meal(s) or day during the week when you eat anything you want. It boils down to eating foods that are off limits at other times during the week. You stick to whatever regimen you have during the week, and then the weekend comes and you let loose. 

This works for some. Scheduling a meal where you can enjoy some of your favorite foods could be a positive experience. Having something to look forward to could lead to good adherence to stick to a plan. In my personal experience, this takes an extreme amount of discipline and willpower. And willpower is a limited resource in this lifestyle. You have to be a very mindful eater before entering that arena or a lot of things could go wrong. 

For instance, when some people have foods they believe are off limits they will think about those foods all the time. It can even lead to an unhealthy obsession of those foods. Since they think some foods are restricted then they crave them like crazy. They will place foods like pizza, cookies, and cake on a pedestal.  The thought of knowing something is “forbidden” or “off limits” makes those foods more desirable for many people. 

Scheduling reward meals or having cheat days might not be ideal for you. In my opinion there isn’t one thing that works for everyone. 

Here are some other problems I’ve seen people experience with cheat meals:

  1. They over eat a ton of junk during the scheduled cheat day/meal since it’s the only day they can eat whatever they want.
  2. They eat foods that they could care less about because it is off limits on other days. 
  3. Cravings are out of control until the scheduled cheat day.
  4. They lose control and eat until they are over full.
  5. They experience huge food guilt which leads to cycle of disordered eating. 

I believe we need to approach a healthy lifestyle in a different manner. My approach to nutrition is different than most health professionals. I don't believe in diets, or restrictive nutritional regimens. If you want to make this a lifestyle then you have to look at things from a broader scope. Can you sustain your eating patterns for the next 5 - 10 years? If your answer is no, then you have to find a new way.  

The issue with my approach to nutrition is that it takes time. Of course you don't like that statement. But you should be tired of trying diet after diet and losing the same 10-20 pounds over and over again. It takes a little time to attain some consistency in planning meals, preparing your food, and become a more mindful eater. But once you gain that momentum you will be able to include some foods you love when you want them.  If it’s Tuesday and you want a few cookies, you will be able to eat the cookies and then move on with your life. It will no longer be cheating because you understand your body well enough to satisfy a craving without your world is coming to an end. You will be able to eat them, enjoy them, and then move on.  You will gain a better mind and body connection and understand you can have whatever I want. Because you will understand portion sizes, proper planning and mindfulness.   

The main point is that I don’t view any food as off limits. The sooner you realize that then the more free you become in this lifestyle and then you begin to enjoy the all the fruits it has to offer. 

Teach Your Child Healthy Perspectives

I do not have children of my own so I'm going to speak from the scope of my own experiences and what I have observed over my years in the fitness industry.

If we do not help shape young kids perspective when it comes to athletics, health and fitness then we are doing them disservice. The ability of your children to have a healthy perspective begins at home. In order for them to grow up with healthy relationships with food, and view exercise as a benefit rather than a chore then they need to have a firm grounding in feeling loved, secure, and competent. They need to know what positive self-esteem looks like.

With social media being in their face all the time it is very important for kids to feel comfortable in their own skin. If children feel valued for who they are they are more likely to approach sports, health and fitness with confidence and commitment.

Ultimately you want them to be free from doubt, worry, or fear. If not then they will grow up comparing themselves to others, suffer with low self-confidence and negative self-image issues.

Another important part of self-esteem is the ownership they feel toward their sport interest.

My father was 10 times the athlete I was. I didn't get a full scholarship to a division I school, he did. I didn't play in the NFL, he did. The coolest part about my upbringing was that he supported, guided and coached me to be the best me. He wasn't concerned about me imitating him and his accomplishments. He wasn't concerned about living through me either. If children are driven to succeed by their own passion, motivation, and determination rather pressure from their parents, they will see their sports participation as a challenge to pursue instead of a threat to avoid.

Unfortunately, many young athletes do not see their sports participation as a part of their lives. It is their life. So whenever they walk onto the field of play, they are putting their lives on the line. That's scary. That sort of outlook will inevitably lead to failure, disappointment, and shame.

My sophomore year in high school I was the starting quarterback of my high school team. We lost every single game which resulted in a 0-11 season. My father showed me the same love no matter what. He taught me how to digest losing, respect the craft, and how to grab small positive nuggets from each experience. He made sure I knew my value wasn’t tied to a sports record or stats sheet.

If I am ever fortunate enough to have children of my own my goal would be to help them see that their sport should be a healthy part of their self-esteem. They will still be loved and valued no matter the result.

If children have the right perspective they will have a more positive emotional response to exercise, sports and their overall health. Instead of frustration, anger, and fear dominating their lives, positive emotions such as excitement, joy, pride, and inspiration will propel them toward their goals.

This healthy perspective will also help them react constructively to the inevitable obstacles and setbacks that they will experience as they pursue their health, fitness, and sports goals.

We have to do a better job at raising our youth.

But that starts with how we approach our own health and fitness. 

Grandma's Cooking Can Get You In Trouble

When I was growing up I remember going to my grandmother's house and salivating over the food she made me. I'm sure that everyone will agree with me when I say, "There is no cooking like Grandma's." Right?

One reason Grandma's cooking tastes so good is that she isn't afraid to use oil and butter. She coats the pan with it. She adds it to the recipe. She even adds it as a topping sometimes. 

I always wondered how the vegetables tasted like pie. Ha! Those "healthy" green beans added up to hundreds of extra calories to the meal for sure!

The unsaturated, "healthy" fats in oils such as olive, canola, and avocado oil and the saturated fats in butter and coconut oil have their place in your diet. I'm not saying that you shouldn't have them. They play an important role in your physique and performance goals. But those fats are very calorie dense and you shouldn't throw them in dishes without accounting for them. They can raise your daily caloric intake by 300 calories really fast. 

Let's say you are cooking lean ground turkey for lunch. It may have a 90/10 ratio and it will typically lose some fat when cooked. But when you add in all the oils and butter then it is possible that you are you're adding hundreds of additional calories to your day.

Rather than adding oil or butter throughout the cooking process, use a nonfat cooking spray. Another great idea is to flavor your dish with your favorite herbs or spices instead of butter. There are tons of great seasonings out there that can help you in this endeavor. 

I love to cook and try different seasonings. The key to this process is finding seasonings that you like and work with your taste buds. 

Here are my top 3 favorite seasonings to use on protein sources like chicken, turkey, beef or pork. These brands have worked for me over the past 10 years. They have many different options but I felt the need to share. Hopefully it can help you in your journey. 

Why Most Men Fail At Building Muscle

Time and time again I coach men who believe they need to go hard or go home. If they aren't dying or taking every set to failure then they aren't making progress. It is the old adage they got from high school coaches, and their parents but it is time for it to hit the hay. 

Fact: You don’t always have to train balls-to-the-wall to see results. 

When I was in college I was subscribed to Flex magazine and Muscular Development. I still have them all boxed up and I even framed some of my favorite covers and placed them in the basement. I recall countless articles urging lifters to take every set to failure. Some of my favorite bodybuilders used to say they took every set to failure. In fact, various high intensity training (HIT) articles claim that the last rep of the set was the only rep that mattered. Stopping short would only maintain size and strength. But when you take it to that last grueling rep you would cause the body to make adaptations. Which meant the body would accommodate those adaptations by gaining muscle and improve strength. 

Guess what? I've had many conversations with professional bodybuilders and that is not how they train. 

Since the 90's several peer-reviewed studies emerged showing that training to failure was not mandatory for results, nor was it better than stopping shy of failure.

This is where the general public can learn from powerlifters. Powerlifting programs take advantage of lighter loads and reduced efforts in order to allow for high training volumes and frequencies. Not every single set is taken to failure. This means that they have found ways to get more quality sets in a workout and do similar exercises more than once per week. 

There are times where a set can be taken to failure. There is a major difference in taking a set of bicep curls to failure versus a set of heavy squats. It takes most lifters many years to understand how to regulate their effort and manage their fatigue. I've seen many men never get it. They get injured and blame it on something else. It's an old high school injury that flared up. No, it was plain stupidity in thinking that you should try for a new one rep max. Once lifters reach this level of mastery, training tends reach new levels and gains are made. 

You don’t have to train balls-to-the-wall every session. You don’t even need to go all out every single week to make progress. You’ll likely experience better results by performing a considerable amount of training in the 70-85% range of your one rep max and keep some reps in the tank.

Please don’t just stubbornly grind through an exercise if it doesn’t feel right. This rarely leads to good outcomes. Strength training isn’t rocket science, but it’s not linear either. Due to the various nature of human physiology we can't completely predict the response all the time. Even when all the variables are controlled. That is why having someone educated helps. 

You must pay attention to biofeedback and experiment to figure out what works best for your body. You must adhere to a proper routine to give yourself the best chance of succeeding and making progress. Don't fail at making wise decisions during the other 23 hours when you’re not in the gym.

Low Fat Diet Scam

I still see low fat diet approaches roaming the internet and social media. The low fat, high starch diet was the focus of dietary advice during the 1990's. The USDA food pyramid instructed the public to lower fats and increase grains and starches.

Low fat diets were introduced to help prevent heart disease and be the cure all of successful weight loss. A growing body of evidence has been pointing to its insufficiency for weight loss or prevention of heart disease and several cancers.

There was a study that brings home my point that lasted for eight years and included almost 49,000 women. These women were between 50 and 79 years of age. Of these, 19,541 were randomly assigned to follow a low-fat diet. Their goal was to lower their fat intake from almost 38% of calories to 20%. They had a series of individual and group counseling session to aid them in their efforts. Another 29,294 women were randomly assigned to continue their usual diets. They were given generic diet related educational materials.

The results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. They showed no benefits for a low-fat diet. The women assigned to this eating strategy did not appear to gain protection against breast cancer, various cancers, or cardiovascular disease. After eight years their weights were generally the same as the women following their usual diets.

Fats are an essential nutrient and one of the primary energy sources for the body. They also play a big role in weight management, absorbing nutrients, maintaining healthy skin and hair, regulating body temperature, supporting immune function, insulating internal organs, and hormonal balance.

When it comes to dietary fat, what matters most is the type of fat you eat. Not all dietary fats are created equally and not all affect the body in the same way. Refined fats found in boxed foods and most restaurants use fats that make our foods taste delicious and we should be cautious before consuming them. Nothing is bad in moderation. If you have a choice, use natural fats which have beneficial life extending properties. When we miss out on fats in our diets, we can find ourselves feeling tired, moody, constantly hungry, unable to kick cravings and resentful over our restrictive diets.

Here is a short list of great dietary fats that provide good health benefits.

  • Coconut Oil
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Avocado
  • Walnuts
  • Almonds
  • Flaxseed
  • Chia Seed
  • Eggs
  • Edamame
  • Fish and Lean Beef

Making good dietary choices does really matter, but it is the type of fat, not the amount, that is most important. Keep in mind that too many calories from both fat and carbohydrate will lead to weight gain. This will increase risks of various cancers and heart disease.

4 Kitchen Tools That Save Time

If sustaining long term weight loss is your goal then there are some things that will remain constant. Cooking will always be at the forefront of that conversation. 

I know it can be a hassle to plan meals out, grocery shop, and find the time to cook meals. But the key to being consistent week to week is finding little tips and tricks to help you save time. 

Convenient, quick, and inexpensive come to mind when it comes to preparing delicious, good-for-you meals.

Home cooked meals will always be something that I recommend. The key is to save time and money so your meal prepping doesn't turn into a stressful situation. You should check out these four kitchen tools I wouldn’t want to live without. It makes life easier for me and my wife each week. The items listed below save time because you can use them to make delicious meals quickly. Money is being saved because preparing your meals will always be cheaper than eating out. 

Rice Cooker
I love eating rice. Brown rice, jasmine rice, and white rice all play a huge role in my weekly meal plans personally. The rice cooker is an important tool to shorten cooking time. It also maintains the nutritional value of food as air and fluids get trapped within the cooker like a pressure cooker. The device also contains an automatic timer alerting you when the rice is finished. Rice cookers can also make your vegetables taste amazing by steaming them for you. 

Slow Cooker
I have to thank my mother and my wife for keeping this fantastic tool in rotation for preparing delicious meals. Growing up my mother used it all the time. I'm pretty sure she did it so I could stay out of her hair for days on end because it made the best left overs anyone could ask for. My wife introduced me to slow cooker liners and I can't tell you how easy cleanup is since I started using them. 

Get a slow cooker that’s at least six quarts, this way you can make large meals and save leftovers. Cook once, eat several meals after. That’s my slogan. Slow cooker recipes need a little prep work but nothing that is too strenuous. Chopping vegetables and protein sources is about the extent of it. One of the great things about using this tool is the fresh ingredients that you use are cooked at a low temperature. Which retains that nutrition rich, natural juices from vegetables and meats. 

Griddle
Breakfast is a breeze with electric griddles. I love to make pancakes and a griddle helps me a lot because I can prepare my own and my wife's. Whether you are looking to make a lot of pancakes or want to cook your eggs alongside bacon, having the space of a full griddle gives more options for every cook. The electric griddle is best known for its flat surface, which serves as a great way to make breakfast food but the use of it extends beyond breakfast. They make great burgers, salmon cakes and various fritters as well. 

Blender
It is no secret that smoothies are delicious. Using a blender is an amazing tool when it comes to using natural ingredients. I’m all for the great smoothies that you will find at various places but they can be pretty calorie dense too. If you prepare your own then you are taking out a lot of the problems (high salt, added sugar, added fat, etc.), that are found in store bought items. The list of quality blenders out there is huge. While some truly extraordinary ones might be up there in cost, you can still find something capable, durable, and within your budget. 

I preach day in and day out that if you do not know how to eat at home then you will not know how to eat out. Investing in tools to make meal prep a little more simple is worth every penny. I hope you find some of these tools useful in your journey one day. 

No More Training For Weight Loss

Why did you start exercising?


Why did you join a gym?


Many people who join gyms and want to improve their body composition and physical appearance automatically start training for fat loss. This may mean that they do a lot of cardio or circuit training and the focus is solely on fat loss and nothing else.

This is especially the case with women. Most women believe that if the scale doesn’t move then the program isn’t working. 

In my experience these women would be much better off if they focused on improving their performance and building muscle.

Women's fitness has progressed in my eyes. I believe that women are out of the lifting weights will make me big and bulky phenomenon. If you still believe that then let me be the first to tell you, it is absolutely not true. Building a few pounds of muscle will:
1. Increase your metabolism.
2. Allow you to burn more fat. and
3. Give you the desired lean, athletic, “toned” look.

I have trained so many women who even gain a few pounds of muscle without realizing it. The result will be that the scale weight may stay the same or even be a little higher. All they knew is that they looked and felt better.

If more women would just focus on improving their performance in the gym instead of always focusing on losing fat and weight, they would get far better results.

So what can you do differently?

When you workout be intentional about doing better than you did the previous time you exercised. Don’t get caught up in the trap of doing the same weights with the same reps all the time. For example, increase the weight you use for each exercise, or perform more repetitions with the same weight. Don’t worry about how many calories you’re burning or working out so hard that you have to get on all fours and crawl out of the gym in a pool of sweat, blood and tears. That is unnecessary and a lot of times can be counterproductive.

Increasing your performance can be fun, challenging and very rewarding.

To prove my point, take this into consideration. My best friend Rachel was 160 pounds when she decided to start weight training. She battled with her weight her entire life. Rachel has two young boys at home, Brantley and Carter, who are very active with school activities and sports. Her husband Bryan is one of my best friends too and loves to travel and scuba dive. If she was going to keep up with her busy family she needed to be strong, and have great muscular endurance. I told her that we would have to build from the ground up. She was all for it and said that she understood why we needed to be intentional about improving her performance.

Her body fat percentage was around 36-38% and she ate around 1100 calories. She really never had any formal instruction on lifting weights and she didn't know how to eat for performance. Her first month we did nothing but body weight exercises and her workouts typically didn’t last longer than 30 minutes. I would have her video some of her exercises and I would send back pointers so the next time she would perform the exercises with better execution. After a few months we progressed to lifting weights. She wasn't extremely strong and didn't know her way around a weight room so we kept things simple. Our goal was to increase the amount of reps over time with the same type of movement. She nailed it. Rachel has been extremely consistent in the weight room for almost a year now. She lifts upper body twice a week and lower body twice a week and does very minimal cardio. Every week we attempt to improve on what she did the week prior in some form or fashion. Rachel now eats around 1800 calories, lifts weights 4-5 times per week, has a body fat percentage 26-27%, and weighs 137-139. 

So if you want to lose weight and change your body, then stop training for weight loss and focus on improving your performance. You’ll get better results and actually have fun doing it.

What Do Expiration Dates Mean


Picture this. You wake up in the morning to go downstairs to prepare your meals for the day only to see that your food is past the expiration dates.


What do you do?


Interestingly, experts did the math and estimate that $165 billion worth of perfectly edible food gets tossed each year. It comes out to be 40% of all food made in the Unites States being trashed. This is all due to it passing its expiration date.


Is that not alarming to you? People are starving around the world and we are wasting food. Some people may not have a problem throwing it away but I do. I respect your decision either way but I want to teach you what different expiration dates mean.


"Sell by", "Used by" or "Best by"


We see these on every food product. But I have noticed that many people do not know what they mean.


"Sell by" refers to purchasing the item prior to the date that's listed.
“Best if used by/before” dates show when the product will have optimal taste and quality.
“Use by” dates tell you the last day the food will be at its top quality.


What people fail to realize is the USDA also notes that it’s okay to eat these foods past the dates on the packaging. It is our job to make sure that the package is intact and the item looks fresh. The only exception is infant formula, as the USDA advises parents to not buy or even use baby formula once the “use by” date rolls around.


So how long does food last then? It differs from food to food. I'll cover the top 5 foods I get questions about.


Chicken
The USDA advises you that you can leave it in a refrigerator for one to two days after purchase. Research supports that you can leave chicken in the freezer for nine months. Cooked chicken depends on storage conditions. The best way is to smell and look at the chicken. Signs of bad cooked chicken will be a sour smell and slimy texture. Please throw it away if your chicken looks or smells bad. Do not taste it to see if it is bad.


Beef
The USDA advises consumers to pay attention to the “use by” date and not the “sell by” date. You can keep beef in the freezer for six to twelve months, and it will remain top quality. Beef will also stay good for three to five days after you bought it.


Eggs
Eggs are a pretty controversial food group. If eggs simply have a “sell by” date, research shows that you can store them for three to five weeks.


Milk
Milk should be refrigerated and it will generally remain drinkable for about one week after the “sell by” date on the package. It is time to toss your milk if it is grainy, has a sour smell, shows an off white color, or thick and clumpy texture.


Yogurt
If you purchase refrigerated yogurt you can keep it for about 7 to 10 days after the “sell by” date. If you freeze the yogurt, you can get one to two months out of it. Opened yogurt will taste optimal for five to seven days after it’s opened. Yogurt should be thrown out if you see a watery consistency, a clumpy texture, and a sour smell. If you see mold, throw out the whole package.

Those cover foods that I commonly get questions about. It is your duty to make smart choices at the grocery store. Here are some principles I like to follow that have helped me over the years.

1. Don't buy more than you can eat in a given time frame. You can always go back to the store if you need a little extra. 
2. Plan your grocery list out ahead of time. It will cut out mindless shopping which leads to food being thrown out. 
3. Set a budget at the store so you don't exceed it. This will cut out buying 'extra' that you probably didn't need in the first place. 
 

Join WebFit Bingo

WebFit has an important New Year’s Resolution and needs YOUR HELP to make it happen. Our resolution is to grow the WebFit Nation community, connecting you with other WebFit trainers and clients. One thing I love about health and fitness is the community aspect it brings. We may all have different goals but we have to face some of the same hurdles. I think it will be fun to share some of the fun times, interesting moments, and vulnerable stories so we can each learn a little bit more about one another. 

To kick off 2017, we’re rolling out a WebFit Bingo! Here are the different ways you can earn a Bingo:

  1. The classic way (5 in a row – horizontal, vertical, diagonal)
  2. The innovative way (complete square of each color – 1 green, 1 blue, 1 orange, 1 red, 1 gray)
  3. The shortcut way (refer a new client to WebFit)

For each Bingo you complete, your name will be entered into a drawing for the following prizes:

  • $100 Visa Gift Card (1)
  • $50 Visa Gift Card (1)
  • $25 Visa Gift Card (2)

First five people to get a Bingo earn an additional 2 entries into the drawing.

Rules:

  1. You must make posts on the WebFit Nation Facebook page (but you’re welcome to throw them on SnapChat, Instagram, or Twitter as well).
  2. Once you’ve got your Bingo, email your trainer and let them know what 5 squares you completed so they can verify you have earned your Bingo.
  3. Only current WebFit clients are eligible to win.
  4. There is no limit to the number of Bingos you can earn.
  5. Deadline to earn all Bingos is 11:59 PM - January 31, 2017. Live drawing on Facebook scheduled for Friday, February 6, 2017. 

To make it more interesting I am committing myself to completing the entire board. I will also challenge the other WebFit trainers to do the same. Even though we are more like the tour guides we are still human and have our own ups and downs. This game will allow us to showcase those and I have always believed in leading by example. 

On your mark.

Get set. 

Go!

What Is Disordered Eating?


There is an obsession in our culture with body size, weight, diet and exercise. Unfortunately this has led many down a road of disordered eating. Research suggests that up to 50 percent of the population show signs and symptoms of disordered relationships with food, body, and exercise. Clinical eating disorders are estimated to be around 1 to 3 percent of the general population. Do you see where I am getting at?


Disordered eating patterns need to be taken seriously. They can be problematic if not. An individual with disordered eating patterns engages in some of the same behavior as those with clinically diagnosed eating disorders. It is at a lesser frequency or lower level of severity but it is still very important not to ignore. 


When disordered eating patterns aren't addressed it could lead to depression or anxiety. Some of the more harsh symptoms of disordered eating may include food restriction, binge eating, and purging. Purging could include self induced vomiting, excessive exercise, and the use of diet pills or laxatives.


When I meet an individual who may have had a bad relationship with food in the past I always start slow. One of the first things I address is creating a better self image since self image issues can be a trigger for most. Issues with your body shape and weight can weigh on you and lead you down a path of disordered eating. I will see this happen when someone's weight falls within a healthy range but they continue to feel they are overweight. This attitude could lead to an excessive or rigid exercise routine. I've seen people play it off as if they are practicing self discipline. But it is a mask they wear to hide hours spent in they gym, avoiding social situations, and ignoring family events. This approach could go with obsessive calorie counting too. I often see people who have anxiety about certain foods or food groups because it will 'make me fat'. The process of rigid eating, only eating certain foods, inflexible meal times and refusal to eat in restaurants or outside of one’s own home is the start to destructive patterns of eating.


Learning how to over come disordered eating patterns is a process.

Here are 4 helpful tips to help you or anyone you know get through this difficult obstacle.

1. Do your best to avoid fad diets. Diets are typically restrictive in some form or fashion in both quantity or variety. Restriction at high levels leads to a feeling of deprivation and binge eating could follow that feeling. I have always preached to be more inclusive than exclusive. Moderation is a more healthier long term approach.
2. Have a healthy limit on exercise and always do physical activities that you enjoy. When exercise becomes a chore then it is time to look into other means of partaking in physical activity. 
3. No more negative self body talk. Even simple comments pointing out a proposed flaw of yours could lead to a downward spiral. Be mindful of critical talk about yourself or your body.
4. Put the scale away until you have a better relationship with food.
 

Your 2017 Mantra

As we enter the start of 2017 millions of people will sit down with a pen and pad to lay out the goals and expectations for the year. We rarely think of the wonderful accomplishments of the past year. Instead, we focus on the improvements we want to make in the year to come. The new year is always an opportunity to start fresh.


I want to offer a new frame of thought. Weight loss is a popular New Years resolution because we associate it with all kinds of other things. Starting new diets are often something I have to deter people from doing when the new year begins. It is the single biggest mistake when trying to change your lifestyle. It is a battle that you will never win because restriction at high levels is not a smart approach.


I have written a mantra that you may find helpful. It is more like a shout that ends in a cry because I'm so passionate about you taking a different route. I hope you find it helpful in your journey.


"I will not diet in 2017. The reason I am sitting in my current state is not because my diet has failed me. I recognize that diets do not work. The shelf life of me being super strict is short and the most predictable outcomes of me partaking in a diet are disordered eating, weight regain, and loads of emotional/physical stress."


"I will work diligently to accept my body for the way it is. I understand that practicing self love doesn't mean that I can't strive to make improvements in my physique. I will not judge my self worth by the number on scale but by the quality of my character."


"I will make strides daily to improve my health. I understand that a healthy body comes in various shapes and sizes and I will be happy with the one I have. I will make it a priority to eat mindfully. I will not use food as a strategy to help me handle the stress of daily life. Moving more and exercising on a consistent basis will be how I honor my body. I will listen to my body and trust the process because my health is important."
 

There Are Levels To This {Video}

Your health and fitness are important. I think we can both agree on that. Improving it is a process. But in today's society I find myself scaling people back because they want to achieve it all yesterday. I love the ambition, and resilience that one must posses to want to get to work and achieve as much as they can. But there are levels to this. 

Goals are about the short-term result. Systems are about the long-term process.

In the end, process always wins. I've found that goals are good for planning your progress and systems are good for actually making progress. Goals can provide direction and even push you forward in the short-term, but eventually a well designed system will always win. Having a system is what matters. Committing to the process is what makes the difference. When you commit to the process there will be times of frustration but you will bounce back because you respect the process. 

I hope you enjoy the message in the video. 

Too Much Cardio

I'm pretty sure I will write about this topic until I am blue in the face but that is okay. Everyone needs to understand this.


Traditional cardio sucks for fat loss. That's right. You doing hours and hours of cardio will not help you change and maintain the physique that you aspire to have.


All my cardio lovers probably gave me an eye roll. And that is okay. By the end of this you will have a better understanding of where I am coming from.


Elevating your resting metabolic rate is vitally important into your body transformation. Manipulating hormones that promote the release of fat is also a priority. Strength training has a much more powerful effect on these processes than aerobic training.

The wrong message is still preached. I know this because when I enter a gym I see two things. Every piece of cardio equipment taken up and only a fourth of the weight room occupied.
We were not meant for absurd amounts of aerobic cardio. All the running, elliptical machines and stair steppers for endless amounts of time is pointless. Long sessions or too frequent sessions of cardio can lead to high levels of cortisol production. Cortisol can force the body to break down its own muscle tissue. When this happens your body will break down your own muscle tissue and use it as fuel. It also leads to increased fat accumulation, especially around the midsection.


Muscle loss due to excessive aerobics cardio effects your resting metabolic rate. It also inhibits natural hormone production.


So let's say you took the basic approach of cutting your calories and increasing your activity through cardio. This sets off an alarm in the body where the body sacrifices muscle tissue to maintain balance. Your body will lessen energy demands and store or hoard body fat as a survival response. During this time you will feel tired, groggy and hungry all the time. Once you reach this physiological state it becomes almost impossible to lose any more fat. You can cut calories and add all the cardio you want and the results will be minimal, if any. What you end up with is horrible cravings, ridiculous amounts of time on cardio machines, and a distorted body image. Weight regain plus some happens when a normal healthy caloric intake and exercise regimen is resumed. This generally results in a vicious cycle of huge swings in body weight and appearance. Sometimes the damage to the metabolism and hormones becomes so great over time that it's irreversible without medical intervention.


Do you need to do cardio?


Yes, but not the kind that is being preached. There are moments where steady state low intensity cardio is beneficial. But all those moments lead to you beginning or progressing in a sound strength training program. Cardio can help you build an aerobic base so you recover from strength training and recover between sets when you are lifting weights.


You do not need all the fancy machines on the cardio side of your gym to aid in your transformation. All the aerobic activity you need is walking. Yes, I said walking. That means when time permits, walk. Whether that means walking outdoors more, window shopping at the mall or longer grocery store trips. Walking will give you all the aerobic activity you need without all the harmful side effects of too much steady state low intensity cardio.
 

Why I Believe Gyms Exist

There is a gym in every community now. I was curious on how many where in my community. So I did some research to see how many gyms were in a 10 mile radius of where I lived. 

Twenty-One gyms in a 10 mile radius from my home. Wow!

Why are there so many fitness facilities? 

I can't speak for all fitness facilities. I can only hope that they have a clear vision in how they will play their part in guiding their clientele to a healthier lifestyle. 

The gyms that are around my community all have different reasons for why they preach certain principles. Some are CrossFit Boxes, yoga studios, corporate ran facilities, old school mom and pop gyms, and community facilities like YMCA's. 

I have my own personal opinion on why gyms exist and I think more gyms would be successful in helping the public improve their lifestyles if they adopted this train of thought too. 

All facilities are open for one simple purpose when you break it down to the core. To practice and improve movement. 

Yes, we live different lives than we did from our ancestors. We don't move as much. There were no gyms back in the day when we walked more, and had more labor intensive jobs. There was no need for them because people were lifting heavy objects, squatting down, and put things up over our heads numerous times in a day. They also stood for most of the day. 

In today's age we have to practice movement more. We are missing it in our professional lives. Which is not a bad thing. But time needs to be set aside to make the gym a priority so we can improve our ability to move. I believe that many of us take movement for granted. We wait until something hurts, or put up with pain until a healthcare professional shines a light on it. 

How many times do you squat down to pick something up off the ground vs how many hours you are sedentary? 

We sit down to put our socks on. We prop our feet up to put our shoes on. We get the closest parking spots we can find and we opt to take an elevator over stairs. 

Gyms exist so we can work on our movement patterns and improve our bodies so our quality of life stays high. These places that are filled with equipment are open so we can correct movement patterns, improve our strength,  and increase our performance. When you feel the ache in your lower back, or the pain in your feet from long walks; it happens because of weak muscular systems and faulty movement patterns. How else are we supposed to manage the way we were designed to move? Most jobs certainly aren't conducive to helping you age gracefully. Something has to give. 

Make it a point to practice movement. It will make you stronger, more mobile, and pain free. It just so happens that the gym is a really good place to practice. You have all the tools that you need at your disposal. It is up to you to use them to your benefit. 

Continuing To Eat When You Are Full

You loosened a belt buckle just so you could get another bite of your favorite dessert. Did you need it? Did you want it? Or did you just have to have it? You knew you were full before you took the bite. You knew you shouldn't have even gotten desert but that cheesecake looked too good to resist. Then you wondered why you even did that. How many times has this happened to you?

Ghrelin is the “hunger hormone”. It's known to stimulate your appetite when you’re hungry or in need of calories. It will also make you want to eat just because the food in front of you looks especially good.

Ghrelin is secreted by your stomach. From there it sends a message to receptors in your brain. It tells them to be more receptive to food’s visual cues. Your brain responds by sending back a reply to your belly saying, “Hey, that looks delicious" or "Let’s eat it!” For many people, hungry or not, that message is just too hard to resist.

Grehlin increases specific rewarding aspects of eating. There's some evidence linking grehlin levels with the pleasurable feelings that someone would get from alcohol, nicotine or cocaine. 

People with anorexia, loss of appetite due to physical illness, or who are fasting or losing weight by dieting, have especially high levels of ghrelin circulating in their bloodstreams. It makes sense if you think about it. Because these are conditions where your body is fearing starvation. But we are armed with natural survival tools and your body will tell you that it wants you to eat. People who are obese and those who have had gastric by-pass surgery are found to have lower circulating levels of ghrelin. That is why they eat considerably less than what they were accustomed to and eventually lose a considerable amount of body weight from being in such a deficit. 

The real job of this hormone is to work with other hormones to correct appetite and energy imbalances, and help you maintain a consistent weight. 

This is why you are hungrier when you don't get enough sleep. It also explains why there is always more room for dessert. These intricate hormones acting together is also why your body always seems to work against you in your valiant weight loss efforts.

Grehlin is so powerful that it is stimulated by the mere sight of food. That is why fast food advertising is so appealing.

So the next time you reach for the dessert menu, stop and think. When your brain is telling you to get that special desert ask yourself if it is really you wanting the dessert or just ghrelin making you think that you do.