Monthly Archives: October 2014

How much do you really need to do to see results?

If you follow newspapers and magazines, you see advertisements for 5 min, 7 min,  15 min workouts, etc., the less the better. In our world of busy schedules, hurried lunches, breakfasts in the car, etc. this looks enticing and we want to buy into the concept of minimal movement even though we might feel inside that it is not enough.

So what is your “ROI”, your return of investment?

It depends on how in shape you are, and how much time & effort you invest.

What shape are you in?

This is crucial. Someone who has not worked out in years, is used to sitting on the couch, does not move more than absolutely necessary, is severely overweight…this person will gain a lot from doing relatively little. Their body is so deconditioned that even the slightest increase in movement is a stimulus for the body to adapt. If the person is severely obese then the next factor, effort, comes into play as well. It is much harder to move 285 or 340 lbs than moving 185 lbs. As you improve you will have to work harder and longer to provide a stimulus for your body to improve.

What is your effort level?

Like mentioned above, effort level is a big factor in your success. You might have seen people in the gym picking up a 3 lb dumbbell and curl it 30 times without breaking a sweat. The effort level is low and the effect of it mirrors that. The person weighing 325 lbs and simply standing up off a bench just squatted 325 lbs. That is most likely a huge effort for that person. Results will happen if he or she persists.

Now, you don’t have to lift that heavy. Each person’s intensity level differs. The long time powerlifter might deadlift 225 lbs as a warm up, for you it might be your next PR. A good way to judge your effort level: if you rate the effort as an 8-9/10 by the end of the set/run/etc., you were working hard. If you are lifting weights, please don’t go beyond 15 repetitions, just increase the resistance/weight.

How much time do you commit?

This often is a problem. I have seen people spend 2 hours and more in the gym but really effectively train only 20-30 min. I understand that there is a social factor involved but spending that long in the gym does not mean you are actually training that much.

On the other hand we have people who do something for 5 min and that is it. They actually work hard during those five minutes but overall the stimulus to change is not enough either.

One thing is for sure: Something is better than nothing and research seems to support that. There is a but! If you are aiming for more than just healthful goals, if you are striving for that six-pack, a model-figure, etc. then you need to put in more time. You don’t have to become a fanatic necessarily but someone who wants to improve their weight loss or fat loss reaches a peak at around 5 hours per week. You can do more, the improvements just don’t go up linearly with the increase in time.

How does this look like in a practical setting?

Let’s say Paul came to us to lose weight. He has a busy schedule and is always pressed for time. His schedule might look like something like this:

• Monday: Personal Training: 15 min of core and warm up exercises 30 min of weights, whole body
• Tuesday: 5-10 min warm up, 20-30 min of high intensity interval training
• Wednesday: Personal Training: 15 min of core and warm up exercises 30 min of weights, whole body
• Thursday: 30-40 min steady cardiovascular training
• Friday: Personal Training or alone, 15 min of core and warm up exercises 30 min of weights, whole body
• Saturday: 5-10 min warm up, 20-30 min of high intensity interval training
• Sunday: Rest day, preferably active rest, like walks, hikes, etc.

This adds up to 4-5 hours a week. It only takes up a fraction of your day and you will have some awesome results.

Training is great, but not everything. It needs to be supported with healthy food choices.

Now go out there and kick some butt. Remember it does not take that much in order to have phenomenal results.

Let me help you achieve your goals,

Michael

 

5 Simple recipes for lunch that can be easily changed and modified:

Prepping for lunch seems always to be such a tedious task. Well it does not have to be. It can be quick and easy. I have a busy schedule and I bring my food every day. I cook for 4-5 days a week within 1-2 hours of the weekend.

Rules for weight loss

Keep it simple: This is what you want to take in with each meal

• Have vegetables/fruit with every meal (3:1 ratio)
• Have protein dense food with every meal
• Have carbohydrate-dense foods only after workouts

How to prepare if you are really busy.

This takes some thinking. Use the crockpot, the stove and the oven. You can prepare 2-3 different meals for the whole week easily within a short period of prep time.

• Pork Tenderloin As Roast:
  • Marinate or season to liking (Pepper, salt and garlic often does it, I wrap it in uncured bacon too)
  • Sear it 4 min each on both sides
  • Place it into preheated oven (400* F) for 30 min
• Bigger Roasts
  • Same preparation but preheat oven to 420* F then once roast is inside turn down to 400* for 30 min. Turn it off and let it sit for 90 min
• Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
  • Season to taste
  • coat with some fat (coconut oil, lard, butter, olive oil)
  • Place into oven at 400* for about 45 min or until crispy
• Flat Iron Steak, N.Y. Strip Steak (thick cut)
  • Room Temperature
  • Season to taste (grill seasoning, pepper, salt, garlic, etc.)
  • Preheat coconut oil, lard, butter (stable fat) on high
  • Sear from each side for 4-5 min
  • Place in oven at 350* F for 10 min for medium-rare
•  Pulled Pork in the Crockpot, prep time 5 min, cook time 8-10 hours
• Mixed Salad
  • Organic Spring Mix 3-6 oz.
  • 2 cut up small tomatos
  • 1-4 strips of uncured bacon
  • 2-4 eggs
  • 0.5-1 cut up avocado
  • carrots pre-shredded
  • pepper & salt
  • lemon or basil vinaigrette 1-2 Tbsp.

These are a couple of recipes that can be varied easily. You add your veggies (unless you are having the salad, duh) to this relatively easily by using steamfresh veggies and season them to taste. This is obviously not a complete list of foods but should give you an idea that it does not have to take forever to prepare the whole lunch for the week with little effort.

Everyone can cook!

There is no person that is completely incapable of cooking. Just simply follow a recipe and don’t do 10 things at the same time while you are cooking. You can google delicious foods at any time and get ideas. After a while you will feel comfortable enough to change the recipes and make up your own.

The logistics of having healthy food during the week:

Sometimes my personal training clients think that eating clean is easy for me. In a way it is, and in a way it is not! I have a severe restraint issues with sugar and fat combinations, especially chocolate. Don’t laugh, there were times when I was considerably heavier despite my profession.

How does your day look like?

I learnt the hard way that having a food routine is crucial for me to make the right decisions during the week and the weekend. I train frequently and work long hours. My day starts at 5.00-5.30 am by getting out of bed, do my workouts and then start training people or run my business. I come home at 8.00-8.30 pm and have dinner. I end up in bed by 9:45-10:15 pm. That gives me time to spend with my son and wife.

Planning your food:

• Plan your success by knowing what you want to accomplish:
  • In my case: I like to build some lean muscle mass while staying  in good running shape and martial arts. Those are, to some degree, opposing goals, and I will have to make sure to be precise with nutrition.
• Eat food when you need it.
  • I have my biggest energy demands in the morning. I work out & train clients. I burn the most energy then. If I have higher carb + protein meals it is now.
• Plan Breakfast I, Breakfast II, Lunch, Afternoon Snack, Dinner.
• Plan in your one cheat meal/week if you need it.
  • My cheat meals are special occasions, birthdays etc. I make sure that my nutrition is solid surrounding that particular meal
• 90/10 rule: If you are getting 90 % right you are doing great!
  • I don’t always get it right. I enjoy my life, I don’t care about a faux magazine body. I am also subject to emotional eating at times. I do the best I can, and sometimes it just does not work out. The goal is to get on track fast again. My structure helps me.

 Prepping food for the week

Pick one day of the week to prep your food. Just one day. You are going to prep 80% of your food. If your schedule is as busy as mine, then I assume that you have the same struggles I have. I prepare two meals for lunch that I am alternating during the week Mo-Fri. I purchase frozen steamable veggies in. Why do I use frozen veggies? Because it is easy and I don’t have to prepare it on the weekend. Basically I end up prepping the meat/poultry/fish portion of my food on the weekend.

• Use your kitchen. You can prep one meal in the crockpot, one in the oven and one on the stove.
  • I ended up prepping to meals on the stove: Total cooking time: 60-75 min. I prepared steak and boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
• Don’t overthink it. Use easy and quick meals (Google recipies) and prepare in bulk for the week. My meals don’t take longer than 2 hours. Most of the time I am done after less than 90 min including clean up.

 What does a sample week look like for me:

• Breakfast I:
  • Dextrose+Protein during my workout
  • Whole Fat Organic Yogurt, 1 Tablespoon (T) of raw honey, with 1/2 cup of oats
  • Multi-vitamin
  • 3 grams of fish oil (omega 3 fatty acids)
• Breakfast II
  • 1-2 Bananas w/ almond butter (1-2T) and cocoa powder (extra dark)
• Lunch
  • Steamed veggies (vary seasoning by adding different spices, a little bit of coconut oil or butter (grass-fed)); today Asparagus with some pepper & salt.
  • This week: 6-8 ounces of steak w/ garlic herb butter (homemade) alternating with:
  • This week: 2-3 chicken thighs sauteed.
• Afternoon Snack
  • Whole Fat Organic Yogurt, 1 Tablespoon (T) of raw honey
  • On a heavy training day: (1-2 Bananas w/ almond butter (1-2T) and cocoa powder (extra dark)
• Dinner
  • Mixed salad greens
  • 2-3 small tomatoes
  • Shredded carrots
  • 4 uncured, grass-fed bacon
  • 3-4 eggs
  • 1/2 avocado, chopped
  • 2 T basil vinaigrette

I consume a lot of food. You have to consider though that this is tailored to my needs, goals, lifestyle and workout. It is just an example on how it could look like.

Conclusion

• I have more carbohydrates during the morning. That is when I am the most physically active. The overall carbohydrate load is pretty low 30-35% of my total intake in a day.
• My following meals are primarily comprised of veggies (low carbohydrate intake), fats and proteins.
• I have 5-8 servings of veggies/salad a day.
• I have 2-4 servings of fruit max.
• I don’t eat salty food for the most part because it makes me crave more.
• I stay away from processed stuff.
• I eat according to my training schedule & lifestyle. On a highly active day I eat considerably more, while on a low key day like Sunday I eat less.

I hope this gave you a good example structure for your own nutrition. If you need any help with your training and nutrition, my team and I will take good care of you.

Have an awesome day,

Michael