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The Truth About Weight Loss

The truth about weight loss by one of the most successful personal trainers in Charlotte

I recently read an article on NPR that said that the average American male is 5’9″ tall weighs 195.5 lbs, and has a waist circumference of 39.7″.
Women don’t do much better; the average woman is 5’4″, weighs 166.2 lbs and has a waist of 37.5″.
Being overweight is the new normal. The average woman’s BMI is 28.5; the average man sits comfortably at 28.9, to put that into perspective, the healthy BMI range is considered 18.5-24.9. We are considered overweight between 25 and 29.9 and obese above that. I am mentioning these facts, not to shame anyone, quite the opposite, we need to be aware of this situation to act.
Going back to our statistic, we quickly realize that we are not far away from being obese on average, as a country. The increased risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, mental illness, arthritis, etc. grows exponentially.Family watching TV and eating pizza
Now, if you are savvy, you will tell me that BMI does not distinguish between body fat and lean muscle mass. You are correct about that. It does not matter, though. The reason for that is simple. Only 20% of Americans get the minimal dose of exercise needed, and those who do are between the age of 18 and 24. While the other 80% are busy busting their butt at work, their family, sitting on the couch or stuffing their face.

How can I be so flippant and insulting? I do not intend to be; it shows a simple reality in life. Once life hits, meaning family, work, grad school, etc. all of the energy available goes towards making a living, raising a family and making ends meet. By the end of the day, the long hours without break take their toll. We break down. We sit on the couch, watching Netflix or Sports, living vicariously through some drama blaring out of the Zombie Box (TV), our phone, tablet, etc. All the while we eat sugary, fatty delights created by the food industry to light up our brain like a Christmas tree and give us the well-deserved Dopamine release we craved for all day and did not get. We are trying to drown our stress, emotional discomfort, and sorrows with food-porn and TV.

Weight Loss is not easy

Against all the propaganda that Fitness Magazines or the whole Fitness Industry spout, losing weight is not easy and not for the reasons that you think.

sport, fitness, healthy lifestyle and people concept - close up of man in fitness bracelet with jar and bottle preparing protein shake

The Job

Very few of my clients work only eight hours a day; they work more like 10-12 hours a day, take work home with them and might even put work in on the weekends. Due to the fear of not being good enough, we are often incapable of saying no to colleagues, projects, and requests. We load ourselves up with more and more tasks or let other people do it for us. Research shows that slaving away is not adding to productivity, but rather takes away from it.
After a particular time, we are just less productive, for some that happens after 40 hours, for others after 50.
– find out what your peak hours of productivity are and do your most important tasks then
– schedule your time in 45-90 min increments
– Cut down on interruptions. Tell co-workers not to bother you at certain times.

The Family

A family is one of the most beautiful things in the world. I love my kids, my wife. I love spending time with them, playing, or simply having a conversation with Jessie, the wife mentioned above. Nevertheless, they can be exhausting, not just physically but emotionally as well. My wife might have a bad day at work, my child trouble at pre-school and I, well, I have a whole host of issues…. On top of it, I am an introvert working in a field suited best for extroverts. I need to re-charge my energy at some point, preferably alone.
You might have a similar experience in your life, or it might be slightly different. The point is, as much as a family can add value, joy, fulfillment and happiness to our life, it can also be hard, draining, and exhausting at times.
It is important to admit to yourself your needs and feelings and find a good way to communicate with the rest of the family those needs. I am a food addict. I don’t look like it but trust me, when I say that my relationship with food is not the healthiest at times.
In my work as a personal trainer and coach, working online and in person with clients, I have noticed that many of my clients never talk to their partner, family, or friends about their goals, needs, and wishes.
Ergo, they do not have the support at home that they could have, if they were to open up.

The Distractions

Google defines distractions as “a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else.”
I think that pretty much defines us as a society by now. While driving home, I see people reading books, eating, drinking, being on Facebook, on the phone…and they all sit in the car and drive while doing that. Clearly, I have never pursued any of those activities, yeah, right! We are always distracted nowadays. The inability to concentrate on one thing lets us be less productive at work. The estimate in 2014 was that workers spend about 25% of their work-time on social media.
It might come as a surprise to you, but you could work less with a dedicated time each day to check social media, email, etc. Focus on what is crucial and then dial in on goals like weight loss.

Emotional Issues, Stress, Etc.

Yes, I am touching a “touchy” subject. See a therapist, yes, you, me and the rest of the world. As an alternative, you might find a group that has similar interests, a friend, a church group, or group therapy. We all have our struggles in life, and it seems that the “Lone Wolf” attitude is quite pervasive in our society. We have the need to make it alone, not to talk about issues, voicing them. I am not sure, how often I have heard that therapy did not work, that they could not find a good therapist. I agree, it is not easy, just like with any other profession, just going to school does not make someone inherently good at something. Book knowledge is not everything and especially in regards to all things of the mind; we cannot connect to everyone. It takes work.
Many people coming to personal trainers struggle with identity issues, happiness, feeling fulfilled. They often feel like they don’t contribute to society and their symptom is food. To make a difference in your life, consider talking to someone.

Grocery Stores

Grocery stores are created by evil little minions employed by the food industry to sell you junk. As much as I have to giggle (yes, I can giggle) at that thought, there is some truth to that. Have you every noticed the layout of a grocery store? All the junk is on the inside, well, most of it, while produce, meats, etc. are on the outside. That has changed over the past couple of years, and you can find all sorts of “specials” on the outside just waiting to catch your eye and, more importantly, the memory of your taste buds indulging in hyper-palatable foods created by the food industry. Should you have been able to navigate the grocery, you will have to approach the cash register. You dread it because you see more offers of terrible crap food on the end of the aisles, as well as the little “goodies,” left and right while you are waiting patiently for your turn to pay up, in health and money.
Grocery stores are designed to sell, to make a maximum amount of profit. There is nothing wrong with that. We just need to be aware of the strategies behind food placement in stores.

Conclusion

Without having written much about food, we can see already that there are numerous reasons for us to fail in our endeavor for a healthier life, a life without surplus amounts of body fat. When clients of mine fail to accomplish their goals, it is usually because of these issues.
Our nutrition coaching program is set up for a year. You might think it too long. You might believe that success can be accomplished in a short period. You are correct, it can, for a short while. In 2010 a study showed that 35% of people were able to maintain a weight loss of 5% body weight for about one year, 17.5% were able to sustain a weight loss of 10%, 8.3% lost 15% and 4.4% maintained a weight loss of 20%.
What does that mean in reality:
Let’s pick a male 195 lbs:
A 5% weight loss = down to 185.25 lbs
10% weight loss= 175.5 lbs
15% weight loss 165.75lbs

If we look at our average female 166.2 lbs, the numbers would be:
5% weight loss = 157.89 lbs
10% weight loss = 149.58 lbs
15% weight loss = 141.27 lbs

Those numbers don’t look that terrible and would be a real improvement if the problem was not that they are talking about maintenance of weight loss for one year.
The goal is to keep the weight off for the rest of your life. That is only possible by establishing healthy habits, looking at your motivations, the obstacles, and challenges that you have every life and dealing with them.

Action Steps

I want to give you three action steps that are underrated but necessary to be successful.
For satiation to set in, we have to take time eating. Anything you eat within 20 min, almost regardless the amount won’t let you feel full and satisfied. That process needs about 20-25 min. So, going forward put the fork down in between bites, chew your food longer, take your time. You will find that you eat less, by eating more slowly.
The next step is awareness, make a point of actually enjoying your food. Sit down and turn off the Zombie box and enjoy your food, instead of shoving food mindlessly into your mouth.
The third step asks you to eat when you are hungry. Try to rate your hunger on a scale of 1-10. Eat when you are around 7, just don’t go grocery shopping at that point. You would be surprised what finds its way into your basket.
The fourth step is eating until you are 80% full. Eat when you are hungry, not at a given time. Eat until your 80% limit then stop, regardless what is left on the plate.

If you want to learn more about our nutrition coaching, please contact us at michael@charlottepersonaltrainer.org

Have an awesome day,

Michael

Healthy Nutrition at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

How much protein is too much?

Current Protein Intake Recommendations

The general recommendation for a sedentary person is 0.8g of protein/kg body mass.

Athletes take anywhere from 1.2-2g protein/kg body weight. Endurance athletes rank anywhere between 1.25-1.75g/kg while powerlifters and bodybuilders take in about 1.75g-2.8g/kg body weight.

What does research say?

Recommendations for athletes vary from 1.28g/kg body weight to 2.8g/kg body weight (divide your weight  lbs by 2.204). A short study lasting only 7 days did not find any significant changes in urinary creatinine, albumine and urea. The “Nurse Study” a survey, supports those findings but indicates that this might not hold true in people with renal failure.

In healthy people a steady high protein diet does not seem to have negative effects on the liver but might have damaging properties with a high protein refeeding when the person fasted for longer than 48 hours.

Some people argue that amino acids are acids after all that the acidity might become a problem. Looking at the research though it seems that it is not potent enough to cause harm to most individuals. It only becomes a potential risk if the calcium intake was below 400 mg/1000kcal consumed and even then the relationship seems relatively weak.

Kidneys seem to work fine unless there is a problem with the sodium-bicarbonate buffering system which balances out the acid:base ratio.

What have rats to do with it?

Well, rats that were exposed to resistance training were able to decrease the impact of a dramatic protein intake increase.

Take Away

It is pretty simple. If you are healthy a steady high protein diet won’t have a negative impact on you. Should you have liver or kidney concerns it is strongly recommended to consult with your physician first before dramatically increasing your protein intake. A higher protein intake has shown to improve weight loss, performance, & recovery.

We recommend our weight loss clients to take in about 1g of protein/lbs of weight and have a lot of success in weight loss, lowering BP, etc.

Adjustments need to be individually made. One size does not fit all but the research clearly shows that a higher protein intake is connected to more positives than negatives as long as the person is healthy.

If you are interested in find out more about us, click below:

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References:

Examine Can Eating too much protein be bad for you?

 

 

Get ready for the summer w/ Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

Beginner’s Summer Fitness Challenge 2015

Summer is approaching quickly and with it the sought after goal to look great in a bathing suit or bikini. Maybe you just want to be healthier than you are now. This Summer’s Fitness Challenge is designed to gradually increase your workout regimen and improve on your eating habits. It is a gradual approach and not a quick fix. By the end of summer you should see huge improvements in your overall fitness levels.

Beginner to Fitness

Each week we will add a a little bit to your routine. Keep doing what you have been doing and substitute or replace as required by the weekly suggestion. The video demonstrates all the exercises of this Summer Fitness Challenge:

Week 1

  • Every day: Walk 10 min a day at a brisk pace
  • Every day: Include veggies with lunch & dinner
  • Every two days: 2×10 bodyweight squats, 2×10 (modified) push ups, 2×15 band rows (attach to stair rail, etc. )

Week 2 

  • Increase your daily walk to 15 min a day
  • Start including proteins into your three major meals: pork, fish, beef, poultry, eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, etc.
  • Add 2×20 jumping jacks (or modified jumping jacks) +2x30s plank on knees or balls of feet

Week 3

  • Download a HIIT timer (high intensity intervals) to your phone. Set it to 30s on and 60s rest. Increase your speed for the 30s and walk as before during the rest phase. Stay with 15 min total. Do this every 2nd day while walking your regular 15 min every other day.
  • Decrease one of your vices (soda, diet soda, alcoholic beverages) by adding 16-20 oz of water in between drinks
  • Increase all of your sets by one (doing 3 instead of 2) for two of your strength training routines during the week

Week 4

  • Increase your pace during the intervals. If you cannot do that because of joint issues, take some hand weights with your or use nordic walking sticks.
  • Eat only until you are 80% full. Good gauge: after 1 hour of eating = not hungry, after 2 hours of eating = could eat some, after 3 hours of eating = hungry, after 4 hours of eating = starving.
  • Add 3x30s of dead bug (ab exercise) to your strength regimen

Week 5 

  • Increase your walking duration on non interval days by 5 min
  • If you sleep less than 6.5 hours, schedule a nap or go to bed 15-30 min earlier
  • Add one more set to all of your strength exercises.

This is a 5 week program. within 5 weeks you will make huge changes in your lifestyle without thinking that it is not accomplishable. You will notice an increased energy level, decreased body fat and you will definitely be overall fitter.

If you prefer a customized fitness transformation please contact us at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

Have a fit & healthy day,

Michael

Changing Nutrition Is Not Easy For Everyone! – A RANT

This blog is kind of a rant. It is a rant against being self-righteous. We need to pull back because here are some of the things we say to others and most

Habit Changes take time and will include setbacks
Habit Changes take time and will include setbacks

importantly to ourselves:

“You just need to cut down on the portions!”

“You are so lazy, just get up and work out!”

“Just quit drinking soda!”

“Why is that person so overweight?”

To a person with anxiety: “Just relax!”

These are just some of the things we say to ourselves, about others, or to others. Here is a newsflash. Do you really think that they/we don’t know that already? If it was that easy for us to do just that, I am pretty sure we/you/they would have done it already.

Life is more complicated

What comes easy to one of us, might be much more difficult to someone else. Our own personal experiences, fears, addictions, passions, believes enable us in different ways to cope with life. Sometimes food is one of those coping mechanisms. Whenever that is the case [which quite honestly, is quite common] we need to understand that millions of people in the USA have the same problems.

Compensating with food

Sometimes we need time to be alone with ourselves. We are so used to headsets, music, videos, books, anything that drowns out our little inner voice. Sometimes it is important to feel the pain, feelings, etc, that we associate with with wanting to compensate with food.  We need to experience it with compassion knowing that we are not alone with it.

Life does not go in a linear way. It never has and never will.

We need to understand that our coping mechanisms have evolved over decades. If we want to change them it will take love, compassion, hard work and the willingness to fail, just to try it again. We will have road blocks, there will be tough times when we lose a job, a partner or simply when we have a fight, or a bad day at work. We don’t succeed every day all day long, nobody does! It has nothing to do with willpower but with forming a habit. Nobody has enough willpower. We simply form habits which takes time. Time during which we may fail, again and again. Just don’t quit.

My Call To Action

This is my call to action: Whenever you see someone who obviously, or not so openly struggles bring them the benefit of the doubt. You don’t know what that person has going on in their life. If it is you, then call to mind the things that you have had to deal with in your life. Meet yourself with compassion and give yourself a “reset button” after you fail.

Just hit the reset button and restart the computer called “LIFE”. Start again and move on.

We cannot change anything in our past. But we can reshape the future, slowly. It takes time for new habits to form, new ways of life.

Judging is normal

You might think now: “What the heck?” He jus told me to be less judgemental. Well, good luck with it. Just like anything else it is a habit. We have learnt it over decades. You cannot just “not be judgemental” anymore. Just acknowledge when you are doing it, smile and move on, knowing what you are doing and work towards acceptance.

“Japanese: DO”

“Do” in japanese means way, ergo Karate-Do, means the way of Karate. It basically tells you that this is a journey. You won’t just get to the finish line and be able to yell: “Heck, I made it!” It is always work in progress.

Yours in health & fitness,

Michael Anders

Head Trainer Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting Nutrition advice

To eat or not to eat before cardiovascular training

Though cardiovascular training has been challenged as the optimum way to lose body fat, it is still a viable way of increasing your caloric output when done in moderation.

In the fitness industry it has been quite common to tell people to do some cardiovascular training before consuming any food. The reasoning behind it is that fat oxidation should be  utilized more when exercising in a fasted state.

A recent study tested this theory on healthy young women. Now, media and bloggers like me have a tendency to generalize those outcomes and I want to be really careful to avoid this:

The researchers found no difference in fat loss among both groups (fasted and unfasted) but showed that both groups lost body fat with a calorie restricted diet.

This is where the problems start to show up. Just left at this we could come to the conclusion that training while fasted has no benefit. But, the sample of women was pretty small and the study was only done over the course of four weeks. It is very well possible that there would have been differences at a later point in time. In addition the dietary habits were self-reported and inaccuracy and misreporting could have led to changes in the outcome.

There is simply not enough evidence to rule out that doing cardiovascular training while fasted might lead to more fat loss than exercising while fed.

Either way, working out while on a calorie restricted diet will lead to fat loss.

What about HIIT?

This particular study only addressed steady state cardiovascular training. High intensity interval training is a completely different animal. Even though EPOC (excessive post exercise oxygen consumption) seems to be lower with HIIT than originally expected, there might be hormonal changes and changes in appetite that lead to an increased fat loss. Again, more research is needed.

What to take home:

The quality of training is just as important as the time you eat. If you don’t stomach food well before working out, then you might be better off exercising while being fasted. If on the other hand you die half-way into your workout then it might be time to grab a carb+protein drink and kick some butt.

There is rarely a “fit one, fit all approach”. For most people it is a trial and error thing. Some general suggestions can be made, but even those need to be individually adapted. Just because it works for you, does not mean it works for your buddy.

Have a great day,

Michael

Resources:

Examine.com: Running on empty: can we chase the fat away? – Body composition changes associated with fasted versus non-fasted aerobic exercise

Sleep deprivation can lead to loss of fitness - Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

Fitness & Weight Loss Through Sleep

Things You need to Know

  • Sleep deprivation can affect your body’s insulin sensitivity
  • You will feel an increase in appetite
  • You will feel a decrease in satiation after taking in food
  • Cortisol levels don’t change in total numbers but you have more exposure throughout the day.
  • Testosterone production can be reduced by 10-30% after just a couple of days with sleep deprivation.
  • Sleep cannot be ignored if you want to be successful

Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Insulin

Even one night of partial sleep deprivation can have a negative impact on your body’s insulin sensitivity. What does that mean for you? If your body does not respond well to insulin it is more likely to store energy in form of fat. Secondly your body will increase the insulin output which could lead to an early exhaustion of the pancreatic beta cells, the ones producing insulin and bring you one step closer to being a diabetic.

Increased Appetite, Increased Hunger

Sleep deprivation can lead to a decrease in leptin. Leptin is a master hormone in charge of hunger feelings and satiety. It being reduced can lead to an increased appetite while at the same time just not being able to get satisfied. The next time you are burning the midnight oil and are ravenous the following day, remember that the lack of sleep is what did it to you.

In comes another player, Ghrelin. Ghrelin is responsible for hunger. If you have foregone sleep for a while your ghrelin levels are elevated. Higher levels of ghrelin are associated with higher levels of hunger. In combination with lower levels of Leptin you are in for a day of uncontrolled feasting.

Cortisol

A hormone that is connected to increased visceral body fat distribution (belly fat and organs) is an important stress hormone. We are usually exposed to higher levels in the morning and it tapers off throughout the day. Sleep deprivation will not increase the cortisol levels necessarily but reduces the peak in the morning and increases the exposure during the day, changing the normal hormone rhythm. This could lead to

  • decreased cognitive functions
  • decreased muscle tissues
  • decreased bone density
  • blood sugar disbalance
  • compromised immune system.

 Testosterone

If you are trying to get stronger or gain some lean muscle mass, you need all the testosterone levels you can get [naturally]. Losing sleep can really reduce testosterone levels. There is no conclusive data on how much exactly but at the moment it is about 10-30%. This reduction happened within 24 hours of sleep reduction.

Conclusion

If you really want to be successful you cannot ignore sleep like it is something for pantsies. Quite the opposite, sleep is something for people who want to be successful. The effects described here are just a few. There are many more. If you want to kick some butt in any aspects of life, you cannot disregard sleep as an important factor.

Check us out at www.charlottepersonaltrainer.org if you want us to help you accomplish your goals!

 

Michael

Karen at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting training with personal trainer Troy Groce

Fitness Is Like Building a House – 4 Essentials to a Fitter You

We live in a society that craves the instant fix. Fitness on the other hand

has nothing to do with an instant fix and everything to do with building a house.

Just like in constructions there are short cuts that can be taken. The problem is though that the house of cards can fall apart pretty easily.

The essential building stones for success in fitness are pretty straight forward:

  1. Stress Reduction: I cannot emphasize it enough. Negative stressors are big when it comes to influencing our success negatively. If you are a procrastinator, you are setting yourself up for failure. If you struggles in your relationship, in your job or other personally important areas, don’t wait until tomorrow until you address it. Make a positive change today and see yourself take off in your journey to a slimmer, fitter, or stronger you!
  2. Sleep Deprivation: I feel like this one is in every blog post of mine. Well, there is a reason for it. Sleep is important for brain function, hormone levels, healing processes, etc. It also messes with our appetite and feeling of satiation. Most people need at least 6.5 hours of sleep.
  3. Food Preparation: Most people eating 200-400 kcal more a day if they eat out at some point during the day. Over the course of the week that is up to 2800 kcal of additional food intake. If you are unable to prepare your own food, or you simply don’t like it, you can always use food preparation services like “Custom Fit Meals” or “ModPaleo”.
  4. Training: Someone trying to lose weight / BF will have optimum results by working out 5-7 hours per week.

If you are looking to gain muscle mass and usually struggle with it, then cardio training should be at a minimum. If you are looking to lose weight then you need to focus on a good mix of strength training, combined with high intensity interval training can melt the fat right off.

The more effort you put in, the more success you will have in the long run. Time to get started today. Let us help you get on the right track!

Have a great day,

Michael

 

Muscle vs. Fat – The Battle of the Bulge

We have this discussion again and again with new female clients who want to lose body fat:

“I don’t want to gain any muscle. I want to get long lean muscles, tone and lose body fat. ”

I am really sorry, but we need to clear up some misconceptions here.

What “cardio only” will get you:

Working out at Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting Charlotte
The benefits of hard work!

You might have heard the terms teacher arms, bat wings, bye-bye arms, etc. before. You might have even used it. If you are doing just cardio, that would be what you will receive. Just cardiovascular training will help you lose body fat, but it also will decrease the muscle mass.

I know this sounds pretty crass. It is simply the truth. Just cardio is not what you want in your battle against the fat.

What strength training will NOT do for you:

If you are a woman and you are afraid to be big and bulky; don’t worry about it. It is not going to happen. You don’t have the necessary hormone levels by nature to accomplish that. The only time we see women get bigger when lifting weights is when they are not following their nutrition plan at the same time. They are building lean muscle under layers of fat.

If you have lost big amounts of weight (50+ lbs) on the other hand there will usually be some excess skin. Weight training can only help so much. At some point your skin might just be too stretched out.

What strength training will do for you:

  • Build fat burning muscle: lean muscle gains increase your metabolism
  • Stimulates your bones: an intense strength training program can stimulate your bones and help you prevent osteoporosis or slow down its progress
  • Fill out some or all of the space that was formerly occupied by fat: giving you the lean toned look you desire
  • Stabilize joints and help with joint aches and pains.

How often should you lift weights?

That is a loaded question. Beginners can get away with 2 x/week for 30 min. More experienced athletes will train 3-5 days a week for about 60-75 min. It all depends on your training development and your goals. Most people have great results training 3 days week.

I hope this showed you a little bit on what a well designed strength training can do for you.

If you are new to training and you are looking to get into check out our January Specials for new clients, and let one of our trainers help you get on track. Click HERE

Have an awesome day,

Michael

 

 

Low Carb, Low Fat – Weight Loss Myths

People either ask me if they need to eat a low carb diet or if they need to avoid fats in order to lose weight and be healthy.

Low Carb or Low Fat? What works?
Low Carb or Low Fat? What works?

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association states that there is no significant difference in weight loss after 6 to 12 months. Both methods worked well to lose weight. It did not take into account body composition. One year is not really a long time though. It would be interesting to know how it looks like after 5 years.

Low Fat Diets

They have been around for a couple of decades in order to fight heart disease. Despite those efforts the numbers have gotten worse. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the USA and we have more people struggling with overweight and obesity.

You can lose weight with this kind of diet. What we don’t know is the quality of food. What  are we eating “food-like” products or real foods? It all depends on choices made.

Low Carb Diets

Even though there are representative diets in this category like the paleo diet that focus on whole foods, that does not mean that most people do that. This diet is often criticized for not being sustainable for everyone. We face the same problem that we have with the low carb diet. I can stuff my face with foods that are not real foods anymore. There are thousands of products in every store.

The Alternative

We need to get away from Low fat this, this low carb that. Different people have different needs but there are some things we can agree on that work for most everyone.

  • Eat as unprocessed or minimally processed as possible. Be reasonable, you don’t have to eat your steak raw. It conserves nutrients that you won’t have otherwise or will have to be added artificially. Research seems to indicate that artificially added nutrients are not as efficient as naturally occurring ones.
  • You are fine to eat meat, poultry, fish. Focus on wild caught fish, pork or beef from grass-fed animals, etc.
  • Veggies are rich in vitamins, phytonutrients, fiber and have small amounts of complex carbohydrates. Go all out.
  • Fruits: Stay away from juices, they are high in sugar. I don’t care if it comes from fruits, it still can be hard on your system. Instead of that eat a banana, apple, mango, etc. Eat the fruit. Again they are rich in phytonutrients, vitamins and fiber (depending on the fruit)
  • Organic: This is a big topic. I prefer to have most of my foods from organic sources. Research is controversial but I am not sure I want to put GMO’s into my body.
  • Grains: They have become increasingly controversial. I have my greek yogurt in the morning and add 1/2 cup of oats. That is it. I usually don’t have more of it (unless I have fallen off the deep end, which does happen once in a while)

Have a great start into the week,

Michael

Healthier You – Healthier Kids!

I am going regularly to the park with my son. My son has low muscle tone. It is a condition that can severely slow down his learning of new movements and speech. Therapy is simple: move and be active as much as possible.

What I observedActive with kids Shape Up Fitness & Wellness Consulting

Aside from almost every adult at the playground looking intently at their phone instead of their kids (kind of guilty of that sometimes too). I could observe a close relationship of how the parents looked and how their kids looked like.

This might not come as a surprise to you. It should not. But it was nonetheless astounding how much the kids looked like their parents. If the parents were severely obese the likelihood of the child to have way too much weight on her was increased as well. Same the other way around. If the parents seemed to be in reasonable shape the children seemed to be more active and physical.

Take responsibility

I know it is not easy in a time where food, especially fast food is everywhere. But if not for us then at least for our children we carry a responsibility to make an effort to be healthy, eat healthy and move more. I am not talking about having a six-pack or looking like a model. I am simply talking about making healthy choices when it comes to eating, moving, and being generally active.

Do these 10 things to be more proactive

Movement

  1. Participate in outdoors activities with your child like adventure playgrounds, splash grounds.
  2. Use indoor facilities like Monkey Joe’s, Ray’s Splash Planet or Defy Gravity when the weather prohibits outdoors activities.
  3. Chase your kids around the house. My son for sure gives me a great workout. He can play for hours.
  4. Limit the use of electronic devices and encourage playing outside for an hour or two hours in the morning or late afternoon.
  5. Go hike in the mountains or local woods, drive to the beach and play in the ocean. Be active.
  6. Go for a run with your kids on the bike, it will keep you and them in shape.

Nutrition

  1. Make small changes. Make an effort to make one of your meals/day healthy in the first week. Add a second one in the following.
  2. Bring some healthy snacks to your activities: chicken leftovers, carrots, fruit, Avocado Pudding and replace the sugar with some raw honey, banana, or stevia.
  3. Reduce the fast food meals to one or two/week
  4. Start cooking the big ticket items over the weekend to save you time during the week.

These are just few tips that can help you to a healthier lifestyle not just for you but for your kids also.

Have an awesome start into the weekend,

Michael

michael@charlottepersonaltrainer.org

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