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Dieters Beware!!

It’s the beginning of the new season.

Not the fall season, but “Fat” season. It actually starts at Halloween, not Thanksgiving or the December holidays.

----Most of us have done it, talked about it, even joked about it…the 5 or more holiday pounds we start putting on about now.

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of gaining weight this time of year and trying to lose it after January with a meaningless resolution.

Well, actually I do know about you, and I know you don’t like it either!!

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Ok, so let’s work together this year and do something different…Let’s NOT put on the holiday pounds!

My goal is to be asked the questions (and I’m expecting to hear back from you that you were asked)…..”Hey, are you losing weight?” “How did you do that with the all the junk food and holiday parties?”

Being successful in keeping off the extra fat pounds will take some planning and effort.

This is the first of a couple of “Slim” holiday newsletters with tips to help you make a positive change for yourself and your families by staying healthy and avoiding the holiday fat.

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Here are a few tips to keep the pounds off and still enjoy a Halloween treat.

1) One of the biggest things is to delay buying any candy until closer to Halloween!!!!! If it’s in your house, it presents an unnecessary temptation. How often do you eat something just because its there?

2) Allow yourself just one piece of candy (small size) in the morning and then one at night. Skip any desserts that you would normally eat after dinner.

3) Only buy enough candy so that you expect to run out before the evening is over. It’s crucial to weight loss success to not have “trigger” foods lying around – the temptation is often too great.

4) Increase your exercise activity with one of our fat burning circuits or the Fit Body Band Program (http://www.fitbodybandprogram.com/) every day that you eat your two pieces of candy. This will help counteract the increase in calories that you are consuming.

5) If you indulge a bit too much it’s important to forgive yourself and move on. (Enroll in the boot camps to get back on track) Dwelling on the past will not help your success.

6) Substitute your chocolate fix with something healthier. Fruit veggies or (my favorite) a peanut butter Craver (http://lefeverwellness.getprograde.com/)

Plan to stay healthy and let me know how I can help you!

Time article - exercise wont make you thin

• Wow! The recent article in Time magazine why exercise won’t make you thin has really caused a stir in the fitness and health industry.
  http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857-1,00.html
  
  It caused a stir in me when I read it. In my opinion, this article puts a slant on only one factor of health and missed the big picture of health and fitness.
  
  Although I don’t agree with some of the content and how it’s presented, let’s take this opportunity to put a positive spin back on exercise and learn the balanced facts to weight loss.
  
  1) Exercise makes you hungry.
  
  Yes it does. The basic premise here is that you increase your metabolism, which burns more calories. This creates a need for more calories to replenish and restore your energy and rebuild muscle.
  
  The key here is not the extra hunger; it’s the food you choose to replenish your energy. If you go and eat donuts and pizza after a workout on a regular basis, then yes exercise will NOT help you get thin. And you will likely gain weight.
  
  If you are choosing the right calories with a good quality workout shake or a balanced meal of lean protein, veggies, good complex carbs, then YES you will promote lean body mass and weight loss.
  
  A regular daily diet including; lean protein, lots of high nutrient green, yellow, and orange veggies, low in saturated fats and simple sugar carbohydrates, will help promote quality muscle, develop good eating habits, and diminish the want for the nasty after workout junk food.
  
  
  2) All exercise is NOT created equal.
  
  The article doesn’t reference the type of exercise used for the studies. We already know that high intensity circuit type resistance training burns significantly more calories than just cardio. And if a daily walk is the only level of exercise for weight loss, this will not get you thin – particularly if your diet is full of high calorie and fat foods or you are a carbohydrate junkie.
  
  3) Without Diet and exercise you will NOT lose the weight.
  Our mantra at boot camp and with private clients is; you can out eat the best training program. I know this because I’m not perfect and I have done it.
  
  Your food and calorie intake is the key to any weight loss program. Actually its probably 80% or more important than exercise alone.
  
  Put a good quality diet together with some intense circuits and you have the recipe for weight loss. I’m certain that this is a recipe that Jamie will support.
  
  
  4) Its not all about the weight loss. What else will you achieve from exercise?
  
  The article focuses primarily on weight loss. Hopefully if you read this and were not familiar with the benefits of both diet and exercise to be healthy and fit, you were not discouraged about exercising. There are so many other possible benefits to exercising alone:
  -Lean body mass
  -Lower cholesterol
  -Clear mind
  -Camaraderie
  -Increase energy
  -Increase bone density
  -Increase strength
  -More agility to play with your kids and grandkids
  -Overall lower risk of disease
  …You get the point.
  
  Bottom line to this article is that if your goal is to lose weight and form a lean fit body the recipe is exercise AND diet. Not just exercise.
  
  If your goal is to enjoy where you are in life and eat what you want, then keep up an exercise program 3-5 times a week that burns tons of calories. Butt still watch what you eat for your overall health. It can catch up to you before you know it.
  
  And as always, schedule a free assessment with me if you want to find out where you are, where you want to go, and how to get there.
  
  Live well
  
  Coach Greg

Turn Fat into Muscle??

This subject surfaces at almost every boot camp and training session I start….You want to turn your fat into muscle.

You may have heard from your friends or someone at the gym that by following a proper diet and exercise program, you can actually turn body fat into muscle… So can you do it? NO!

Fat and muscle are two separate entities.

What most people really want is to get rid of the fat and gain quality muscle.
Bottom line = You must burn fat and build muscle to get that physique you are wanting.

So, should you jump on the stair climber or bike and pedal for hours with cardio to burn fat? No.

The quality muscle in your body is the “power plant” for burning calories and expending energy. Think of it as a car engine - step on the pedal! The more quality muscle = more calories burned and a fitter looking you.

How to best build and maintain quality muscle and burn the Fat:
1) Add a protein to every meal – chicken, fish, eggs, light dairy, yogurt

2) Try to eat about 50% of your calories in protein (see step 1)

3) Grill it – Cook your meats on the grill to keep them lower in fat and super tasty. Nothing fried!

4) Add resistance training (weights or boot camp) a minimum of 3 days per week.

5) Add cardio activity at least 3 days per week. Perform your cardio in an alternating intensity. Two-minute Warm-Up, then 30 seconds of high intensity cardio, then 30 seconds of recovery at medium intensity.
Repeat and burn!

I look forward to reports on your progress – please send them to me to share and inspire others.

Be well & Rock it,
Coach Greg