Prediabetes is reversible.

Just saw this video put out by the CDC on reversing prediabetes.  Thought I'd share with you all.

Let me know what you think.

Secrets to weight loss? There are none

Without fail, every month there is an article on "Secrets to weight loss".  Truth of the matter is that there are no secrets to weight loss.  I have seen these articles on magazine covers since the mid-'80's.  You can probably Google the subject and get a ton of hits on this.  This has been around for so long, that it should not be a surprise  when we see an article like this.  People are always looking for a quick fix.  Unfortunately, there is no quick fix.   

Using common sense, here is what seems to work best according to everything I read and hear when I work on my education to maintain my certification.

1. Behavior experts say that the best way to change habits is to work on them in small steps.  For example, don't try to change smoking habits, drinking habits and exercise habits all at once.  These are a lot of changes for your body.  Mentally we may be able to think we can change them all at once, but it is easier to change them one at a time.  By changing one at a time, you will be more focused, more intentional on that one habit.
2. When it comes to diet, a lot of people impose way to many rules.  Can't have sweets, can't have bread, can't do this, can't do that.  You have all heard what people say.  If your end goal is to change all of these items on your diet, that's great.  My number one question to you would be, 'is it sustainable for the rest of your life?'.  I enjoy food and part of life is enjoying the different tastes of the variety of foods that are out there.  Working on getting out of debt, my wife and I learned that the easiest way to do it was to pay the smallest amount first.  Then take that money and apply it to the next lower debt and so on. This rule applies to weight loss as well.  Start by cutting out/ minimizing soda one week.  When your comfortable with that, cut down/minimize fast foods in addition to the soda.  A lot of people also tend to think that they can eat more if it is clean or healthy food.  You still will need to watch how much you eat.  
3. In the '90's, a popular concept that was created was the idea of eating good and clean six days, then on the seventh day having a cheat day in which you could eat whatever you want.  The problem with this is that people would not moderate what they ate.  In theory it looks great.  In reality, not so much.  The way to solve this issue is to have a cheat meal, not a cheat day.  If you want to reward yourself for killing it all week with your nutrition and exercise and you want to go out to Cheesecake Factory, by all means enjoy yourself.  The portions there are huge.  You can split a meal and desert.   Doing this, you take care of your cravings and you get to eat something that you normally don't.  
4. A lot of people and some trainers still believe that if burning more calories than you consume is good for weight loss, then restricting your calories by a lot would be better for faster weight loss.  That just isn't so.  Your body requires a bare minimum of calories to survive.  This is your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).  The human body is an amazing creation.  If you don't eat enough, it goes into survival mode and holds on to what it can and gets rid of what it doesn't need.  That's why we start to lose muscle after age 30.  Along with getting enough calories from nutrient dense food, you also need to get enough water.  Not getting enough water can hold you back on that weight loss you are working so hard on as well.
5. I also see a lot of people going into weight loss with short term thinking.  Weight loss is more of a long term issue.  More like life style, less I want to impress people I haven't seen in 25 years.  After people do a cleansing diet for say 21 days, they regain the weight very rapidly.  You have two organs that can cleanse your system, the liver and your kidneys.  To help them out, drink plenty of water and cut/eliminate alcohol and soda.  Your body will take care of the rest.
6. People also tend to underestimate how much they eat.  The solution to this is journaling what you eat. Food, drinks, snacks...if you ingest it, it needs to be logged down.  This keeps you honest and it gives you a realistic picture of what your actual calories are.  Knowing this, you can make adjustments as it is necessary to meet your weight loss goals.  This is not just good for weight loss, but for improving performance in a particular sport as well.  This will help with number 2 above.
7. Focusing on weight is another issue I see.  A lot of people get upset if the scale doesn't go down and they lose it if they gain weight.  There are a lot of issues that goes into the up and downs of weight loss.  Especially with women.  Some issues are water intake, how much sodium they ate, are they regular, for women a big issue is their period.  It is also affected by what they do to exercise.  Weightlifting will likely add muscle, which is denser than fat, and will add weight.  This is a good thing since muscle is a living tissue that needs calories and burns calories too.  Fat just sits there.  This extra muscle will help with your metabolism.

Please, don't over complicate weight loss.  Take it a step at a time, making incremental improvements towards your goals.  If you eat something you had not planned for the day, make the adjustments for the meal or the next day.  It is not the end of the world.  Two things I want you to take from this are: weight loss is a lifestyle change and enjoy life.  Yes, you can do both.

Need help with your nutrition? Here's a free tool for you.

Here is a free tool to help you with your diet goals.  I like this for a number of reasons:

1. It's free.
2. It's easy to use.
3. I am not a nutritionist or dietitian.  Those are roles that are out of my scope of practice.  This allows me to guide and teach what is good and what is bad.
4. It allows you to put in your own recipes.
5. It's faster to use once you have some foods logged in.

Here is a quick video that shows what you can do with this free app.  If you're a client of mine, you can connect MyFitnessPal to my app and I can review your nutrition habits and guide you to success in meeting your goals.

MyFitnessPal video

Tis the season - 3 ways to get a head start on health

As we begin the home stretch for 2017, this is the time when a lot of people eat more than they should, drink more than they should and come January they begin their New Year's Resolutions to lose weight, get in better health...the usual annual resolutions.  Here are some tips to use to plan for the holidays and a way to get a jump start on the upcoming resolutions and how to stick to them.

1.  Eat everything - in moderation of course.
These are the holidays after all.  We gather with friends and family.  We all have a plethora of items to choose from.  Turkey, ham, turducken, mac 'n' cheese, green been casserole, sweet potato souffle, corn on the cob, the list goes on and on.  For most of us, we like everything that is being served.  The trick here is not to get a full scoop of everything, especially if they are the large serving spoons.  Instead, use your utensils and serve yourself portions that are large enough to enjoy the flavor, yet small enough that you will not over stuff yourself and feel like the turkey.  One thing I have come to realize is that there is usually enough that you can go back for more later if you didn't get enough.

2.  Plates - not platters.

Remember, this is a social gathering not a food eating contest.  Use smaller plates and don't build mountains with your food.  You can always go back for more.  How do you know you have enough food?  Well, I don't expect anyone to take a food scale and measure what your eating.  The easiest way to measure is by using your hands.  My tips to determine your proper portions are:

• Proteins:  Make a fist.  The back of your hand is the correct portion.
• Carbs:  Put your hands together to make a bowl.  
• Fats:  The size of your thumb.

3.  Play 

If at all possible, get out and play with the kids.  I know someone has to cook and make sure nothing gets burned and that everything is good to go once it's meal time.  If you don't have kids, go for a walk.  Other things you can do is go for a bike ride, go to the gym and try a Pilate's class.  If you feel adventurous, try a spin class.  You will try something new and burn up calories.  Other things I have done in the past is do yard work - rake leaves, mow the grass, just be active.

When most people make their resolutions in January to get in shape and loose weight, a lot of people are all gung ho and hit it hard.  In a matter of weeks they start to burn out when they don't start to see the results that they had hoped for.  The excess weight and deconditioning didn't happen overnight.  You are not going to correct it overnight either.  Realizing this, take it slow and begin by building up your endurance.  Do that for the next six weeks.  Then you can begin to add resistance training and start building muscle, which will help with your metabolism.  At our house, we usually have our big meal at lunch time.  When I do get to workout in the morning, I am ready to eat everything in sight.  I usually have one plate at meal time.  A couple hours later I have desert.  Several hours later I have another plate of whatever is left over.

I hope these suggestions help get you through the holiday season.  Let me know if you have any questions I can help with.

Fitness tools to help you reach your goals

Hello there.  As I was contemplating a topic for this post, I thought about what I could write about to help you in the realm of health and fitness. 


Here are some tools that you can use on your own, with your trainer, or your doctor:


I hear a lot of people ask about heart rate.  Do you know what your Resting Heart Rate is?  What about Max Heart Rate?  This tool from the American Heart Association teaches you how to find your heart rate.  It then shows you where you should be training for your age.


Heart Rate Tool


This one is mainly for competitive lifters.  However, this is also good for everyone just to see where your at at different stages of life.  This isn't to hard when you have a crew that your working out with.  I usually don't, so it wouldn't be sound for me to attempt on my own.  This tool allows you to do what you are comfortable with and use that to determine what your 1 Rep Max is.  1 Rep Max is the total amount of weight you can lift one time.  This is courtesy of Bodybuilding.com.


1 Rep Max Tool


This one is for determining your Lean Body Weight.  This is your total body weight less body fat.  This is also from bodybuilding.com


Lean Body Mass


Have you ever wondered how many calories you are burning mowing the yard?  What about painting the kids rooms?  Here is a tool that helps you figure out how many calories are burned with different activities.


Amount of Calories Burned

Aricle worth sharing

Hello,


I recently read an article regarding weightloss, especially for women over 40.  The author is a trainer from California named Jill Brown.  I don't know her.  Since I am still learning some of the intricacies of weight loss, and I don't quite fell like the expert I want to be, I figured I'd just share this article.  A lot of what the author writes makes sense.  Thank you Jill for sharing your knowledge.  Enjoy.


http://www.jillbrownfitness.com/site/2017/04/how-women-can-lose-weight-after-40-especially-around-the-middle/

Hello there,

I am doing a survey to get an idea how to start my business.  Please fill this out.  It only takes about 3 minutes.  Also, if you could, please ask friends to fill it out.  I'd like to get as many people to fill this out as possible.

https://surveyhero.com/c/8511c8b

Thank you.

In the News: Legislation

I read last night that  back in April, legislation was introduced in both the Senate and Congress.  This legislation is called The Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2017.  The purpose of this legislation is to provide healthcare professionals with more funding and better options for treating obesity.

What this means if it passes is that there would be better counseling, better interventions, and better drug treatments for the patients.  According to Representative Ron Kind from Wisconsin, "Obesity accounts for nearly 10% of all annual medical spending here in the U.S."  He continued, "Unless we doe something to address the obesity epidemic, the costs and harm to public health will only continue to rise.  This legislation is a step toward controlling out of control healthcare spending and to improve health outcomes of the patients".

Found podcast on failure: here's to your success

When I come across something that I learn from and/or find interesting, I want to share that with you.  I recently came across a podcast with the main topic being failure.  Although it is primarily for entrepreneurs, these talks are good for anyone, in any industry.


The podcast can be found at FailOn.com.  I was listening to episode 16 on the subject of Overcoming Fear.  I enjoyed it.  I learned a bit from it this morning.  I then looked at the previous 15 episodes.  I definately will listen and learn.  I always tell my kids that experience is a tough teacher and they can't experience everything.  I continue by telling them to learn from others experiences as well so they don't have to go through the same hard lessons.  By learning from others, you can shorten your learning cycle.


On the subject of fear, one thing that I was reminded of is that everyone doesn't start being good and polished.  The people you see as successful in whatever field your interested in, didn't start there.  They began at the bottom and through trial and error, hard work, perseverience found a way to success. 


My business is exercise and fitness.  I know some people have a fear of going to the gym because they don't want to look like they don't know what they are doing.  Four things about this fear:  1)  Everyone in the gym started not knowing what they were doing.  2)  Most people in the gym will be too busy to notice you don't know.  3)  If you ask for help, most people will be glad to help/teach you on what to do.  4)  You can Google a machine or exercise and learn how to use it properly.


I just wanted to share this with you.  Check out Failon.com and let me know what you think.  To your success.

Weight loss victory is in your grasp

Lately, I have been seeing and hearing a lot of ads for weightloss supplements and programs.  This got me to thinking, "Are these "solutions" sustainable?".  After doing some research, here are six items that I have read about that make sense and are doable. 


1.  Sustainability


This goes back to my initial question, "are these 'solutions' sustainable"?  If you have to buy a product to loose weight, how long will you be able - or willing- to keep buying this product?  Can you see yourself doing this for more than two months?  Do you see yourself doing it in five years?  If the answer is no, it is not sustainable.  If the answer is yes, what will happen after you stop using said product?  Will you be able to keep it off, or will the weight come back?  This is one reason that I have a problem with "Diets" that eliminate certain foods.


2.  Exercise


I know some people that are not into going to the gym and breaking into a sweat lifting weights or using an eliptical trainer.  I don't have any interest in doing yoga.  The key here is to find something that you like and enjoy.  Do you enjoy playing basketball?  How about a hike at a state park?  Do you enjoy roller skating, ice skating, or skate boarding?  If you do what you like, chances are you will do it long term.  This goes back to sustainability.  Just remember to have fun.


3.  Diet


I know some people don't like this word.  I'm not talking about reducing your calories to 450 for the day.  I'm talking about nutrient dense food.  Not sweets.  Not processed foods.  You can exercise for two hours each day, but you will spend the other 22 hours away from the gym (or whatever activity you choose to do).  This is why it is said that "weight loss is 80% diet".  Enjoy all types of foods.  Most foods can be made healthier by cutting the amount of fat or sugar that is added. 


4.  Meal planning



Knowing that a good diet is 80% of the battle in loosing weight, one way to win this battle is to plan your meals ahead of time.  Plan your meals a week in advance and do your grocery shopping with these meals in mind.  You can check the weekly ads to see where you can get the best deals for your groceries.  You can also take one afternoon, say a Saturday or Sunday, and make all your meals for the week.  Put your seperate meals in their own containers in the fridge.  When you're ready, put the containers in the lunch box or carrying case and off you go.  You don't have to wory about making your meals.  You can warm your meals in 5 minutes.  Again, this should be easy and sustainable...otherwise, you're not going to do it for the long term.


5.  Recognize hunger


Know that there is a difference between physical hunger and emotional hunger.  Are you about to eat because your stomach is growling or are you just craving something all of a sudden?  I have learned taht physical hunger is a gradual process.  Emotional hunger is a sudden and sometimes has specific food cravings.  Perhaps they are your comfort foods that relax you when an event has stressed you out.  Are you eating because your body says "feed me" or are you eating because you're bored?


6.  Plan indulgences


I have heard people say cut out sugar, cut out carbs, eliminate sweets.  This goes back to my first item above, sustainability.  Don't feel bad for having a piece of cake at your son's birthday party.  It's your anniversay and you go to your favorite restaurant for dinner and dessert.  Enjoy.  Part of life is the enjoyment of different foods.  To clarify, enjoy a sensable portion size.  Two bites of a piece of a Black Forest Cake is not sensable.  You are going to want more.  We all do.  A quarter piece of that cake is not sensible.  That is way too much.  Indulgences are not just portion sizes.  They also consist of frequency.  If someone at the office brings donuts every Friday, you don't need to eat two donuts every week.  When I was a kid, we called them "treats".  They would be something that you would have occasionally or on special occasions, not daily or weekly.


To conclude, remeber that successful weight loss will have to include lifestyle changes.  Some slight, some drastic...all depending on what your current habits are.  Know this:  It is doable and you are not alone.  Three words for success: Sustainable, Enjoyable, Moderation.

In the know: how accurate is your activity tracker

On May 24th, an article was released in the Journal of Personalized Medicine in which a group of scientits from Stanford University wanted to answer this exact question.  They tested seven different wearable bands that monitor both heart rate and energy expenditure (calories burned).


The seven pieces of equipment were the Apple Watch, Basis Peak, Fitbit Surge, Microsoft Band, Mio Alpha 2, PulseOn and the Samsung Gear S2.  To verify accuracy for heart rate, they compared them with a medical-grade electrocardiograph. The calories used was estimated with an instrument for measuring the oxygen and carbon dioxide in breath -- a good proxy for metabolism and energy expenditure.


Results:  For heart rate, all the devices were withing a 5% margin.  This is good since heart rate is measured directley and uses a simple formula for everyone.  If you wear one of these devices for this purpose, you can share this information with your doctor with confidence.


For the calories burned, results are not so good.  The most accurate one was off by 27%.  The worst one was off by 93%.  They believe the reason for the wide discrepency is that the manufacturers use their own algorithm to figure out calorie expenditures.  Unlike the heart rate formula, they are not one size fits all.  There are multiple factors that vary by individual, for example fitness level, weight, height, age to name a few.  So if you are using this to see how much sweets you can have, I would recommend to just have a sensible meal of a protein source, a couple of vegetables, and a bit of healthy fats. 




Journal Reference:

1. Anna Shcherbina, C. Mattsson, Daryl Waggott, Heidi Salisbury, Jeffrey Christle, Trevor Hastie, Matthew Wheeler, Euan Ashley. Accuracy in Wrist-Worn, Sensor-Based Measurements of Heart Rate and Energy Expenditure in a Diverse Cohort. Journal of Personalized Medicine, 2017; 7 (2): 3 DOI: 10.3390/jpm7020003

How to be SMART to achieve your goals

As we approach the end of May and move into June, I am beginning to look at setting some goals for my business for the next few months.  This gave me the idea to share with you the process that I am using to help you too.  This is for any type of goals you may be chasing.


The steps to challenge yourself to achieve your goals are: SMART.


Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Timely


Specific means to be as specific as you can in your end goal.  For example,  instead of saying "I want to loose weight" (too vague and general), say "I want to loose 10 lbs of fat".  Be as specific as can be.  Instead of "I want to start a business", say "I want to start a computer repair business".


Measurable means breaking your final goal into smaller steps that can be measured.  A good example is breaking down the 10 lb fat loss goal down to 1.5 - 2 lb loss per week.  They are small, yet you can see your progress towards your final goal.


Attainable means setting goals that can be reached with a little effort.  Obviously, the goal "becoming a millionaire" is not achievable in a month.  "Earning $8,000 per month" is more easily achievable.


Relevant means asking relevant to your situation.  Let's say your goal was to get a college degree in four years.  Is this realistic?  Have others done this?  Will your lifestyle  allow you you to meet this goal?"  If you're a single parent, it may be possible...if not, you may need to adjust your goal to say get it done in five or six years instead of four.


Timely means giving yourself deadlines to meet your goals.  The person wanting to loose 10 lbs could have a deadline of 12 weeks.  The future business owner could say they want to start their business in three months.  Perhaps you are being sent on a business trip to Germany and you decide to learn some German in three weeks.

Know how to turn the tables to see a better body composition

I have heard some people use the terms "weight loss" and "fat loss" interchangeably.  They are not the same.  One is total weight loss.  This is not just fat loss but also includes water and muscle loss.  The other is just fat loss.  Fat loss is good.  Total weight loss not so much.  I came acorss this infographic and thought I'd share it.  A couple facts that were left off that I'd like to add:  1.  Muscle is more compact than fat.  2.  Muscle is more active, therefore, it burns more calories than fat (which is not active).


I appologize for not being able to add the infographic directly to the post.  When I did, the information was too small to read.  I'm still learning how to do some of this stuff.




Weight loss v Fat loss Infographic


Let me know if you have any questions.


9 Ways To Improve Your Health

I have heard and have read a lot of people say they don't like to workout.  They don't like to lift weights.  They don't like to run.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Not all forms of exercise or physical activity are for everyone.  As a teen, I hated mowing the lawn.  Now as an adult, I don't mind it so much.  There are still other things that I would rather do with my time, but I realize that it is something that needs to be done. 


To be healthy, you don't have to do what everyone else is doing.  You don't like to lift weights...then don't.  You don't want to run a marathon...then don't.  The point is to do things that you enjoy so that you can do them for life and not just the few months that you're going to hate trying to get healthy.  If you hate it, chances are you will give up on your efforts and say it isn't for you.


The human body is an amazing piece of machinery.  You can walk, run, jump, hop, throw, swim, climb, crawl, roll and many other things.  Here is a small list if things one can do to get healthier:


1.  Lift Weights - This is one of the first things that comes to mind when you talk about exercising.  Some of the benefits are: builds stong bones, helps improve muscle tone and strenght, helps with loosing fat.


2.  Running - This is another item that comes to mind.  Some benefits are:  good for your heart, good for your lungs, and it helps to build endurance.


3.  Swimming - Not only is this a good form of cardio, but it is also a good life skill to have.  Like running, it is good for the heart, lungs and helps to build enduance.


4.  Play any sport - Sports are great because you run, jump, shoot, throw, change directions on a dime.  This is great, especially if you have a sedentary job.  There is also a social aspect to this as well.


5.  Play with the kids/grandkids - They will get you running around, jumping and just moving around.  I once told my son I was stepping on his shadow.  He then ran to get me "off" his shadow and then he turned around and was stepping on my shaddow and I did the same thing.  it's about having fun.


8.  Wall/Rock climbing - I've enjoyed doing this.  It is different than eveything else on this list, it also works on your muscles defferntly than do weights. 


9.  Walking - a good form of exercise that requires no equipment.  Some people go the the mall before the stores open just to walk around before the crowds get there.  This is also a great place to start if you have never been physically active and have no endurance.


This is by no means exhaustive.  There are so many more that I have left off this list.  The point is not to do what eveyone is doing.  I have a cousin that likes to do triathalons, I have no interest in doing them.  The point is to do what you enjoy and keep your body moving.  My whole life I have heard the saying "Use it, or loose it" applied to a lot of different things.  It definatly applies to being physially active (flexibility, endurance, strength).  Good thing is, you can always improve from where your at today.


Let me know what you think.  What type of activities do you enjoy doing?  Please share if you like this post.

Stress free portion control

Hello there,


I was reading recently some information on nutrition to stay abreast of current issues in the health/fitness industries and to keep up with my CEC requirements.  One article was mainly about calories.  When I worked in the restaurant industry, all servings were measured and weighed during prep time.  Amazing how fast and accurate someone can learn to get the right amount of ingredients in a fast paced environment.  This post is to help reduce the stress most people have about portion size.


I know that a lot of people wonder what is a portion size?  And when they see what a portion size is, they think that is not enough.  I've been there.  However, one does not have to walk with measuring spoons, measuring cups, and a food scale.  Who would want to?  Where is the freedom there?  You already have the perfect measuring tool with you:  your hand.

Yes, your hand is a great tool.  I understand, some people have bigger hands and some people have smaller hands.  Your hands are right for you, not someone else.  Think of this as a personalized measuring tool.  Here are the rules of "thumb" (pardon the pun):

Use your palm to determine how much protein you need for your meal.  The diameter and the thickness of your fish, steak, or chicken breast needs to be roughly the size of your palm.  It has been recommended that men have 6 - 8 portions per day.  This would be roughly 2 servings per meal.  For women, it is recommended four to six servings per day.  This would be roughly 1 serving per meal.  Don't forget, you are also going to be eating veggies, carbohydrates and fats too. 

This is a good way to measure veggies.  This is for the colorful, non starchy vegetables.  Like with the protein, men can have two servings per meal and women can have one per meal. 



This is for carbohydrate dense foods like grains, fruits, and starches.  For men, again, this would be two servings per meal.  Women are one serving per meal. 



Remember, these are healthy fats not just any fat.  This is a good way to measure a portion nut butters (peanut butter), oils, butters, nuts/seeds, and cheese for example.  This is the thickness and length of your thumb.  For men, you guessed it, two servings per meal and women are one serving per meal.


Keep in mind, this is not exact.  This will work for most people without having to guess or estimate how much to consume.  How you adjust this to meet your needs depends on how full you are after a meal, how active you are, what your training goals are, are you able to maintain your energy levels to meet your workout needs, and if you are seeing any results.


Please leave a comment.  Let me know what you think of this post and if it works for you.