Reboot Your Taste Buds

I spend a lot of my time encouraging clients to adopt 'cleaner' eating habits, cutting out the junk and processed foods and basing their diets on whole foods, as close to their natural state as possible.

This shouldn't be too hard, really, and for me I actually would far sooner have a 'clean' meal than a disgusting pre-made ready meal, even if it is from M&S...  In fact, the smell of supposedly healthy pre-made meals being heated in the microwave is now a massive turn-off to me.

But this is because over time, my taste buds have been trained to appreciate the simpler things.  I used to think 85% cocoa chocolate was too dark, but now if I have chocolate I can handle the 99%! 

We think we have 'tastes' but in fact these are very changeable - did you used to only have coffee with sugar in it? It's pretty easy to wean yourself off it over a couple of weeks, isn't it?

The same goes for foods - many of my clients insist something is horrendous the first time they try, and while I will never force anyone to eat anything they don't like (that is a big part of how I get results with clients - ensuring the changes they make are ones they can see themselves adopting for life) I will always ask them to give it a few more tries before dismissing it out of hand.  Sometimes it can just take a bit of getting used to, other times you'll just need to tweak things a little...

There is a great article from Leigh Peele, the 'Fat Loss Troubleshooter' about how you can actually systematically retrain (or 'reboot') your tastebuds if you find you are really struggling with adopting a cleaner style of eating. You can find the article HERE.

The Killer At Large

Whew.  Just received the link to this vid - you've got to watch it:

20kg Kettlebell Snatches - First Ever Attempt!

OK, so strictly speaking this is a post for my Kettlebell blog (http://kettlebellebody.blogspot.com) but this is a first on two counts, as well as being two of my Magic Hundred Goals achieved in one go!

(If you want to make the most of the last 100 days of the year then you can check out the Magic Hundred Goal Getting Programme for yourself HERE!)

1.  My first ever YouTube video!!  I know it sounds crazy, but I've had a bit of a mental block about getting video footage.... Finally just (in the words of Craig Ballantyne) 'got it done'.

2. My first ever attempt at Kettlebell snatches with the 20kg kettlebell!  That is why I have posted the clip even though you can hardly see anything because of the sun - I can't exactly re-film my first attempt now, can I??!!

The Truth About Abs - It Doesn't Take Any Discipline?

I thought I'd post this interview with Mike Geary at Truth About Abs as it neatly expresses my feelings about discipline and acheiving your dream body.  When you 'diet' using 'willpower' and 'discipline' you have to work really hard to keep going.  But when you make lifestyle changes that you enjoy, it all becomes rather effortless:

"I've been interviewed a lot lately for fat loss teleseminars, radio shows, etc, and one question really caught my attention recently.

I believe I was asked how I maintain so much discipline to always eat healthy and rarely ever cheat.

Well, first of all, I don't always eat perfect, but if I do cheat, it's only a couple times a month and only when I eat out. So basically, I never keep any junk food at all in the house.  And even when I do "cheat"... I still never eat french fries, soda, donuts, or candy.

But I get asked often how I stay so disciplined to eat so healthy and always bypass the fries, sodas, and other junk foods that we're all bombarded with on a daily basis.

I thought about it for a second, and my answer was that I don't really think it's about discipline for me.  Instead, I have something going on in my head that makes the thought of eating deep fried food, candy, donuts, or sodas not appealing at all to me.

In fact, it even goes a step beyond junk food just not appealing to me...

My mindset is that these junk foods actually appear disgusting to me and I have no desire to eat them at all. I actually crave healthy foods instead.

So it made me think... Why do some of us see junk foods and not crave them at all (and even view them as disgusting), while others see junk foods and cannot resist the temptation?

That's a tough call...and when it comes to how our minds work, things can get complicated.

For me personally, I can say that I think the reason why junk food is so revolting to me is that I've spent so many years reading about all of the negative effects that these foods have on your body... and digging into the actual science and the negative cellular reactions that they cause within your body.

Due to the fact that I've read in such depth about what these foods do to your body, I have ingrained in my head over the years that these foods are pure evil and therefore, I have no desire to eat them.

In fact, my dislike of junk foods is so deeply rooted at this point in my life, even the smell of deep fried chicken or donuts sometimes can make me feel sick, whereas the smell of a healthy meal makes me feel energized.

I never realized during all of these years that this was the reason that I eat so healthy on a regular basis. Everyone always said I just had "discipline"... but now that I've actually thought about it more, I've discovered that it's not discipline, but rather that my brain views junk foods with such a negative view, that the thought of eating junk food almost makes me feel sick.

This is interesting indeed. I'm not a brain-science expert, so I can't explain exactly how to adopt this type of mindset. All I can say is... keep continually educating yourself on nutrition and how different types of foods are processed and react in your body.

Hopefully, by learning exactly what is going wrong in your body when you consume trans fats or excess processed sugars, perhaps that will help you to view junk foods in such a negative way that you no longer crave them at all.

Good luck!

Here are a couple additional nutrition articles of mine that might help you make healthier food choices:

Protein Bars or Junk Food?
http://www.truthaboutabs.com/protein-bars-energy-nutrition.html

Healthier Post-Workout Meals and Shakes
http://www.truthaboutabs.com/post-workout-meals-shakes.html

Energy Drinks or Fat-Fertilizer?
http://www.truthaboutabs.com/energy-drinks.html

Don't be lazy... be lean"

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Founder - http://TruthAboutAbs.com & http://BusyManFitness.com
http://AvalancheSkiTraining.com

Positive Eating Winning The Diet Battle

Another article: ENJOYING FOOD

More of is are shunning the deprivation or 'fad' diets in favour of healthful, nutritionally charged, positive eating strategies...

In the long term this is the only way to lose the excess fat and keep it off - we need to address the cause not 'band-aid' the symptom, and this will only be possible if we adopt new habits for life!

There's nothing wrong with enjoying food!  But we need to listen to our bodies - we don't really 'enjoy' junk!

Think Yourself Fat?

A recent study showed that we tend to eat more calories after intense mental exercise!  

THINK YOURSELF FAT ARTICLE

So stop thinking so hard about diet and fitness, maybe? And just take some action!

Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle - My Version Of Tom's Oatmeal Pancakes!

The first ever ebook I bought was the all-time classic Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto.  It was so informative that my Personal Training course taught me nothing new - he'd already taught me everything I needed!  Still a classic today...

So when I was sent a link to this YouTube clip of one of his inner circle members making his infamous 'Oatmeal Pancakes'  (a fat burning yet delicious recipe, perfect for a leisurely weekend breakfast) I thought I'd give it a try.  I actually woke up dreaming about them (sad but true!).

I've played with various pancake recipes in the past, and while Tom's version was nice, I modified it a little, making them somewhat fruitier and creamier!

I simply added a dollop of skimmed quark (you could also use cottage cheese - it's just that I've fallen in love with quark recently - try it blended with vanilla protein powder and serve with berries for a healthy version of cheesecake!) 

I also used frozen blueberries instead of apple (this does make the pancakes bright blue!) and I also blended the mixture in my Magic Bullet.  

I served the pancake with another dollop of quark and a few more berries. 

It even tastes gorgeous raw!  I split the recipe into 2 to make 2 pancakes, but had eaten the mixture before the first one had cooked!

I also preferred the pancake a little underdone - so you get the gooeyness inside the pancake, too.  Adding the creamy quark makes this work really well.

Tom's recipe does say you can add vanilla protein powder, and modify the ingredients according to your calorie and macronutrient requirements.

A really nice treat - but yet it's not really a treat at all!  A nice change from a bowl of porridge, as much as I also love porridge... I love my carb days!

How can you feel remotely deprived when you're having blueberry pancakes for breakfast?  Pity the poor fools eating toast or boring cereal...

Get Fatter With 14hrs Exercise A Week?

Dr John Berardi from Precision Nutrition has just posted a really interesting article on his blog, regarding training and fat loss.

A while back, he wrote about a recent study that showed that exercise doesn't work for fat loss - something that maybe as a trainer I shouldn't be passing on to you guys!

However, he's not saying not to exercise, just that exercise alone is not the answer - you really need to work the nutrition too.  

This is something I am all too well aware of - even when spending hours a day windsurfing or snowboarding I need to keep a tight rein on the calories or I just get fatter!  

This article takes that study a step further - demonstrating how these girls gained body fat despite a gruelling workout schedule.  Really worth a read:  PRECISION  NUTRITION FORUM

Find out more about John Berardi and Precision Nutrition HERE.

Revealed: The Number One Reason People Do Not Work Out

So here's the million-dollar question:  

"What's the number one reason people do not work out?"  

Is it lack of money? Lack of motivation? Perhaps they lack the ideal workout plan?  

Nope. It's TIME. Or rather the lack thereof.  

"We know that 50 per cent of the population doesn't [exercise] and the most commonly cited barrier to exercise is lack of time."  This quote comes from exercise researcher Martin Gibala, a kinesiology professor at McMaster University in Hamilton.  

Gibala put his theory to the test in a study that was published in the Journal of Physiology. In it Gibala compared a group who exercised "traditionally" -- 90 to 120 minutes per day -- with another group exercising far less: Only 20 minutes per day and only three days per week.

That's a whopping one hour per week folks.  

Not dissimilar from a programme I've recently discovered, in fact: Jon Benson's "7 Minute Muscle" plan. Working out for a total of about an hour a week with only five 7-minute resistance training workouts (weights or bodyweight) plus only 9 minutes cardio a few days per week.  

And that actually works? I hear you cry! Yeah... you bet it does.  

Guaranteed to be the fastest gimmick-free method to build lean muscle and burn fat, 7 Minute Muscle details Jon Benson's trademarked Power Density Training System. With over 30 scientific studies referenced on the subjects of muscle-building and fat-burning using short, intense workouts, 7 Minute Muscle gives everyone, from beginner to advanced trainee, the exact System of training that builds muscle faster than ever before—and at the same time decreases body fat and increases overall health.

I personally think I would struggle with so little exercise, as I do have time and love to train, but more about how I may be sabotaging my own results later...

Firstly, check it out for yourself HERE: 7 MINUTE MUSCLE: AKA TRAIN SMARTER NOT HARDER!

If you've been receiving my emails (you can sign up a the top of the page if you've been missing out!) or reading this blog, or my KettlebelleBody blog, you will know that I am not an advocate of repetitious long, steady bouts of cardio. I personally have been at my fattest when I cycled a couple of hours most days and rowed for university!

Find out more HERE: TRAIN SMARTER NOT HARDER!

Back to Gibala's study: In just two weeks both groups showed improvement in both exercise performance and oxygen uptake. (Remember, fat burns in the presence of oxygen.) The kicker is that both groups were almost identical in their improvement, despite the 2nd group training far less.

Why? Because the brief exercise group trained with greater focus and more intensity -- exactly how myself and Jon suggest you train.

This is just one of dozens of studies that confirm the benefits of shorter but more intense workouts.  

However, there is a catch: Train too hard and you will shut down your fat-burning furnace.  

Your body perceives over-exertion done over an extended period of time as a sign of pursuit. It can trigger an ancient hormonal sequence that says, "I'm being chased by a tiger! Horde the fat!"  

The body literally shuts down what it considers to be unnecessary activity in favour of self-preservation. And guess what? Burning off those hips and love handles is not a biological necessity.  

You have to learn when to hit it hard AND when to rest and recover.

This is probably where I am going wrong at the moment - I love to train, and to train hard, but still like my hour-long workouts most days! I need to take Jon's advice and avoid over-doing things... Especially as my 'rest days' are then spent windsurfing or kitesurfing....

But enough about me, back to how Jon can help you save time and get results.

As I've mentioned in posts and emails before, you have to put yourself into the proper mental state in order to see greater results in the shortest period of time. Jon actually devotes an entire chapter to putting your mind into your muscle to get results faster than ever before in "7 Minute Muscle." 

You can read more here (it'll take you longer to read than the workouts do!): WORKOUT YOUR MIND AND SEE YOUR BODY TRANSFORM!  

Just remember these three key points:  

1. Time is the greatest barrier to fitness.  

2. Workouts can be short and very effective.  

3. The body goes where the mind directs. 

Train smart!  

Get Long and Lean Limbs With Self-Myofascial Release - Not as Scary as it Sounds!

Do you have tight muscles that stretching alone doesn't seem to affect?  

This is a common situation and can be relieved by one of the most unassuming bits of kit on the fitness market - the Foam Roller.

Literally, as it sounds, a length of foam, like those you play with in swimming pools or like some of the cricketers last week were pretending to bat with while watching from the bench (unlikely you noticed that one...).

You lay the foam on the ground, then lay on top of it, supporting your weight as you roll part of your body over the roller.  It's like your own personal massage therapist - you find 'trigger points' (the bits that hurt, basically) and stay with them until the feeling subsides, meaning the muscle adhesion, or knot, has been eased off.  You then move to another area of the body (or move around to get all areas of a muscle group).

You'll feel some discomfort as you're rolling (if you can't feel anything you need to ensure you're relaxing the muscles enough...) but afterwards you'll feel that sense of lightness and release you get after a great massage!

This is especially good for runners - the iliotibial band (ITB) is connective tissue, not a muscle, and stretching can only lengthen muscles.  Self-Myofascial Release actually means it releases the fascia of the muscles - that is the connective tissue.  So if you are a runner and getting 'runners knee' or hip pain, you should definitely be rollin'!

It is also great for calves - most people have shortened calf muscles and stretch all you like, if the fascia are not addressed you will not lengthen the muscles significantly through stretching alone.

This is used in the athletic world a lot, but has yet to filter into regular fitness usage.  You can use the roller before your workout, to address muscle tightness in the short term to ensure you're movement patterns are 100% when you work out, or you can use the roller on recovery days, so you are well primed for your next workout. 

There's a great article with descriptions and pics of all the methods of applying the roller HERE: 

You can get the rollers for about £15 at most online fitness stores.  I get mine from Fitness Mad (click the picture): 

I must admit, I really don't use mine as much as I should, but it is so easy to use - you can roll away (not literally, unless you live on a big hill and don't hold on...) while watching TV of an evening, all you need is 5-10 mins every few days. 

You will feel the benefits of one session straight away, and with regular application you will notice a longer lasting effect.