The Truth About Dieting

I read an article on livestrong.com that I wanted to share:

Posted by abornstein | December 13, 2011




If I was smarter when I was a young health journalist, I probably would have eaten more cake. It’s tasty, I like it, and the infrequent indulgence could have served as the personal experiment I needed to better understand what it takes to be healthy.


When I first started in this industry, I spent more than 10 years educating myself with an overly complicated view of what it takes to be healthy. The desire to take care of my body and be able to help others take care of theirs led me to some extreme measures that weren’t necessary. But in the past five years, I’ve started to see food and health differently and I’ve begun to understand that as complicated as the human body is, making it function optimally isn’t a difficult process.


In fact, here’s a secret about dieting that will make many nutrition guru’s cringe: There isn’t one diet solution. Many eating plans work. And those that aren’t successful oftentimes fail because they are based on pseudo-science, over-complicate the process, and wear you down mentally.


The truth about dieting? It can be boiled down to three simple guidelines that can help you eat better and achieve the body you want.



1. CALORIES ARE (STILL) KING
“Good foods” vs. “bad foods.” It’s one of the oldest nutrition debates. And while we could talk all day about what you should be eating (more on that soon), calories are irrefutably the biggest influence on how much you weigh and how you look. You see, your body is a machine that plays by a simple rule: The law of thermodynamics. I’m no physicist, so I won’t pretend to cover topics in a way that isn’t necessary. Bottom line: If you eat more calories than you burn, you’ll gain weight. If you eat less, you’ll lose weight. This is why one of my favorite pieces of advice is, “You can’t out-exercise a bad diet.” At the end of the day, if you’re over- or under-eating, it’s going to impact how much you weigh. That’s not to say that genetics and hormones don’t play a role in your body composition—they do. Resistance training training also makes a difference, as does the balance of foods you eat. But above everything else, if you’re trying to change your weight, focusing on calories will ensure that good things will happen. I’ve seen it too many times and it’s been replicated repeatedly by science.


The calorie rule is important for mental freedom that is oftentimes crushed during the dieting process, and why so many people hate the concept of dieting. When calories are the bottom line, any diet can include dessert. I know that people disagree, but if you eat snacks and still keep your calories low enough, you will lose weight. There’s plenty of evidence to support this, and until someone much smarter than me proves the law of thermodynamics wrong, we have no reason to believe otherwise. As such, if you want to change the way you look, tracking your calories is the best place to start. If you do the math, you will see changes.


THE TRICK: Most people don’t like counting calories. Admittedly, it can be a pain, but that’s why tools like the MyPlate Calorie Tracker make your job easier. When people track, most often they set daily calorie goals. I think that’s a little too rigid. Instead, I recommend creating a weekly calorie goal. This gives you more flexibility on a day-to-day basis, and should actually make hitting your goals easier, which will increase your likelihood for success. For instance, if you want to go out to a restaurant and eat a meal, that doesn’t have to sabotage your dietary goals, or you don’t need to starve yourself for the rest of the day. You just adjust your weekly allowance. Just make sure you don’t confuse this approach with, “I can eat whatever I want and then not eat for two days.” That’s called starvation. We’re focusing on creating an eating plan that is both flexible and sustainable.


2. BE FLEXIBLE
Yes, it’s true that you can eat crap and still lose weight. As I’ve mentioned before, there’s living proof that going on a diet of snack foods can cause you to drop pounds. In fact, a lot of pounds (try 27) and fast (just 10 weeks). But your body is a machine. You can put in bad fuel and still function, but why not use premium all the time, go in for oil checks, and keep the engine working as good as possible? That’s why it’s essential to eat good foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean sources of protein. (meat, fish, poultry for the carnivores, and a variety of hemp, seitan, tempeh, and lentils) Basically, all the natural, “less-processed” foods that are loaded with micronutrients (think vitamins and minerals) that are good for your health. If you eat a good diet, you really don’t need to supplement with much else.


Some people might call this a Paleo approach. I just call it common sense. Unlike all-or-none diet approaches (I’m not picking on any diets), I have no problem with eating grains, enjoying dairy, or even occasionally snacking on some processed foods (yes, it’s true—I actually like white bread). Here’s the thing about food: Unless you have an allergy (very real for many people), or suffer from severe inflammation (another issue that most people don’t realize), there’s no reason why you can’t eat pretty much anything in your diet. Yes, I said anything. With one very BIG caveat: That “everything” should make up a small portion of the total calories you consume in a day or on a weekly basis.


This obviously leaves a lot of room for interpretation. But you know what? I’ve seen enough people improve their health on a variety of diets (high carb, low carb, high fat, high protein) to understand that a lot of different variations work. Personally, I follow a higher protein, moderate fat diet. And my carbohydrates are dependent on how active I am during the day. On days when I lift weights, I bump up my carbohydrates significantly (and drop fat). On the day I don’t lift, I drop my carb intake, bump up how much fat I eat, and keep my protein levels almost the same.


This was done by trial and error—it’s what I’ve found works best for my body. I’m a carnivore. I love chicken, steak, fish, and eggs, so the higher protein diet works for me. Plus, diets that are higher in protein have been shown to be better for your metabolism (protein burns more calories than all other food sources), and it helps you fight against cardiovascular disease, builds muscle, and keeps you fuller for longer periods of time. While some people (mainly bodybuilders) will overestimate how much protein your body needs, I’ve found that consuming a higher percentage of my calories from protein does my body good.


The reason I like the flexible approach is simple: When you eat this way, you get the best of both worlds. You consume the foods that will keep you lean, provide you with the most energy, and keep you healthy. These foods are the foundation of your diet. But you also have the flexibility to occasionally indulge and eat the foods that you love, even though they might not have any “health” value. They are still calories that will be part of your overall eating goal.



The hardest part with dieting is that it can be mentally exhausting. But if you have a big treat once every week, or small treats daily, then that frustration doesn’t exist. It’s better socially, mentally, and in my opinion, physically. The key is keeping yourself on track and making sure that your small indulgence isn’t actually a daily binge.

3. EAT WHEN YOU WANT
I’ll offer you a piece of advice that is something I wish I knew 15 years ago: Eat for YOUR schedule. Lifestyle factors are probably the biggest reason so many diets fail. (that and diets that are ridiculous and require extreme measures like eating 500 calories a day or only living off soup broth). You should never feel forced to fit your life into someone else’s plan. It’s why diets that insist 6 meals per day is the ONLY thing that works, that you can’t eat after 7 p.m., or three protein bars per day are necessary are all a healthy dose of dietary BS. If you follow rules 1 and 2, when you eat—or how often you eat—doesn’t matter. All that does is the total amount you consume and the ratio of proteins-to-fat-to-carbs (and determining the ratio that works best for you).


Now I say that timing isn’t “that” important because there are times that are beneficial to eat. For instance, eating after your workout is important to helping your body recover from the exercise. But this doesn’t mean you have to eat within 30 minutes or your muscles will go to waste. Instead, just remind yourself to eat and fuel up. You’ll notice a difference.

So what does this mean? IF you follow rules 1 and 2, then…


1) Any number of meals per day can work. I used to love eating 5 to 7 mini snacks per day. And if that works for you then follow that plan. But it’s not the only option. There’s nothing wrong with eating 2 or 3 meals per day if that works better for your schedule and your preferences. (eating bigger meals as opposed to grazing on small snacks)
2) You can eat at any time. Whether you’re a big breakfast eater or prefer your meals late at night, the timing doesn’t matter. Do what makes you happy (assuming you follow rules 1 and 2 and your late night meal doesn’t become a 3,000-calorie binge)
3) Your diet doesn’t have to negatively affect your social life or your family life.


When you follow these three tips, you’ll find that your diet becomes simpler and better. Food can be your ally, rather than a constant point of frustration. And as you gain a better understanding of your body and what works for you, you can start becoming more detailed in your dietary approach—if you so choose. But until that day comes, keep it simple. Health—much like fitness—should create happiness and longevity and shouldn’t cause stress. This is your life, after all. Enjoy it.


At the end of the day, remind yourself that food and eating should be pleasurable. So find out how much you should be eating, focus on maintaining a good balance of healthy foods, and don’t stress the minor details. You’ll soon find that you can eat your cake, and have the body you want too.





- Adam Bornstein

Have a question for me or want more health or fitness information? Follow me on: Twitter @BornFitness, Google+, or Facebook

Tags: Bornstein


Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/blog/blog/the-truth-about-dieting/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=12.13.11#ixzz1gdz8tEzB

Employee Wellness...

Having a Employee Wellness program in place can boost morale, improve health and fitness and increase productivity in the workplace. By starting healthful consuming habits, exercise and offering incentives, your workers will not only sign up for the Employee Wellness program, but they will stick with it.

Does your corporation have an onsite fitness club that employees have access to? If not, offering free or discounted fitness club memberships to a local fitness club may be an effective method for getting employees to exercise. Whether the fitness club is on or off-site however, authorizing employees to use the facility during work hours, such as on their lunch break, will increase the likelihood that they'll exercise.

Rewarding employees' achievements is another way to keep them excited and living a healthful lifestyle. Establishing corporation objectives like collectively walking a certain number of miles, supports team building. Offering incentives like gift cards, certificates of achievement, and even a day off work could be effective ways to keep participation levels up.

Since there will likely be less sick days being used due to disease, your corporation could be able to afford to offer a day off pass as an incentive. These incentives do not have to be expensive, just valuable to the worker.

Providing a healthy lunch once a week for employees participating in the corporate health plan, is a great way to promote healthy consuming. Offering an incentive of healthy, scrumptious, free food is one way to reward employees for their efforts while supporting their new healthy lifestyle.

Having a Employee Wellness program in place will provide long term benefits to both the corporation and the workers. This is one corporate plan that is certainly worth your time and money!

Advantages of Employee Wellness Programs
Employee Wellness programs have been shown to reduce absenteeism, staff member turnover rates, and healthcare costs. It's a key piece of a organization's success. the results of these programs lead to higher productivity, which in the end leads to a more profitable company.

In order for these programs to run properly and produce results they must have a clear operating plan with an attainable and measurable goal. The programs must also encourage all staff members to lead a healthful lifestyle while at work and at home.

Employee Wellness programs have been introduced to businesses all over the United States to make workers healthier and in turn happier. Companies which implement these programs do so to varying degrees. Some simply offer literature about how to live a healthy lifestyle and reduce stress while at work.

Some corporations offer health screenings and health risk assessments for free during the year to help employees understand what's going on with their health and what they are able to do to improve it.

At the top of the list, there are the companies which offer free, on-site health clubs and aerobics programs to be used at lunchtime breaks or after work. No matter what is offered it would be a waste not to take advantage of these Employee Wellness programs.

It requires cautious planning and thought to begin Employee Wellness programs. Once a program is put into place it is very important to reassess and analyze it several times in order to reach the primary goal - healthier workers.

All the programs that are put in place ought to be assessed after a determined time frame to help the business understand what needs to be changed or kept in place to maintain Employee Wellness.

Where did all my motivation go???

There's nothing like planning on doing a fitness competition to zap your motivation. Or at least, that's how I've felt lately. I am drained. And its disappointing because I AM A TRAINER!!!! I feel like I should be above this.

But I'm not.

I'm human. Humans fail. Constantly.

But I have to not let that keep me down. I have to get back up & get back in the game.

That's what life's about.

See you in the gym.

Weight Training Does a Body Good

How Does Lifting Weights Increase Bone Density?
Bone Stress
When you lift weights, your muscles must work harder to move the weight. The muscles are attached to the bones. When the muscles flex, they pull on the bones. The harder the muscles work, the more stress they place on the skeleton. The bones must also withstand the pressure of holding up the weight. This compresses them which adds even more stress.
Bone Cracks
When muscles lift weights they get microscopic tears in the muscle fibers. When these tears heal, the muscles get bigger and stronger. The bones react in a similar way to the lifting of weights. When the muscles pull on the bones and when the bones are compressed by weights, they get very small cracks in the bone structure. This happens on the microscopic level inside the bones. As long as the weight lifting is in moderation, this is not dangerous or painful. People who lift weights are completely unaware that it is happening.
Bone Formation
Lifting weights stimulates bone formation. Within a few days, the body automatically heals the microscopic cracks in the bones caused by lifting weights. When this happens, there is an increase in the density of the bones. They actually get stronger on the insides because more bone has formed there. More massive bones are sturdier bones. This bone formation benefit accumulates over time. The longer a person lifts weights, the stronger their bones will get.
Bone Density
Lifting weights is important to increase bone density in all people. It is especially vital for women since they lose more bone density than men after menopause because of a decrease in estrogen. Lifting weights throughout your life will make your bones stronger in old age. Broken bones are the leading reason elderly people end up in nursing homes. Strong bones enable you to have an active and healthy lifestyle that leads to a longer life. Weak bones will shorten your life expectancy.
Secondary Bone Benefits
Lifting weights also protects your bones in unexpected ways. Weight resistance exercises make muscles stronger and improves balance. That makes it less likely that you will break a bone if you happen to fall down. Strong muscles protect the bones from damage in an impact. Improved balance also makes it less likely that you will fall down in the first place.

The Art of Bodybuilding.

Ashley Hanna


Well, I am preparing for my first show. I'm very nervous. But, that's why I've told so many people about it. It's hard for me to back out of it now!!!

NANBF in NW Arkansas, June 25th. Today is my 4th day of contest prep.

I'm really appreciating bodybuilding more & more. Most people think it is simply about having big muscles. It's much more of a science than that. No, it is absolutely an art form. Bodybuilders are definitely artists. I love the way Arnold describes bodybuilders as artists who pack clay onto the form and then work to carve out the perfect figure... So true.

I hope that I can be a wonderful artist...

See you in the gym,
Rebecca Shoemaker

Dig Down Deep

Ah, it's March... What was that New Years Resolution again?
That's probably what a lot of people are thinking right now. (I, however, tend not to make New Years Resolutions; just commit on a daily basis) The stresses of everyday life have pushed your goals aside. "I'll get back to that when I get this mini-crisis taken care of." "I'll start fresh next week." "These calories don't really count--this is a special occasion."
Dangerous ways of thinking.
I'm guilty too. I've slacked off plenty this year. It's time for us to dig down deep and find our motivation. Focus our eyes on the prize. What are you doing this for? Is the pot of gold big enough for you to not get distracted by the quarter you find along the way?
Take some time to really think about this. What do you really want and what are you doing to NOT get it?



This is NOT a temporary fix.
This is NOT a fad diet.
This IS a lifestyle change.
Follow the program 100% of the time. The ability to use discipline and consistency consistently truly separates the pros from the amateurs. This is not going to be easy. Success is never easy to acquire, otherwise it wouldn't be so valuable.
You don't GET a great body, you WORK for it.
So, c'mon, think back to December 31, 2010. How did you feel? What drove you then? What drives you now? Re-evaluate. Make a new plan of action. Commit.

I'll see you in the gym.
-Rebecca

Training Tip: Are you “Cardiac Drifting”?

Mark Baines, Vice President of Program Development
Cardiac drift is the tendency for the heart rate to rise gradually throughout a workout due to dehydration and/or rising temperature within the muscles despite a fairly consistent level of effort or steady work rate. In 1990, a study was performed in Italy with 34 male, recreationally athletic subjects to assess changes in heart rate while training at the lactate threshold level. During a test requiring 60 minutes of work, the study found that heart rates increased significantly after only 20 minutes of exercise at the lactate threshold.

The authors of the study suggested that these heart rate changes, despite consistent work rate, may be due to a gradual increase in body temperature over the first 20 minutes. Depending upon the individual’s current conditioning, and other external factors, it was not possible to maintain the same heart rate and a consistent level of effort in almost all cases.

Cardiac drifting is very normal and typical in well trained individuals (an untrained or deconditioned individual would not see much consistency at almost any consistent level of effort). It should be expected that the heart rate will vary within 5-10 percent or so at a consistent level of effort after as little as only a few minutes of training. The implication for training is that it is not always possible to maintain a consistent level of effort if the heart rate continues to drift upward at a given intensity (particularly when the heart rate rises above the individual’s lactate threshold). At some point in time, with prolonged effort, the individual may be forced to decrease effort dramatically or reach the point of complete exhaustion.

Several years ago, the great endurance athlete, Ingrid Kristiansen, set out to run a 10k under 33 minutes. However, at one point in the race, her heart rate monitor let her know that her heart rate was drifting upward despite the consistent level of effort which she had grown accustomed to giving. It was quite hot that day. Fortunately, she was wise enough to decrease her pace and allow her heart rate to return to an expected level to avoid “blowing up” completely and she was able to finish the race, although not at a record pace. If she had continued to pursue the same pace, she might not have finished the race at all. While power output and pacing are obviously important variables to track and pursue, we cannot ignore the body’s internal responses for the sake of power output or pace, or we will experience lackluster or traumatic results.

Pay attention to heart rate AND perceived exertion. You must know both, you must understand booth, and you must constantly monitor both if you expect to provide the right training intensity for your clients and athletes. Whether or not your client is breathing hard is far from the ideal way to determine intensity in cardiovascular exercise or more intense training circuits.

The above information was excerpted from the NESTA Heart Rate Performance Specialist (HRP) manual.

We can never know enough, and there is no better time than now to learn more to help more people. It is early in the new year and it is a good time for a new beginning. You just might make a good living on the way.

Resolutioners--Stick to your guns!

Here we are in week two of your new life and you are trying hard to stick to your plan to get in shape. If things are going exactly how you planned then good job, keep going and if you need some help feel free to come back to this again and again. If this big change is starting to get to you then this may be perfect timing for inspiration. Here are some tips on helping you get through to the other side.


Make sure you have a plan with short term and long-term goals. You will need to be very purposeful in the beginning. If you have a plan each week, with a goal for that week, it will be easier to stick to it. Also, try to have a couple long-term goals that you are striving for at the end of one year. This will keep you focused on the long-term results of your new life change. Keep going. Change is hard. It is never a breeze to start fresh and begin again. That’s why not many people do it. But take heart, soon all this work will become habit and you will begin to wonder how lived any other way. This usually takes about 3-6 months so press on and keep striving to reach your goals.

Find a buddy to help you out. Share your goals with your friends. Give someone a call each day to let them know how you’re doing and what your plan is for the day. Or you may even want to get someone to join you on your journey by taking up the same new lifestyle you are choosing for yourself. Make sure you choose someone who really wants to change. You want someone who will hold you accountable when you feel like you can’t go on.

If losing weight is your main goal, don’t always rely on your scale. Remember that muscle weighs much more than fat and sometimes just looking in a full length mirror will tell you how you’re doing better than a scale can.

Try new things, being happy is important so experiment with new ways to be active and you will find that you are more likely to stick to your goals. Plus, different activities will work different parts of your body so that you will have a more balanced exercise bank to select from. Walking, snowshoeing, interval training, swimming, cycling, tennis, and skiing are just a few fun forms of exercise that you could try. I recently realized that I love punching & kicking the punching bag in my gym. It gets my heart rate up higher than I ever thought it would and my hamstrings were sore for a week afterward!

Hire a personal trainer. One thing I enjoy doing with my clients is setting up an obstacle course around the track to really shake up the routine.

If there is a certain type of activity that you can’t stand, then don’t do it. Many people think they have to torture themselves in order to get into shape. But that is not the case. There are so many other things to choose from so pick something that will help you be positive and that you will enjoy. It is awesome that you are trying to make positive lifestyle changes. The benefits of these changes will be with you forever and your body will thank you for it. You can do it and you will do it!