The Brain and Nutrition

There are many people who want to know how to optimize their brain functioning. Brain functioning is very dependant on nutrition. Consider this quote from MIT research psychiatrist Richard Wurtman " the ability of a meal's composition to affect the production of brain chemicals distinguishes the brain from all other organs. The crucial compounds that regulate other organs are largely independent of whatever was in the last meal we ate - but not the brain." The brain works on a what have you done for me lately basis in that it is the only organ that is affected immediately by what you eat. Brain chemistry is regulated by neurotransmitters and there are four main neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, acetyl choline, and GABA. All of these neurotransmitters are responsible for different moods and feelings and these moods or feelings are regulated by the foods that you eat. So if you are eating junk food all of the time what do you think your mood is going to be like.

How can you utilize nutrition to improve your mood, memory, cognition, ambition, and motivation to workout? Amino acids are the building blocks that are necessary for neurotransmitter production. Amino acids are found in protein, this is one of the reasons why I always emphasize proper protein intake with all of my clients. Ensuring proper protein intake from quality sources is one of the best ways to regulate your brain chemistry. Protein at breakfast is one of the best things you can do to regulate your brain chemistry. The first thing you eat everyday influences your brain chemistry for the rest of the day so make sure to eat some protein at breakfast.

Do you need motivation to workout? If you need more focus and motivation to workout then you should look at increasing your dopamine levels. Dopamine will provide you with energy and focus and this is what you want during your workouts. One of the best ways to increase dopamine levels is to eat grass fed red meat before your workout because it is rich in the amino acid tyrosine(the precursor for dopamine production).

Yin and Yang

I have talked about Yin and Yang several times on this blog. It is important to have a balance between yin and yang in your life. Recently, I heard Charles Poliquin give a very good explanation of yin and yang. You should think of yang as fire, so things like waking up in the morning, having energy, and working out would be yang. On the other side you should think of yin as oil. Yin would be rest and relaxation. In order to burn your yang fire you must have a yin oil reserve. So people who burn the candle at both ends are using up their yin oil. If your yin oil is used up, then you have nothing left to create your yang fire. This is why I place such an emphasis on rest and recovery with my clients. If you do not take the steps to ensure that you are building up your oil reserves then there is no way that you are going to make it through a challenging workout which is a yang fire activity.

The other thing to consider is that most people today live a very yang lifestyle, in that most people work too much, have too much stress, sleep too little, and never make any time to relax. If this is always the case, then you are eventually going to suffer from low energy because you will have no oil to burn. If this describes you then I would suggest that you place an emphasis on sleep, relaxation, and proper recovery from your workouts.

A Different Perspective

Last week I spent quite a bit of time with several very good trainers from Canada. It was eye opening to see their reaction whenever we would go to eat anywhere. They kept on making comments on how many more overweight people there are in the U.S. compared to Canada. The other thing that they noticed was that not only were there more people who were overweight, but that there seemed to be a really high number of extremely overweight people. They said that in Canada they do not see extremely overweight people that often.

So what is it that causes Americans to have such a problem with obesity. I would say that it is several factors. Stress, lack of activity, poor sleeping patterns, and poor nutrition all play a role. I don't think that there is one factor that is to blame but several factors that are added together to create the formula. The answer to solving our obesity problems has more to do with changing our lifestyles and habits than anything.

How to help your kids become better athletes

If you would like your kids to become better athletes one of the best things you can do is put them into gymnastics and martial arts. These two sports will help children to develop strength, power, agility, coordination, and flexibility. The other thing you can do is get your child doing sprinting exercises between the ages of 8-10. This is the time during a childs development that he of she really developes their speed for the rest of their lives. I see a lot of parent who are encouraging their kids to run long distances when they are young. This would be the last thing I would do. Teach your child how to sprint, jump, and throw at an early age and they will be much better athletes as they get older.

Working out in the cold

Do you burn more fat if you work out in the cold? The answer is yes. If you work out in the cold you burn about 37% more fat. The exact mechanism for this is not know but it may have something to do with the different types of fat in your body. In your body there is brown fat and white fat. Brown fat is more metabolically active and actually helps you burn more white fat and that is what you want. One of the ways to activate this pathway is by working out in the cold. On Arthur Devany's site he talks about how surfers always stay lean because they are always in the cold water.

Cardio for Fat Loss

Over the long term, steady state cardiovascular work is not effective for fat loss. In the short term for about 3-6 weeks it can be effective but after that it can actually make you fatter. If you do steady state aerobic work for a long period of time you will eventually begin to lose muscle and power. Since muscle mass is one of the driving factors in your metabolism your metabolism will begin to slow. The elevation in cortisol is one of the biggest factors that leads to the loss of muscle mass and fat accumulation. When your metabolism slows eventually the same amount of food that used to allow you to maintain or lose weight will make you gain weight. Another problem with aerobic work is that it causes you to lose your type 2B fibers which are considered your fast twitch fibers. By losing these fibers you will lose strength and lower your metabolism.

Changes in the Meltdown Group Training Schedule

This Monday 3/16 there will be no 12pm class and there will also be no class at 9am on Tuesday 3/17 and Thursday 3/19. All other classes are as scheduled.

How Does Tricia Stay So Lean?

One of the questions that I get asked often is how my wife Tricia stays so lean. My answer would be that there is not one thing that she does in particular, but many factors that you must consider.

One of the first things that I will tell you is that she has always made sleep a priority. For a few years she would always go to bed before me and I would wake up earlier than her. She always sleeps at least 8 hours, has no trouble falling asleep(usually within 2 minutes), and rarely wakes up during the night. She also wakes up early every day, even on the weekends. When I began to adopt her sleeping patterns I got leaner.

Another thing that Tricia does is she exercises every day. For as long as I have known her she has exercised in some way 6-7 days per week. Most of her workouts are short 20 minutes or less but they are very intense. When she finishes her 20 minutes she is usually drenched in sweat. I think that the intensity of her workouts is part of what keeps her so lean. She has a rare ability to really dig deep and push herself a little further when things are getting tough. When most people would quite she does more.

The other thing that Tricia does is she sprints. She was a pole vaulter in college and was forced to do a lot of sprinting. She has said ever since college that the fastest way to get lean and work your midsection is to sprint. When was the last time that you sprinted?

Nutritionally, Tricia does have an advantage in that she is very carbohydrate tolerant. She is able to handle a decent amount of carbs. At each meal she always eats a protein and a fruit(usually 1-2 pieces/day) or vegetable and she has always made it a priority to eat her vegetables everyday. Most people would think that Tricia eats a very low calorie diet but the truth is that she eats a large quantity of calories compared to most women probably around 2000 calories/day. Her nutrition consists mostly of meats, veggies, fruit, nuts, and organic yogurt. Rarely does she eat any grains, any dairy other than organic yogurt and some occasional cheese, and she does not drink her calories. She eats quality foods and has the ability to partition those calories to her muscles rather than her fat because she sleeps well, exercises, and eats the right foods.

One other aspect of Tricias nutrition and exercise that I think is important is that she eats according to her activity. If she is exercising less she will focus on eating even better. If she is exercising more she will adjust her nutrition accordingly.

When you add all of these variables together and consider the fact that she has been doing all of these things for as long as I have known her it adds up to be a pretty powerful formula. I would say that the most important aspect of all of this is that she has been sleeping, exercising, and eating the right way for several years. Over time the consistency adds up. Many people are looking for the quick fix, but unfortunately there is no such thing as a quick fix. Yesterday, Carol B forwarded me a great article by Mark Sisson that talks about the fact that body transformations take time and discipline. If you are trying to change your physique you should check it out here.

Losing an Hour of Sleep

This last weekend we lost an hour of sleep. I have noticed that quite a few people have been complaining about their energy throughout the day since the time change. This only points to the fact that our bodies function in a rhythm and sleep is a vital part of that rhythm (and for those of you who are wondering, I did not write this at 3am, I was asleep at 3am).

Our hormonal system is what sends the signals throughout the body telling it what to do on a cellular level, and this system works on a very precise rhythm throughout the day and night. When this rhythm is disrupted or altered it changes the way you feel and your body composition. Many people are complaining about changes in the way they feel after losing only one hour of sleep. If one hour can make that big of a difference what do you think chronically under sleeping can do to you.

The other factor to consider with the time change is that you were forced to wake up at a different time. Most sleep experts agree that the most important factor with sleep is that you wake up at the same time every morning. When you sleep in on the weekends it has the same effect as a time change, it throws your system out of rhythm. Most people will tell you that when they sleep in on the weekends that they feel more tired than if they had woken up at their usual time. The better option is to wake up at the same time on the weekends and take a nap if necessary.

Cheating Just A Little

When I look at peoples food journals what I often see is people who cheat more often than they think. When it comes to nutrition it takes quality nutrition 90% of the time in order to really make progress. The other 10% of the time you can do whatever you want as long as you don't go too overboard.

So is it better to cheat just a little everyday and be 70% compliant or to have a better cheat and be 90% compliant. I would argue that I would rather you be 90% compliant with your nutrition and really eat what you want in the other 10%.

So what is wrong with being 70% compliant. If you are 70% compliant with your nutrition then you are trying to make an effort to eat well which means that you are probably trying to avoid a lot of foods. When you cheat 30% of the time which is about once per day then you usually eat a small amount of foods that are off limits and then feel guilty about it. This guilt only causes more stress which leads to more cheating.

The better thing to do is to be 90% compliant and cheat only 10% of the time, but when you do cheat eat what you want without the guilt.

From a hormonal standpoint it is also more beneficial to cheat less often and with the foods that you really want. When you constantly cheat a little everyday you don't allow your hormonal system to adapt into a fat burning metabolism, which will slow down your fat loss. By cheating less often with the foods that you really want you are manipulating your hormones and creating an environment in which the excess sugars and calories will be more likely to be stored in your muscles rather than your fat. Then when you go back to your quality nutrition again you will spark faster fat burning.

So what does 90% compliance look like. If you eat 3 meals and one snack everyday then then that gives you 28 feeding opportunities per week. This gives you 2-3 meals/week where you can eat what you want. 70% compliance would be about 7 meals/week or once per day.

Whats Your Nutrition IQ?

The clients that I have had who have had the best long term success are the ones who take an active interest in educating themselves about nutrition and fitness. Since March is National Nutrition Month, this is a great time to talk about the importance of what I like to refer as your nutrition IQ. In order for someone to make a body transformation, they are going to have to change their daily habits, and I think that it is important to have a basic understanding of why your are eating what you are eating. The more knowledgeable you are when it comes to nutrition, the more likely you will be to make better choices, especially when you are eating out. In a given week I often receive many emails, newspaper articles, and magazine articles from clients who have been doing their reading. It is no coincidence that these are often the clients who are the most successful with their body transformations. I think the old saying that "if you give a man a fish you feed him for a day, but if you teach him how to fish then you will feed him for a lifetime," is true. One of the most common questions I get is for meal plans where I tell people exactly what to eat. I have found that for most people these do not work, because most people do not know how to make proper substitutions if they do not have the food on the meal plan. This all goes back to your nutrition IQ. If you really want to make changes in your habits then do your research.

So how do you increase your nutrition IQ?

Find books, websites, or any other materials that have nutrition information and begin to do your research. As you read through the various materials you will find a lot of conflicting information, but once you have read enough you will find common themes among all the different sources. It is these common themes where most people will gain a better understanding of nutrition.

The other great way to increase your nutrition IQ is to find a mentor, or others who have made successful transformations and ask questions. Just remember that success leaves clues, and if you can find the common themes in the people who have been successful then you will be on your way.

Put Some Weight on the Bar

If you are doing any type of resistance training one of the most important things to do is to gradually lift heavier weights over time. When you first begin a resistance training program you are forcing your body to adapt and change by putting it under stress. Over time your body will adapt to the weights that you are lifting and the weight that used to cause your body to change will eventually not have the same effect. In order to keep forcing your body to adapt you must continually try to put your body through harder workouts and one of the easiest ways to do this is by adding weight or more resistance to your lifts.

When adding weight it is important to make small jumps and keep your technique perfect. Many people try to add large amounts of weight to the bar which causes their technique to break down. This will not lead to sustainable long term progress. If you look at your workout simply as a way to force your body to adapt then all you need to do is to add 1 pound to a lift in order to force your body to change. By making small jumps like this you will be able to maintain your technique and sustain your progress for longer.

My favorite way to add small amounts of weight to the bar or dumbbells is to use Platemates. Platemates are small 1 1/4 lbs magnets that can be attached to the weight. They are a great way to make small jumps in weight. The example I always give with the Platemates is with dumbbells. If you have a woman who is lifting 10lbs dumbbells and the next jump is 15lbs dumbbells then this is a 50% jump in weight. It may only be 5lbs but it is a 50% jump in weight which is a huge change. If you have Platemates then you can make either an 11.25lbs or 12.5lbs dumbbell. This is a much smaller change and it will lead to much more sustainable progress over time.

What if one arm is stronger than the other

So what do you do if you are lifting weights and you notice that one arm is stronger than the other? This is called a bilateral deficit and it is something that should be addressed. You want your body to be balanced and that includes the right and left sides. In order to fix a bilateral deficit you should focus on training with dumbbells so that each arm must work separately. If you were to use barbell exercises all the time then you could potentially make the problem worse. If you are performing exercises such as a one arm db row then you should always perform the weaker side first and then match whatever repetition total you get with the other side. By doing this you will ensure that the weaker side is still getting the same amount of work. Many people make the mistake of lifting with their strong side first because that is the side that is easier, and they will perform 12 repetitions with their strong arm and only 8 on their weak arm. This will only make the problem worse. Another tip that can help to fix the problem faster is to use dumbbells with a thick grip. By using a thick grip you are forced to work harder and this will help to fix the bilateral deficit faster. If you do not have dumbbells with a thick grip you can simply wrap the dumbbell handle with either tape or a small towel.

No 6am Class This Morning

The 6am Class Will be Cancelled due to weather this morning

Why is there so much confusion over which diet is the best?

The truth is that all diets work for a short period of time. Your body adapts to a diet the same way that it adapts to a workout program. People see results with all kinds of diets but in the long run many of the extremely low calorie and low fat diets cause hormonal disruptions and they cause you to lose lean muscle mass. This only sets you up to gain more fat in the long run. So what is the answer to diet question? The answer is to eat according to your activity and your goals. One of the best formulas for many people is to base their daily nutrition around their activity levels that day. By doing this you will naturally have higher and lower days based on your activity levels. By alternating between higher and lower days you will not allow your body to adapt to your nutrition and this is one of the keys to long term success. If you can base your nutrition around your training and stick to quality unprocessed foods then you will be setting yourself up for success in the long run.