Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Ancient Greeks

The ancient Greek's had a saying "tell me what you eat, with whom you eat, and how you eat and I will tell you who you are." In the last couple of years I have spent countless hours talking with clients about their nutrition habits and I think that this quote hits the nail on the head as far as nutrition goes. The first part of the statement deals with the quality of the food that you are eating. I have been telling people for a long time that the quality of what you eat is the most important factor with nutrition. You should be focusing on eating real foods. Eating processed foods is no way to get the body you desire. Stick with vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, nuts, seeds, and gluten free starches.



The second part of the statement deals with who you are eating your meals with. My most successful clients are usually the ones who are doing the program with a friend or family member. These clients often have success because they can enjoy healthy meals with this person and not be pressured or tempted into eating junk foods. They have a built in support system and this helps them stick with quality foods. The clients who are constantly surrounded by junk food often have a hard time because it is difficult for many people to eat healthy foods when all of their friends and family are eating junk.



The third part of this statement deals with how you eat your meals. Do you eat your meals at your desk, in your car, in a hurry, or under stress. If the answer is yes to any of these questions then I would suggest you make time to enjoy your meals. Everyone today is always in a hurry and this leads to chronic stress and elevated cortisol levels. These high levels of cortisol can make you insulin resistant, so when you eat your food you are more likely to store it as fat. By slowing down and making time to enjoy your meals with friends or family members who are not pressuring you to eat junk you will allow your body to digest your food in a relaxed atmosphere where the body can work like it is supposed to.

Just remember to eat quality foods and make time to enjoy your meals.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Put some weight on the bar

Are you constantly trying to push yourself to get stronger? The answer to this question for most people is no. Most people go to the gym and do the same thing that they always do. For example, if you go to the gym and do a set of squats with 100lbs for 8 repetitions and then go back the next week and do the exact same 100lbs for 8 repetitions how are you ever supposed to improve your body. Our bodies improve by adapting to your workouts. If you always do the same thing your body will never improve. If you go to the gym and are not improving from week to week then you are doing something wrong(poor nutrition, lack of sleep, over stressed, training too much, training too little).

So why do most people do the exact same thing over and over again? People do this because it is the easy route and everyone always wants the easy path. Trying to push yourself to get better requires hard work and discipline and that is why so few people have the bodies that they desire. If it were easy to get stronger or leaner then everyone would be fit.