Sportsmanship & Character

Here's a video I watched this morning on Yahoo about a high school football player from Washington who has Down Syndrome. Apparently he was put in at the end of the game while his team was about to suffer a shut out loss, but coaches from both teams arranged to create a special moment for this young man.



What I love about this whole thing is guys were diving at him and chasing him, making the experience as real as possible and its just something really special for this kid to experience. Not everyone knows what it feels like to have a crowd cheer for you and score a touchdown, especially someone with physical or mental disabilities. I think the kids on both teams here display a great amount of character and sportsmanship.

Let this little video be a reminder to us out to not take the basic things we can do and accomplish on a daily basis for granted. For all the millionaire players and billionaire owners in the NFL who are about to duke it out over who is more greedy, let this special player remind you it's moments like the one experienced at this Washington high school that we play the game. We play for moments that define our character and bring about truly unique life experiences that you can't get anywhere else.

Carbohydrates 101

Here's an introduction to what you need to know about Carbohydrates for Fat Loss.

Stubborn Fat Won't Go Away?

Are you trying to lose stubborn body fat that will not seem to go away? Here are a few things to tweak in your training program if you want to lose body fat and keep it off for good:

Nutrition - Drop the sweets, refined flour products and stop snacking on carbs before bed. When it comes to keeping body fat away it is important you balance your insulin levels and eat complex carbs like veggies, potatoes and brown rice. Snacking on carbs before you go to sleep also inhibits your body's ability to burn fat over night so snack on a lean protein source or slam down a spoonful of peanut butter before bed and you're set!

Resistance Training - If you're trying to lose fat and you're not resistance training then you are fighting a losing battle. Weight training isn't just for muscle heads anymore, its for anyone and everyone looking to maintain a healthy metabolism and keep body fat away. Resistance training burns calories during and after your workout and can increase your resting metabolism in the long run. As a bonus pumping iron releases youthful hormones like testosterone and growth hormone which can boost your sex drive and keep you feeling young.

Cardio - STOP running, cycling and thrashing around on the elliptical trainer in the "fat burning" zone for 45 minutes to an hour. START interval training alternating between high intensity and low intensity bursts of activity for 20-30 minutes 3-4 times a week.

Weight Loss vs. Body Fat Loss

Here is a quick video blog discussing the difference between weight loss and body fat loss.

Realizations On a Cruise Ship

Now that the work week is over, I have some time to share with you guys some of the fun and some sobering fitness lessons I learned while cruising the Caribbean a week ago. While I am planning on posting a blog sharing some of the great sights I saw and the fun activities my girlfriend, my family and I experience, today's post is all about insights I gained on people and fitness.

First off, I learned you don't have to eat like a slob and get fat on a cruise, although most people did. Believe it or not I came back from the cruise one pound lighter than when I took off! This is because I have learned to eat for function mostly and not pure gluttony. Don't get me wrong, I was on vacation and when I wanted a cheesecake or a slice of pizza, I ate it without guilt! On the cruise I used the same non-indulgent discipline that keeps me lean and sane in the real world: I simply enjoy my little slice and then move on! The truth is the cruise offers TONS of meal choices and you don't have to worry about prepping meals at all. For all health conscious folk it works out perfect because you could have fresh fruit and veggies available 24 hours a day. Chicken, turkey, slabs of steak and fish were available at every lunch and dinner. I literally ate better on the cruise than I do at home in a sense that every meal was COMPLETE with fruit, veggies, a lean protein source and some good complex carbs. Who can argue with that?

The second thing I learned on the ship is most people have no self control when it comes to eating or drinking. I witnessed one person after another create a mountain of food on their buffet plate, chow it down and then go sit by the pool and drink cocktails for hours on end. I concluded if most people have a chance to really indulge, they are going to and they'll do it big. Consumption of all kinds into excess and total oblivion...perhaps it's an American thing? Either way, this experience for me was sort of disheartening as a fitness professional and a human being. It's hard to shake the feeling of watching people just sit, eat, drink, sit, eat, drink, sit, eat more and drink more all day long. For me, vacation has always been a time to go do a bunch of things you don't have a chance to do during the daily grind: go exploring, do some cool activities, sight see, relax and quietly enjoy life. What I saw was a lot of people just parked on a ship eating, drinking, partying and continuing to drown out any real meaning with mindless indulgence.

The third thing I remembered on the cruise, not learned, was that observing nature holds a key to finding meaning and peace here in the world. Nature just IS.  I enjoyed several quiet sessions out on the ship deck over looking the vast ocean with my girlfriend, just standing there absorbing the beauty, the power and the immensity of the ocean and the world that lies beneath it. Several snorkeling excursions opened my eyes to a totally different, quiet and beautiful world under the water. Observing nature is a powerful activity. One of the most powerful experiences I had while snorkeling was watching the fish and plant life just flow with the ocean currents. I noticed during my first snorkeling session I would struggle against the tide while I watched the fish just sort of roll with it, at peace, no struggle and with ease. After awhile I learned to sort of just float there and observe rather than fight to swim around. I think that's symbolic of the way people tend to struggle in life. We make the struggle for ourselves. I believe if we learned to, not to be so cliche "go with the flow", we would find more harmony in life. This was only one of the many realizations I had on my trip: we could learn A LOT from observing nature.

Best Cardio For Fat Loss

Today's video blog discusses the best cardio for fat loss!

Lose Body Fat With These Meals...

You can lose body fat faster by buckling down on your nutrition TODAY. Here are five easy meals with a relatively short prep time that can become regular choices in your weekly diet without sacrificing time and taste:

Chicken, Veggies & Brown Rice 

I buy my chicken organic from Trader Joes, mostly use frozen veggies for convenience and I actually use frozen brown rice which drastically cuts down the prep time for this meal. Cook the chicken in a pan on the stove using a non-stick pan. When the chicken is cooked well, toss in some veggies and heat them up on the stove top at a low heat and cover it. Total time to cook the chicken and veggies should be about 20 minutes. Using frozen brown rice, you can heat that stuff up in 2-3 minutes and mix it all together for a nutritious lunch or dinner. This meal also keeps well as left overs so make a bunch and eat it a few days in a row!

Ground Turkey Soft Tacos
No one says to be fit you have to eat bland tasting food. Tacos are one of my favorite dinners and I make some healthy substitutions to this great Mexican dish. I use 98% lean ground turkey and spice it up with the taco seasoning of my choice instead of using ground or shredded beef. I substitute corn tortillas for flour tortillas and heat them on the stove. I also use re-fried or black beans as a topping to add calories, fiber and bulk to the meal. You can toss in your favorite veggies (tomatoes, lettuce, etc) and have a complete meal that only takes about 15-20 minutes to prepare depending on how long it takes to cook your turkey meat.

Turkey Sandwich

One of the lamest excuses I get from clients on why they don't eat well at work is because "they are forced to eat out somewhere." I have a simple solution: pack a lunch like you did in grade school and don't eat out so much! Tried and true, a simple sandwich consisting of 3-4 slices of turkey on 100% whole-wheat bread, topped with a non-fattening condiment like mustard, a slice of low-fat cheese, tomatoes and lettuce can give you essential nutrients from all food groups and be made in less than five minutes.

Apples with Peanut Butter
I already took you back to your childhood with sack lunches and turkey sandwiches, but apples with peanut butter are another simple and great snack to have in between major meals. As you have heard me mention before, eating frequently is important to keep your blood sugar and insulin levels balanced and to keep your energy levels up to avoid brain crashes. Slicing up an apple and dipping it into 1-2 tablespoons of organic peanut butter (not that Skippy or JIF stuff, they have hydrogenated oils in them which are no good for your heart) can give you a quick and nutritious shot of essential vitamins, carbs, good fat and a snack worth about 200-300 calories depending on how much you like peanut butter.

Oatmeal, Eggs & Fruit

Breakfast is important and you must always find time for breakfast. Heating up a bowl of oatmeal takes less than five minutes, which can be done while you scramble an egg or two. Once you're done cooking and eating your oatmeal, grab an apple or banana for the road to eat on the way to work. Oatmeal and your fruit of choice will provide your body with some of the necessary energy to jump start your metabolic engine for the day, while the eggs are a valuable source of protein. You can even throw some blueberries in your oatmeal to make it more nutritious. This is one of the most nutritiously complete and quick breakfast meals you can incorporate into your food plan!