Monday, March 30, 2009

One Thing for FAT LOSS

If there is one thing I should do to help me with FAT-LOSS, what would it be?


This question unleashes a flurry of suggestions and tips flying around in my head like debris in a tornado! While they're all effective and important, this is not an "A to Z Guide for Fat-Loss." We're looking for one thing . . just one thing to implement in order to see progress with fat-loss. So, what would that one thing be? (drum roll please . . . .)


Eliminate all starchy carbohydrates within 5 hours of bed/sleep.


When I give presentations, one of the take-home points that I emphasize is the "pre-eat question." Simply put, before you eat something ask yourself - "What am I going to be doing for the next 3 or 4 hours?" Applying this question to the pre-bed timeframe makes it easy to understand why you would want to avoid starchy carbohydrates. Chances are you going to be sitting around watching TV or surfing the net, then falling asleep. This does NOT take much energy, therefore you shouldn't consume much energy!

Now, let's bring this into real-life terms and make sure that you're ready to apply the "no starchy carb" rule.

  • What are starchy carbohydrates?

Pasta, rice, potatoes, grains, and breads are the most popular.

  • So what can you eat? (glad you asked)

Protein, fibrous carbohydrates, and healthy fatty acids.

Any lean meat will fill the protein slot. Healthy fatty acids can be found in fish, nuts, and extra-virgin olive oil. So that leaves us with the mysterious fibrous carbs. If it's a vegetable and it's crunchy (not mushy) then it probably makes the list - broccoli, cauliflower, celery, squash, zucchini, onions, cucumbers, asparagus, and bell peppers are all on the list.


There you have it . . the one thing you can do to enhance fat-loss. Hunker down and implement the "no starchy carb 5 hours before bed" rule and you'll be amazed at the power of changing one thing!


Coming up next - What one thing can I do to improve my recovery and improve my performance after a hard workout or practice?


Until then, may you be healthy and blessed!



Wednesday, March 25, 2009

One Thing

Of all the questions people love to throw at a fitness professional, the most common has to be what I like to call "one thing." It usually goes something like this -

"If there is one thing that I should do to help me ______ (fill in the blank with your goal), what would it be?"

It should come as no surprise that this question is so popular. Combine all of the ridiculous misinformation surrounding diet and exercise with our society's "fast food" mentality (quick, easy, simple, now!), and it's no wonder "one thing" is the number one question. Responding to this question is pretty easy and I often feel excited . . . and discouraged.

Excited because there is typically one thing that CAN have a dramatic impact on an individual's progress.

Discouraged because that one thing is usually NOT the easiest thing to implement.

However, I have had incidences where someone took a one thing snippet of free advice to heart and reported back to me weeks later with a story of great results.

So, if you think you've got the "umph" to implement one thing into your lifestyle and receive the tremendous benefit then you'll want to stay tuned to this blog. Over the next week (or so), I'm going to cover 3 or 4 of the top one thing questions that I get. First up will be . . .

If there is one thing I should do to help me with FAT-LOSS, what would it be?
Thanks for reading. Stay tuned!