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.

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  What are starchy carbohydrates?

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

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  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!

Corey http://www.more-nutrition.com/

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!

Corey http://www.more-nutrition.com/

The Problem With Perfection

"There you stand . . paralyzed at the crossroads of opportunity."

For some reason this quote has hung with me ever since I read it a number of years ago. The only problem is - I cannot remember what book it came from! Oh well, that's beside the point. The point is what the quote is saying. Hundreds of times every day we are faced with decisions. We have opportunities, big and small. Most of the time, we zip through our days making quick decisions and not looking back. However, sometimes fear and perfectionist tendencies swirl together resulting in no decision and consequently a missed opportunity. This problem arises when, desperately trying to make the best (the perfect) decision, we don't make any decision . . we stand paralyzed . . not taking action.

For more than a week I've known that I wanted to address this issue of perfection paralysis. How ironic that I purposefully put it off because "I didn't have all my ducks in a row." In a nutshell, I hadn't completely thought through everything I wanted to include and how I wanted to organize my thoughts. Sheesh! You would think I was writing a flippin' mid-term paper or something! Finally, I decided to just jump in and write what was swirling in my head rather than demanding perfect planning and organization for my writing.

Right now, you might be asking - "How in the world is all of this rambling related to nutrition, fitness, and wellness?" I'm glad you asked . . .
A few weeks ago my wife and I were working out, wait . . let me correct myself, we were attempting to workout. A number of obstacles were popping up. We were running late, the gym was really crowded, and we were experiencing a number of little aggravating "tweaks." ('Tweaks' is gym lingo for a little ache or pain that is not serious enough to be classified as an injury, yet can still really inhibit your workout.) The point is - we were encountering obstacles and, after almost an hour of warming up and discussing new workout ideas (in order to work around our 'tweaks' and time constraints), we had not even started our workout! We were super frustrated and even thought about just leaving the gym and calling it a day. Forget the workout . . the irritating warm-up was enough for us!
There we stood at the crossroads of opportunity, thinking about leaving the gym with no workout. Underneath it all I knew why we were frustrated. Time constraints, 'tweaks,' and being forced to "shift gears" from our originial exercise plan was going to result in a workout that was not up to my standards - not properly planned or thought through (kinda like this blog, huh?). Fortunately, we took the energy of our frustration and poured it into hodge-podge training session that actually wound up being a fantastic (and pretty dog-gone fun) workout!

Just in case you made through all of that and you're still reading, the moral of the story is -
Don't miss out on an opportunity because of perfection paralysis (or fear of a bad decision). The large and small decisions that you make every single day impact your physique, mindset, and overall health. While I am certainly an advocate of proper research and planning when it comes to exercise and nutrition, it might just do some of us good to get past demanding "the best workout" or "the best diet." Actually, no such thing exists (I'll discuss this more in a future blog) and if it did you probably wouldn't have the discipline or time to stick with it.

So, for the time being, how about we . . .

- Don't worry about the best workout and just work hard and consistent.

- Don't worry the latest diet trend and just start cutting out the crap (i.e. any and ALL sugary drinks, late night snacking, rich desserts, and huge portions)

- Don't stand paralyzed by fear of change and start making decisions that will have a positive impact on your body and health.

Cold be gone!

Considering the time of year, you may think I'm referring to the chilly (or downright frigid!) weather that's affected much of the nation. To be honest I'm quite a fan of the winter months. The only problem is - with colder weather typically comes THE cold. Who wants to be resigned to spending a few miserable days with a runny nose, sore throat, sneezes, and random aches? Not me! Fortunately, about a year ago I discovered a suprisingly effective natural therapy for the dreaded cold.

Let me take a quick moment to say that, while I am a nutritionist, that I am NOT a doctor. I am NOT attempting to diagnose, treat, or prescribe for your particular condition. I'd just like to share what's worked for me, my wife, and our family.

Here's your "fight the cold" shopping list . . .
1. Olive Leaf Extract (10 to 18% extract) - a potent natural anti-viral
2. Ester-C - basically vitamin C on steroids
3. ZMA - a super-absorbable form of the minerals zinc and magnesium
4. Glutamine - an amino acid that is essential for gut health and proper immune function
5. Grapefruit (I prefer organic, but that's up to you)

As soon as you feel that tickle in your throat or stuffiness in your head, begin taking Olive Leaf and Ester-C two to three times per day. The ZMA and glutamine should be taken before bed on an empty stomach. The grapefruit comes in whenever you choose. Simply slice it into wedges (WITH the peel) and boil the entire fruit for about 10 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of honey to a piping-hot cup of this "grapefruit tea" and you're ready to go! Boiling the entire fruit releases a ton of beneficial nutrients that you might not get otherwise.
There's nothing magic about this concoction of natural immune support, but it has done wonders for me and my wife. Hopefully, it'll save you from the 'ickiness' of your next cold!
Until next time, may you be healthy and blessed!
Corey
www.More-Nutrition.com