The #1 secret to health and fitness.

Hopefully everyone had a great Christmas and a relaxing holiday.  That being said you probably are now more cookie crumb than human.  Don't fret, it happens to the best of us.  There are a few really simple ways to get back on track or even get on the track for the first time.  They don't involve buying the new shake weight 5000 or miracle detox tonic XXX.  So, here it is, the number one secret you've come for... The secret is, get ready for it, THERE IS NO SECRET. 

The title was a bit misleading, I know, but that's the point.  I wanted to show you how so many people can take advantage of you wanting a quick fix or a magic pill to pop.  There are so many people and training facilities that promise to teach you the #1 trick, most well kept secret, ultimate dieting tip, etc that it takes away from the REAL secret.  People in the health industry love to make it seem like you are missing out on something that only they can provide you with and you need their special method or ultimate supplement to achieve the results you want.  The problem here is twofold in that it creates a belief among people looking to get healthy that they don't have to change and can simply do one or two fast things and get an immediate fix which sets them up for failure.  This same mind set keeps them looking for the next quick fix marketing strategy out there, and again no results and back to looking for another easy way out.  You can see this will lead you nowhere except broke from spending money on all these gimmicks and broken from being let down over and over.

Here is the truth.  Getting healthy, and hey, what most of us also really want, looking good, doesn't have to be hard or complicated or expensive. Does that mean it won't take some effort and dedication?  No of course not,  but it is simple.

Let's start out with diet and food choices.  There are 18 gazillion(I know, a lot right?) diets out there right now and most of them focus on the wrong things.  I even hate the food pyramid, both old and new and here is the new one to the right.  While I disagree with grains even being on there, and think that fruits should be a lot smaller than veggies and protein, I won't go into the negative effects of too much fructose or the digestive and chronic inflammation issues that grains cause right now.  Instead, I would like to talk about what I think the food pyramid should be.  Again, this is really easy.  The LEAST amount of processing a food has to go through, or went through, before you can eat it should form the majority of the diet.  Is it a microwavable dinner in a box that is supposed to be beef stir-fry but the ingredient list has 42 different things in it?  You probably shouldn't eat it.  Did it come from a factory where it went through more processing than your computer does in a day?  Again, you generally shouldn't eat it.  You can see what I'm getting at here.  Generally speaking stick to the outside of the grocery store, buy foods you can name off simply by looking at them and that don't even have an ingredient list.  Think about it, what are the ingredients in broccoli, raspberries or salmon?  You see what I'm getting at here.  Eat real food!

Now don't get me wrong, I think there are nuances that can, and should, be manipulated... eventually.  If we can get people eating real food, change will happen.  If you take up rock climbing you certainly aren't going to start on Mt. Everest.  I will write a more detailed post about macronutrients and some general ideas on calorie protein, carb and fat intake in a later post.  For now, if you focus simply on cutting out processed foods and eating more REAL food I guarantee you will feel better, feel more full and energized while eating less and even look and perform better in your workouts and in your daily tasks.  Playing with the kids or moving that brand new 60 inch TV that you got for Christmas to the 10th spot your significant other wanted it will seem like a breeze.  

Time to address the exercise portion of the fitness world.  If you are doing ZERO exercise right now, I'm talking about the people who think walking from the cubicle at work to the lunchroom is a workout, then I can guarantee that 20 minutes of a bodyweight circuit of pushups squats and pullups would get you results.  Again, you do not need a million dollar home gym to start the ball rolling in a positive direction.  Do SOMETHING, anything that you enjoy.  Take up a sport you use to love as a kid.  If you are a kid, you're lucky, stop reading this blog, grab your friends and, since it's winter here in Canada, go skiing, play hockey... heck, have a snowball fight.  People seem to have this idea that you have to go sit on a treadmill for 2 hours a day to lose weight; you will lose weight doing that, but it will be muscle weight and you don't want to lose that, trust me.

Think about what your goals are, what your current fitness level is, and be honest with yourself.  Are you looking to lose the last 10lbs or the first 10lbs?  Things will look a little different.  The important thing for both is to challenge yourself.  That is the number one tool to progress.  Challenge your body and your mind while you workout.  Make it a competition with yourself.  Have a goal for each workout, for each week, for each month.  Try and always do better than YOU did the month before or whatever your timeline is.  Most people can stay in good shape with 3, 45 minute workouts a week, EASILY!  That is more than enough time.  Lift some weights; especially women, and NO, you won't get bulky.  Take up a yoga class, try out a new activity with friends, run around in nature.  The important thing is to find something you enjoy doing and keep doing it.  I can write up the best fitness program ever, but if someone isn't going to stick with it, it isn't very good is it?

What are you waiting for?  Get off your ass, make some REAL food for your next meal and move around until you sweat a bit.  Make today better than yesterday and make a better version of yourself than the day before!

Enjoy the rest of your holidays and hey, why wait for the new year when you can start today!  As for myself, it's time for me to put the computer down and get a workout in.  Talk to you guys later!

Supercharge your brain, and your body!

So all my articles so far have focused, for the most part, on improving your body.  How about your mind?  Can we figure out a way to improve that too?  What if we improve our mental strength, foster positive thinking and living fully, then in turn improve our self control and willpower in all aspects of our lives?  What if by doing so allows us to be more motivated and leads to making better decisions in the gym and in the kitchen?  Let's find out.

Form a new positive habit:   
This is something that I find really interesting because it can be so easy and have a profound impact on our lives. If you develop a new, positive habit, any habit, it has been shown to essentially be the equivalent of a workout for your brain, making it stronger and more resilient.  Two studies done in 2006, seen here, show that basically anything where you exhibit positive self-control has been linked to overall improved brain function, goal-setting and attaining those goals.  Something as little as making your bed every morning, a new meditation practice(which has many of its own intrinsic benefits), studying and especially exercise!

Learn a new skill or hobby: 
Through the use of mental acuity games and/or the acquisition of a new skill, they have watched the adult brain growing and improving with fMRI.  The brain is not a static organ, it is dynamic and has the innate ability to grow and change at any age, a process called neural plasticity.  A few suggestions to try are: Chess, soduku, crosswords, learn a new language, study a subject with which you are unfamiliar  or learn to play a new instrument.  It only takes 15 minutes a day!  The more challenging it is, the better.  The worse you are at it, the more awkward or embarrassing it is, the BETTER it is for your brain.  This will help recruit unused parts of your mind, thus creating more complex and efficient neural connections. For a fun way to learn how to play almost any guitar song with only 4 chords check out axis of awesome.  This also has a nice interplay with the first tip, as they will typically go hand in hand.  That is, if you decide to learn a new skill or hobby, and stick to it and form a new habit, you reap double the mental rewards!

Change what you eat:  
There is a huge connection between what you eat and how well you think.  There are numerous studies that show how gluten primarily, and more specifically gliadins, overly processed foods and hydrogenated oils lead to a leaky gut.  Check out leaky gut syndrome on wikipedia here for a description of what it is, as I am too lazy to type it out and hey, who can argue with wiki... right?  I want people to read up on leaky gut if they are unfamiliar with it because I truly believe the inflammatory response, and precipitating immune response, is a very serious detriment to both our physical and mental health.   There are many studies available on a myriad of negative effects that this can cause, a huge list of studies and outcomes can be seen here for those interested.  If I could get people to make just ONE change to their diet, it would be to avoid gluten.  At least to try pulling it from their diet for 30 days and see how they feel; I can almost guarantee it will be a hell of a lot better.   But look, its really quite easy, the best way to supercharge your brain through nutrition is to just eat whole, real foods, NOT food products.  Does it come in a can or a box with a list of ingredients that look like a dictionary and in which you need a dictionary to understand?  They probably aren't your best bet.  Eat lots of vegetables, some fruit, good quality animal protein.  Add in some unprocessed starches(IE root vegetables or white rice) if you aren't overweight, tolerate them well and engage in moderate to intense physical activity.  Also, I don't recommend many supplements but a good fish oil containing high DHA and EPA and a quality liquid vitamin D are highly beneficial in gut health, but more importantly, overall health.

On a final note as to the importance of taking care of our gut is the role of neurotransmitters, the chemicals that regulate our mood, like dopamine, acetylcholine and serotonin.  Did you know that up to 90% of them are actually produced in our gut?  So you can either become a heroine addict to get that dopamine boost, or start taking care of yourself...  Hopefully Kieth Richards isn't reading this.  
Check out a really informative podcast from Chris Kresser on the gut-brain connection if you are interested to learn more.   Again, to make it super simple remember to JERF: Just Eat Real Food.  

Relax:
Take a break from work if you've reached a roadblock, just get up and go for a short 10 minute stroll around the office or better yet, outside in nature.  Develop a regular meditation, prayer or spiritual practice.  Meditation, or prayer practice, has been shown to increase theta and alpha wave activity, which are both associated with relaxed attention.  A stress free focus.  

Make an attempt to lower your cortisol, the stress hormone!  Meditation will help with this as well, but so will a positive outlook on life.  I don't mean to try and push sadness or frustration aside and pretend it doesn't exist, but instead accept it, make a choice to see a positive in it.  Learn something from every situation and view it as a challenge to overcome.  You control your life circumstances; the circumstances of your life do not control you. Also, try turning off all blue light producing devices(yes that includes your iPhones) at least 30 minutes before bed and try keeping a gratitude journal in which, before you go to sleep, write out a list of 5 things you are thankful for that day.  They don't have to be winning the lottery, it can be someone holding a door open for you, a compliment about your shoes, literally ANYTHING.  Speaking of bed, most importantly, GET ENOUGH SLEEP!  This is the most restorative thing you can do for yourself.  Get at least 7 hours of sleep a night, preferably upwards of 9.

All of these things together can improve motivation, productivity, decision making and willpower.  So, how does all of this relate to fitness?  Well, if you improve your overall well being it is reasonable to assume that you will make better choices about diet and sticking to that exercise routine you keep putting off.   The great thing about exercise is that it in and of itself stimulates neurotransmitter production and has the same effect of any other positive habit on your brain.  So where is a good place to start?  Get up off your ass and go lift something.  

Let me know how changing your habits, diet or lifestyle has affected other aspects of your lives!