Category Archives: Nutrition
Save Money by Losing Weight
Some staggering statistics I extracted from this article on OBESITY
- The percentage of Americans who are obese (with a BMI of 30 or higher) has tripled since 1960, to 34 percent, while the incidence of extreme or “morbid” obesity (BMI above 40) has risen sixfold, to 6 percent. The percentage of overweight Americans (BMI of 25 to 29.9) has held steady: It was 34 percent in 2008 and 32 percent in 1961.
- Obesity-related absenteeism costs employers as much as $6.4 billion a year, health economists led by Eric Finkelstein of Duke University calculated.
- The additional medical spending due to obesity is double previous estimates and exceeds even those of smoking, a new study shows.
- The startling economic costs of obesity, often borne by the non-obese, could become the epidemic’s second-hand smoke.
- The U.S. health care reform law of 2010 allows employers to charge obese workers 30 percent to 50 percent more for health insurance if they decline to participate in a qualified wellness program.
- Nationally, that comes to $190 billion a year in additional medical spending as a result of obesity, calculated Cawley, or 20.6 percent of U.S. health care expenditures.
You have to read the full article to grasp the magnitude of the impact on what obesity can cause to an individual, their employer and the over all economic impact it has……just mind blowing!
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/americas-waistline-expands-costs-soar-100758490–sector.html
A Typical Day
A typical day for me is, well, typical in the sense that it isn’t anything extra-ordinary but over time, seems to work well for me. I usually start my day by getting up at 5AM (if I sleep past 6 I think it’s late) and have 1-2 cups of organic coffee with organic heavy whipping cream. I make a shake consisting of organic coconut milk, organic berries and organic shredded coconut. This will usually be breakfast for me during the morning in between training clients. I sometimes will bring hard-boiled organic, omega-3 extra-large brown eggs to have for additional protein and fat.
Lunch is usually a few ounces of grass-fed cheese and a substantial amount of some type of protein source such as chicken, turkey or grass-fed meat and a couple of slices of bacon. I then will have some fruit, some almonds and/or walnuts and a small square of 90% chocolate. Depending on my schedule, I will have a small snack later of some more nuts or fruit and then it’s on to dinner.
Dinner for me is “feeding time at the zoo”. I eat like it’s my last meal and I’m a blur at the table. One of my favorite meals is sitting down to 2 or 3, 6 ounce grass-fed steakburgers from La Cense Beef. Yes, I can eat over a pound of this delicious, nutritious meat and it is extremely satisfying and worth every penny. I also will eat a few cups of veggies such as Brussel sprouts roasted with red onion and bacon, a mixed salad with extra virgin olive oil or maybe some broccoli or cauliflower and wash it down with a Redbridge or Bard’s brew. Dessert has been organic berries mixed with organic whipping cream and coconut mil to make an ice cream/sorbet mix in my new Ninja blender.
On days that I strength train, I usually follow my session up with a drink of Endura and every day I walk a minimum of 10,000 steps, part of which includes my pal, Angel.
Goals+Commitment = Results
One of my clients, Marty R. decided in February 2011 that it was time to take control of his health (and life). He established a goal of hitting of quitting smoking, exercising and obtaining a certain bodyweight. Marty contacted me in late August/early September 2011 to start training again with me. See, about 5 or 6 years ago Marty started to train with me but experienced horrible headaches when he exercised. At first I attributed it to EIH (exercise induced headaches) but after a half a dozen workouts, Marty had to stop. He realized, at some point, that the cigarettes were causing his problem.
Marty has been extremely focused for several month’s – weighing himself (but not obsessively), checking his body fat levels, monitoring not just his calories but his quality of food, walking, recreating and working his ass off when he trains at the gym as I can attest to. Keep in mind that weight is not always indicative of progress as Marty, without strength training, may have reached his weight goal sooner, however, he would not have put on any appreciative muscle tissue therefore leaving his total progress “scale related”. When you strength train – properly, consistently, intensely, you build strength, muscle tissue and cardiovascular fitness and therefore adding muscle shows on the scale. Below is a chart of Marty’s weight loss progress. I’m hoping he revels his body fat progress chart as well since it is quite impressive for a 58-year-old male:
Allergy Season
Whether you suffer the traditional allergy symptoms or not, allergens in the air can wreak havok on your body. Trouble breathing, dizziness, lethargy, trouble focusing and the like can all take their toll on us. A good way to combat some of these symptoms naturally is to try some or all of the following:
* Nasal Saline Soution several times a day
* Local honey (start with 1/2 tsp and move up to a full tbls over two week period – the local honey is from local bees eating the local pollen) and if not local, get raw…local honey can be gotten at Asbury Park Roastery
* Vitamin C 2-5 grams a day
* Drink plenty of water
* Pro-biotics
* Chiropractor/Acupuncture
* A good multi vitamin/mineral (I carry these at Premiere)
* Exercise regularly but if you are a “sufferer”, retreat to indoors for the time being
All of these are to stimulate and support the immune system
Tips From Tara – Hydration
With warmer days quickly approaching and activity levels increasing, it is very important to remember to keep hydrated. When the muscles have the proper nutrients, they are much more likely to better perform. This means that drinks such as soda, coffee, and energy drinks should NOT be the drink of choice. These drinks work only to dehydrate the body. Obviously, the best choice for hydration is water. Water helps to provide oxygen to the muscles which help them much more efficiently with the work load. Be careful with Vitamin Water, Gatorade, and other flavored waters as the sugars in them are not condusive to hydration. If you do need an electrolyte replacement, Endura is by far one of the best choices when heavy persperation is involved.
So remember to stay hydrated and have fun enjoying the warm weather!
An Apple A Day
Mark Sisson, the author of The Primal Blueprint does a fantastic job of providing information on nutrition and health related subjects in his blog titled MARK’s DAILY APPLE. You can subscribe to the page or just check it out now and again as his site is very deep and well detailed with all kinds of information. Like always, you may or may not agree with all he has to say but in keeping an open mind in reading you may just pick up some helpful advice.
Grass Fed Meats
There are a few really good quality grass-fed meat places available that I know of. One is SLANKERS down in Texas and the other is La Cense Beef. As of late, I’ve been leaning more to La Cense because they have been some really good Groupon deals as well as discounts to current clients. My meat of choice is their Steak Burger and their Hot Dogs are pretty damn good as well.
Randy Roach – Installment #3
A must read is Randy Roach’s Third Installment on nutrition, Muscle, Smoke & Mirrors II, how he changed out of that dumb-ass Arnold tank top and much, much more.
Randy Roach Interview – Part 2
Randy continues his facinating journey through his experiences in bodybuilding and in particular, his nutritional experimentation over the years. From vegetarionism to he finding the Weston A.Price Foundation.
And of course, Randy discusses bodybuilding history a bit deeper in PART II.
Randy Roach
Organic Grass Fed Meat
There is no doubt that organic, grass fed meat is healthier than commercial grade meats. There are no pesticides, hormones, grains or steriods. The cows are naturally raised on organic land eating grass, they aren’t not brutally slaughtered, they have healthier essential fats, the protein source is better and the taste is phenominal. Personally, since I’ve switched to OGFB, I expereince no joint pain as I did when I ate commercial grade meats. I can consume more food with easier digestion and enjoy the fattier cuts with better health benefits. Those who eat a Paleo style diet especially will benefit from eating these meats (anyone looking for more information on the Paleo or “non grain” Diet should contact me).
To purchase organic grass fed meat, poultry, dairy and wild fish, I highly recommend SLANKERS. Their food, pricing and service are outstanding.
