I hate all the talk about the economy right now. Just hate it!
I know that our economy is not in the best shape its ever been and that we are all headed for some changes (which were probably needed anyway), but I can’t stand to listen to the “doomsayers” in the newspapers and on the evening news every day and night preaching fear.
This “fear mongering” makes it possible for those with, lets say, “a little less scruples” to convince us as a nation to do things that are not really in our best interest after all… (can you say “weapons of mass destruction?”)
Sorry that’s another blog post for another time… (back to today’s blog)
There’s a lot of talk these days about a recession, even a depression, being on the way! And even though I’m not letting this talk effect me… and even though Athlon Elite is doing better than ever… there probably are a lot of other people paying more attention to their budgets right now and spending less.
If this is you, don’t sacrifice eating “clean and green,” for cheaper more unhealthy alternatives. Make your food budget stretch to cover healthy choices, it will pay huge health dividends and end up being way cheaper than doctor’s visits and lost time at work.
Here’s a food budget strategy for continuing to eat “clean and green” in tough times:
Buy in season -Trying to eat organic summer vegetables in the winter will quickly put a dent in your food budget. Right now, root vegetables, potatoes, and winter squash are at their cheapest and their tastiest. Apples are also fresh and reasonably priced, and citrus comes into season around the holidays. Use in-season vegetables and fruits to fill your family’s table with affordable nutritious goodness.
Think ahead - Shop once a week, and don’t shop for food while hungry. Buying all of your food on one trip avoids the trap of running to the store several times, which burns extra gas and can add extra impulse buys to your basket.
Make a plan - Planning your weekly meals and sticking to it keeps you from buying whatever sounds good when you’re shopping. Always shop from a list.
Buy in bulk - Try to have the staple foods on hand at all times, buying a month’s worth or more and storing it in the pantry. Many co-ops and health food stores offer discounts for case quantities and bulk bags of grains. Most grains, beans, and flour is sold in 25 or 50 pound bags. 20 pounds of beans fits perfectly in a 5 gallon bucket, keeping it fresh and safe from bugs or rodents. Check at hospitals or school cafeterias for free food-grade buckets.
Cook at home - Eating out will burn up your cash, and many restaurants serve food with dubious origins, so cooking from scratch makes the most sense to us.
Eat simple - For families that eat meat, cutting back meat-based dishes to once or twice a week means being able to afford organic or grass-fed choices (which are much more healthy for you on account of the omega-3 fatty acids in it). Fill out a dish with grains or beans. Making a casserole or soup can keep the menu simple and affordable.
Make extra - A large meal cooked once a week and served as leftovers or sent for lunches helps to save energy and water. It’s less stressful for the cook as well.
Mention ‘sports nutrition’ to most athletes and coaches and the first word that comes to mind is carbohydrates.
That’s understandable. We all know how essential carbohydrate is to sports performance.
But there’s another essential component of sports nutrition that’s equally important, one that athletes and coaches (and people interested in weight loss) often underestimate at their peril.
And that’s PROTEIN.
A typical protein molecule.
Protein is so much more than just an essential nutrient – it’s the largest component in the body after water, typically representing about 15% of body weight. What’s more, most of this protein mass is found in muscle, which helps explain the importance of protein to athletes.
The problem here is this… almost all studies I’ve read on protein supplementation demonstrated a recurring problem in the subjects being studied, (whether they were athletes or weight loss individuals), and that’s that they are regularly deficient in the recommended protein intake and total calorie intake according to the American Dietetic Association’s recommended levels. And using a protein supplement once or twice daily raised the individual back to the recommended intake.
There is a lot of good research that points to improvements in strength gains and lean muscle mass with a protein supplement, but there is still much controversy about the benefit of protein supplementation on performance in sports, power, and resting testosterone and cortisol levels. Some say it improves, some say there is no change.
However, one thing that is consistent in the research is that protein supplementation improved the person’s recommended protein intake levels and caloric intake to the desired range. And that alone is very important to you accomplishing your goals. If you read this blog regularly you know how important meeting your correct daily calories and protein levels are.
Talk to an Athlon Elite trainer today about what protein supplement we recommend and why, and when to ideally take it for the best gains.
Create a powerful day… (and get your protein and calories at the right levels today)!!!
Ok, so many of you have probably already seen the High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) commercials that have been running on TV the last couple weeks. Their stating that HFCS should not be made the villain and that its a perfectly healthy food. The commercial is below. Watch it and then read our take on it…
Hmmm…
Made from Corn
No artificial ingredients
Fine in Moderation
Let’s look at these.
Made from Corn… well yes but its not corn, nor is it fructose from corn. It’s not natural at all, it is a synthetic food that is made chemically out of glucose that has been extracted from corn that in turn has been enzymatically converted to fructose then mixed back with glucose again. Hence, the body does not react to it the same way that it reacts to natural sugars or even table sugar. Plus, I can think of many natural things, and things made from natural things, that I wouldn’t put in my mouth or body.
No artificial ingredients… Well here’s how they make it. You tell me if this sounds natural???
1. Cornstarch is treated with alpha-amylase to produce shorter chains of sugars called oligosaccharides.
2. Glucoamylase breaks the sugar chains down even further to yield the simple sugar glucose.
3. Xylose isomerase (aka glucose isomerase) converts glucose to a mixture of about 42% fructose and 50–52% glucose with some other sugars mixed in. While inexpensive alpha-amylase and glucoamylase are added directly to the slurry and used only once, the more costly glucose-isomerase is packed into columns and the sugar mixture is then passed over it, allowing it to be used repeatedly until it loses its activity.
4. This 42–43% fructose glucose mixture is then subjected to a liquid chromatography step where the fructose is enriched to approximately 90%.
5. The 90% fructose is then back-blended with 42% fructose to achieve a 55% fructose final product.
6. Most manufacturers use carbon absorption for impurity removal. Numerous filtration, ion-exchange and evaporation steps are also part of the overall process.
I wonder if that’s how God (or Mother Nature) makes real sugar?
"It’s Fine In Moderation"… Remember when Coke used to come in 6 ounce bottles (for the record that was long before my time), then 8 ounces, then 12, now 20 ounces. That’s three and a half times bigger. I never see 12 ounce bottles of Coke anymore unless you’re buying cans in bulk… 12 pack, 18-pack, cases, flats, etc. And fountains?? You get the 22 ouncer only if you’re a big sissy! Otherwise it’s 32, 48 and the 60 if you’re real messed up! You’ve heard it before… the next one up is "only 10 cents more." Does moderation still exist these days?
Today, if I were not to have followed the Athlon Elite diet plan of natural meats, veggies, starches and fruits, I probably would have had some Pop-Tarts for breakfast (loaded with HFCS), a granola bar for mid-day snack (loaded with HFCS), a sandwich and chips and maybe a cookie for lunch (bread, chips and cookies are loaded with HFCS), Cheez-Itz for a snack (these have corn syrup instead, which some would argue is even worse because that’s what you get in step 2 above),… you get the picture here?
Moderation is fine but try to moderate in this society. It’s more challenging than you think to go a day without HFCS. If you’re a parent, like the one’s in the video above, just try at your kids next party to only pour ONE 8-ounce glass of punch per kid. How do you think that will go over???
Do you keep a journal of your daily activity and nutritional intake? If you are like most, the answer is "NO!"
Apparently one of the best ways to improve your overall health and vitality is to keep a health journal. Nothing fancy is needed, just a simple composition book will suffice. Write the start date on the front of the book and then when it is full put the end date to help keep track of things. Save these books forever as you will be going back to look at them at some point.
What should go in the book? Whatever you think you want to track: workout including reps, sets weights etc, food intake (don’t forget to include the vices like BEER and WINE) including quantitites, how you felt, goals…….
You hear it all the time - from your mom, from dietitians, from doctors, from coaches, heck, even from your uncle Jimmy.
Just eat a “balanced diet” and you should be fine.
Of course, the fact that no one ever mentions what actually constitutes a “balanced diet” only adds to the mystique and allure of this mythical creature.
To your mom, a balanced diet pretty much means whatever she puts on your plate. To your dietitian and doctor, it pretty much means to eat less saturated fat and cholesterol. To your coach, it means whatever keeps you from getting fatter. And to your uncle Jimmy, it means skipping breakfast, having fries and a burger for lunch, and having a 6-pack of beer after work.
For most people, a balanced diet is simply a buzz word for “eating whatever I want to eat.” The phrase is beautifully vague enough to be able to justify their own personal choices with amazing vehemence and rationalization. It’s vague enough to convince folks that no changes are necessary in their daily intake. It’s vague enough for dietitians to suggest that no supplements are required to meet our daily needs.
Yet it’s also vague enough to be utterly useless and void of all utility or meaning. And it’s vague enough to ensure that the rates of diabetes, heart disease and obesity consistently increase.
Let’s look at some interesting research on a “balanced” diet…
Here’s the reference if you want to look it up yourself:
J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2006; 3(1): 51–55.
Food Alone May Not Provide Sufficient Micronutrients for Preventing Deficiency
Bill Misner
Before we look at the study though, the ADA, (American Dietetic Association), establishes nutrition standards for the population at large, (I guess trying to outline what a “balanced” diet is):
Assuming a 2000kcal diet, the average person should be getting the following macronutrients each day:
Total Fat 65 g
Saturated fatty acids 20 g
Cholesterol 300 mg
Sodium 2400 mg
Potassium 4700 mg
Total carbohydrate 300 g
Fiber 25 g
Protein 50 g And in terms of micronutrients:
Vitamin A 5000 IU
Vitamin C 60 mg
Calcium 1000 mg
Iron 18 mg
Vitamin D 400 IU
Vitamin E 30 IU
Vitamin K 80 μg
Thiamin 1.5 mg
Riboflavin 1.7 mg
Niacin 20 mg
Vitamin B6 2 mg
Folate 400 μg
Vitamin B12 6 μg
Biotin 300 μg
Pantothenic acid 10 mg
Phosphorus 1000 mg
Iodine 150 μg
Magnesium 400 mg
Zinc 15 mg
Selenium 70 μg
Copper 2 mg
Manganese 2 mg
Chromium 120 μg
Molybdenum 75 μg
Chloride 3400 mg
Again, these numbers are very conservative. They’ve been established by the ADA as rock-bottom minimums required to prevent us from contracting diseases, they say nothing about optimization of your body, or metabolism.
So, to the study… The researchers analyzed 70 diets of exercisers and non-exercisers who were “trying” to improve their nutritional intake… (hence eat a “balanced” diet as best they could).
They found that not a single one met all of the “minimum micronutrient levels suggested by the ADA!”
Specifically, the deficiencies were:
Iodine - 100% of the diets were deficient in iodine
Vitamin D - 95% of the diets were deficient in vitamin D
Zinc - 80% of the diets were deficient in zinc
Vitamin E - 65% of the diets were deficient in vitamin E
Calories - 50% of the diets were deficient in calories
Calcium - 50% of the diets were deficient in calcium
So what does this mean? Well, exactly what you already know… a “balanced diet” is not so easy to do in this society. You need a little help!!! Therefore, you should be:
one, taking a multivitamin like the one Athlon Elite provides its members as a part of their membership (free) everyday, two, you should be considering other supplementation that is shown in the literature to have a significant effect on your metabolism, and various diseases like cardiovascular disease (like EFA’s, Green Tea Extract, Quercitin and Vitamin C, etc… products recommended in many of Athlon Elite’s programs),
and three, consult a professional and have your diet analyzed (or do it yourself at www.CalorieKing.com).
For a little help analyzing your diet, or any other fitness issue, call today for a free consult with one of Athlon Elite’s lead trainers. You might be surprised at what you’ll learn!
As discussed earlier this week, there are many different diets out there and many different people telling you what to do when it comes to "eating right" to obtain the body that you want (be it healthy, lean, fast, efficient, muscular, etc.). There are good reasons that they tell you these things but it really does get confusing. So "KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID" and do the one thing that we know works… EAT OFTEN, about every 3 to 3 1/2 hours, or you’ll look like this at work and in your workouts…
Travis’s Dog, Laila, after going too long without food!
(Have you ever felt like this???)
Try to include in each meal a mix of natural complex carbohydrates, fiber, protein, and essential fats. This means a starchy complex carbohydrate (like rice or fruit), a fibrous carbohydrate (vegetable), and a lean protein (fish, chicken, Turkey, Tofu). Frequent fueling maintains a high metabolism and it decreases the amount of food you actually eat during a day or week or month. Give it a try!
Now for some strategy:
Frequent fueling is a simple and effective way to be lean and healthy, but you’ll have to do a little planning ahead, that’s all…
First, be sure you have fresh food available at all times.
Stock the fridge at home and/or work with chopped veggies (that you chop fresh every Sunday and put into baggies) and some humus for a dip (you can buy good humus at Trader Joe’s)
Keep a jar of unsalted almonds and dried fruit beneath your desk
Every week stock a desk drawer with a couple bananas, apples and/or seedless grapes
And, though it’s not fresh, a good whey protein powder from Athlon Elite mixes in well with a piece of fruit as an excellent and very simple mid-afternoon meal
Use your Sundays to do a little food prepping (it will ultimately save a ton of time during the week, and it’s fun to do a little fresh cooking on Sunday’s with the family):
Barbeque a bunch of chicken and/or turkey breasts, lean steak or pork fillets and bag-up into multiple zip-loc baggies
Make a big pot of soup or chili (you can use left over meat from the barbeque) and pour into multiple Tupperware dishes
Make a big pot of brown rice and scoop some into your chili bowls or store separately in Tupperware containers
Boil a dozen eggs and store them in a bowl in your fridge to pick at all week long (they make great mid-afternoon snacks with a piece of fruit)
When you do cook in the evenings during the week make a little extra and prep yourself lunches and mid-afternoon meals with that food:
Buy some Tupperware containers that have separate compartments so you can keep your "entrees" separate
When you clean-up after making dinner divide the left-overs up into these Tupperware lunch containers and stack in the fridge ready to use
Finally, there are many "fairly healthy" frozen foods that you can buy and use for meals, take a trip to Costco or your local Supermarket and buy:
Frozen teriyaki chicken bowls
Lean Cuisine dinners
Frozen "healthy" burritos (try to get ones that are not stuffed with cheese and refried beans)
(Costco is great for this, they have pretty good frozen foods and you can buy a box of 12 or more!)
Once you’ve prepped using some of the strategies from above all you have to do now is… EAT!
Eat regularly every 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Set an alarm if you have to, JUST EAT!
As mentioned above, try to include in each meal a mix of natural complex carbohydrates, fiber, protein, and essential fats, avoid or minimize simple sugars and hydrogenated fats, and get your meals from a variety of sources all found in the perimeter of the supermarket (not down the isles).
I have onething that you can do to make your diet healthier, turn up your metabolism and torch more body fat. And it’s not controversial…
You see, I was thinking this weekend about nutrition and what "eating better" means. I hear the two word phrase all the time… Athlon Elite members are always asking me about "eating better," nutritionists are always telling me about "eating better," my girlfriend says I should "eat better." But when I do some research into "eating better" I get many, many different ideas of what "eating better" really is. Some "experts" say we should eat more protein and less carbs, some "experts" say saturated fat should be cut out of our diet, then another "expert" says saturated fat is good in our diet as it is the building block of many of our hormones, then I see all kinds of books written on how different bodies should eat different diets… what kind of body do I have… I thought mine was human???
The Typical Food Pyramid
(our government recommends this one)
A Different Pyramid
(many physicians recommend this one)
The Paleolithic Diet
(Becoming popular with "Wellness" Advocates)
I continually here from people about how hard it is for them to "eat better" because they don’t exactly know "what is better." And if you’re anything like me, you’ll try so hard to figure out what’s "exactly right" that you’ll get lost in the details and ultimately give up in failure ("analysis paralysis").
The fact is, there is no "exactly right" to "eating better." My friend and trainer Dave Brown, who has spent the last 8 years of his life studying this stuff with a bachelors and masters degree in nutrition, sums it up perfectly when he says there is "no perfect nutrition," there is only "best-guess nutrition." After years of his own research he’s realized that human physiology is such a complex subject it is pretty much impossible to "perfectly" isolate and research, thus any nutrition recommendations that come out of research are "best-guess" recommendations at best.
So does this mean we should give up… throw in the towel and drink more sodas and eat McDonald’s for lunch everyday? No. There is one very definite "best-guess" nutrition practice that will make you healthier, more energetic and burn more body fat… eat more frequent meals.
"Frequently fueling" your machine will keep it running smoothly throughout the day and through the week. By Fueling your body frequently, ideally every 3 - 3 1/2 hours, you send a continuous supply of vital nutrients into your body. Metabolism, by definition, simply means "the speed with which your body burns through food." To boost metabolism, to become one of those people who can eat anything and not get fat, it’s essential that you put lots of food through the "food burning machine" with consistent regularity.
This strategy is the second step in our six-step Burn program, a program designed to turn-up your internal furnace and "torch" body fat. If you fuel the machine more frequently you’ll do two things: one, you’ll keep a higher metabolism as you’ll balance hormones and burn a ton of energy digesting it, and two, you’ll eat less. Yes! You will eat less. One of the biggest reasons for over-eating is going too long since your last "fueling" (food intake).
So, if you want what most people do, (a toned/chissled, energetic, fat burning machine), start eating more meals throughout the day. It really works!
Check back later this week for tips and strategies on how to effectively do this simple, one-step nutritional plan and start feeling better and "torching body fat" right away.
Lots of information out there about nutrition and supplements. The biggest topics receiving multiple expert opinions revolves around intermittent fasting and the avoidance of processed sugars and grains. Check out Robb Wolf’s site as well as the infamous Art DeVany or Modern Forager for more specific information.
We have already beat into your head the value of some type of recovery supplement within 30 minutes of completing your workout. We like Fluid! Now we want to knock you silly with making some changes to your diet. Think about what you are eating, when you are eating it and why you are eating it???
Live like a Spartan, train like a Spartan and eat like a Spartan. Garbage in will get ya garbage out………
