Nutrition Is Key, But Small Changes Can Make A Big Impact.

With spring quickly approaching, more and more people are ready to shed excess fat gained over the winter months in an effort to prepare for the upcoming summer. However, there is all to often a somewhat skewed perception regarding the correct approach to weight loss.

Proper weight loss requires a synergistic approach incorporating:

·       Resistance training to increase the rate of metabolism.

·       Cardiovascular training to burn off existing body fat.

·       Nutrition management (diet) to properly fuel, repair and maintain the body, as well as ensuring proper caloric intake.

Resistance and cardiovascular training are very important elements to improved overall health and sustained weight loss, but nutrition management is 80% of the equation hands down. The best workout program won’t yield any visible results if you don’t take control over your diet.

 Let me say this in a different way for clarity: If you exercise everyday but don’t make any changes to your eating habits you will not see any visible results.

Still hard to grasp? lets use numbers to paint the picture:

            Daily caloric intake (calories consumed)            2500 Calories

Daily caloric requirements                           -1900 Calories

Excess calories consumed                                  600 Calories

            Workout caloric expenditure                            -   450 Calories

             Excess calories remaining                                  150 Calories

If your daily caloric requirement is 1900 calories, and you consume 2500 calories, you are consuming 600 more calories than your body requires each day. Ah HA!!! But you workout…Six times per week you say. Let’s further investigate. Let’s say you burn 450 calories during each of your workouts. That’s great but the problem is that of those 600 extra calories consumed, only 450 were burned off during exercise.  That still leaves a surplus of 150 unused calories that will be converted to excess body fat.  All of that hard work gone down the drain because of unmanaged eating. 

Eating is America’s favorite past time, and because of this 60% of the population is overweight.  Are you a part of this statistic? If you’re ready to make the commitment to begin a regular work out program, you must be willing to take it a step further and commit to nutritional changes as well.

Committing to a total nutritional overhaul is a daunting task for some but you can make a big impact with some minor changes:

·       Decrease Portion Sizes: Make a conscious effort to reduce your portions at each meal. If you are dining at a restaurant, ask for a to go container before your meal arrives. Restaurant portions are typically 2-3 times more than what you really need. Box up at least half of it before you take that first bite.

·       Pack Snacks: Take a detour from the afternoon vending machine trip and have a piece of fruit or raw veggies instead. 

·       Cut out one fast food meal per week.  If you consume fast food 5 times during the week, commit to reducing this number down to 4 times this week. Next week reduce the number again.

This simple approach to improving your eating habits will not get you a visible six pack but Rome wasn’t built in a day.  Let’s start by getting you on the right path to improving your health and fitness.

For additional information or questions, contact Misty Robinson at San Fernando Valley Adventure Boot Camp, 818-357-2352 or Misty@ValleyAdventureBootCamp.com.  Misty is a Certified Fitness Trainer, Certified Adventure Boot Camp Instructor and Co-Owner of San Fernando Valley Adventure Boot Camp, an outdoor fitness program for women. www.ValleyAdventureBootCamp.com

Guilt Free Flavor

Looking to add flavor to your meal without adding extra calories? Try fresh herbs and spices. You will enjoy more flavor AND a smaller you! Remember to avoid creamy or oily dressings-while these are flavorful, they are also filled with fat and calories.

Top 10 Nutrtion Tips

Tip 1: Eat six meals a dayIf you’ve been following the typical nutritional advice of cutting back on calories and consuming no more than “three square meals” a day in the hope of shifting your fat-burning efforts into high gear, you may actually be throwing the whole process into reverse. According to scientists at Georgia State University, active folks who skimp on calories and eat infrequently (only three times a day) may be training their bodies to get by on less energy and therefore more readily storing unburned calories as body fat. Instead, these researchers and many others advise active people to eat frequently (about every three hours) to accelerate metabolism and maintain steady energy levels throughout the day. 

 Tip 2: Combine carbohydrates and protein at every meal The simple fact is, our bodies work better with a balance of carbohydrates and protein. Not only is protein essential for building healthy  muscle and maintaining a strong immune system, it stabilizes insulin levels, which leads to steady energy throughout the day. One more benefit: eating protein has been shown to reduce your appetite. So, avoid high-carbohydrate nutrition plans and instead balance your protein and carbohydrate intake.  

Tip 3: Choose “appropriate” portion sizes USDA statistics show that because of increased portion sizes, the average total daily calorie intake has risen from 1,854 calories to 2,002 calories over the last 20 years. That increase—148 calories per day—theoretically works out to an extra 15 lbs. every year. Portion size is important to weight management. Employ a common sense approach, such as using the palm of your hand or your clenched fist for gauging the portion sizes of food. 

Tip 4: Plan meals ahead of time You may even want to try different recipes and decide what works for you before you begin your training program. Experiment with different seasonings, try a variety of vegetables, and find which microwave settings work best for preheating food. By the time you’re ready to start, you’ll have the supplies you need and the confidence that you know what you’re doing. Then, fix your meals in advance and freeze them. It’s important to shop at least once a week. If you forget, you’ll run out of good food and be tempted to cheat on your diet. 

Tip 5: Get containers to store your food Purchase plastic storage containers, sports bottles, a water jug and a cooler to store and carry your food. Having nutritious meals within reach during a hectic day can keep you on track. 

Tip 6: Drink 10 glasses of water every day

It’s especially important to stay well hydrated when following a comprehensive training, nutrition, and supplementation program. Drink at least one glass of water with each of your six meals, and four more throughout the day. If you have an occasional diet soda, coffee or tea, you’ll need to drink an additional glass to compensate for the diuretic effect of these beverages

 Tip 7: Consume quality protein within 30 minutes of exerciseYour muscles are primed for nutrients immediately after an intense workout, but within two hours, your body’s ability to refuel decreases. Taken within 30 minutes of your workout, a high-quality protein will help you refuel and build muscle.  

Tip 8: Use high-quality supplements

Supplements can help make up for any nutritional deficiencies and enhance performance. When purchasing supplements, look for companies that invest heavily in research to maximize the effectiveness of their products. We recommend a multi-vitamin & mineral and omega 3 oils to our clients. 

Tip 9: Find your “emotional reason” for staying on track

Researchers at George Washington University discovered that people who successfully transform their bodies are set in action by some sort of “emotional trigger” that helps to clarify their reasons for deciding to make change. In the study, researchers found that any event, which elicited strong emotions such as alarm, embarrassment, shame and/or fear actually inspired people to transform their bodies for the better. Take a moment to consider your “emotional trigger” and use it to stay committed to your nutrition program. 

Tip 10: Strive for consistency, not perfection

You can be sure there will be the occasional meal or snack that’s not on the recommended food list. When you get off track in this way, don’t allow it to slow you down. Enjoy the divergence, recommit to your goal, and get back on track with your next meal.

Trim the Fat

Before you bite into a tasty steak, check for visible fat on the meat. Cut this excess fat off and you will end up with a healthier meal. Remove the skin from chicken and make it a habit to select extra lean cuts of meat while grocery shopping.

Eat Until Your Heart’s Content

On raw vegetables, that is! When you are craving a juicy burger with greasy fries-go to town on a bag of chopped veggies. Don’t worry about overeating veggies. You will stop eating it once you are full, since it is not the object of your unhealthy desires. Also, the veggies are packed with filling fiber that is low in calories. Talk about the perfect snack! Try different vegetables and learn which you like best…..then stock your fridge!!!

To your health!

There is Such Thing as Too Much Salt!!

Eating too much salt will wreck havoc on your healthy lifestyle. Raised blood pressure and bloating are just a few of the adverse side effects that an extra dose of salt will lead to. Make it a habit to pass on the salt and to purchase low sodium food items. Your belly and health will thank you!

Why All The Diet Talk?

You may wonder why we rant and rave about your eating habits in this newsletter so often. To be perfectly honest, we would love to discuss only exercise. To divulge how we can sculpt the human body into a finely tuned machine of strength and agility. However, it just wouldn’t be practical to ignore your diet.

You see, we write this newsletter to benefit you. Our purpose is to give you practical tips that you can use to improve your health and fitness level-today.

Which leads us to the disturbing truth…

Your diet is ruining your body. 

We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but someone had to say it. We can talk about exercise until we are blue in the face, but until you take charge of your diet, it would all be in vain.

Today’s statistics show that nearly 60% of the population is currently overweight or obese. While this is shocking, according to a new study reported by WebMD, three out of four US adults will be overweight or obese by the year 2015. That’s 75% of us.

Wow, those are some scary numbers. You certainly don’t want to become part of that statistic.So what’s the deal? Why are we getting fatter and fatter? It all comes back to that little word…diet. The diet of today’s adult is simply out of control. Here’s why:

• Portions gone wild. It all started in the 1970’s. Restaurants began to increase their portions and as a result the unsuspecting public ate more. Since then portions have continued to grow and most people continue to clear their plates despite the extra calories.
• Convenience food mayhem. Junk food used to be only found in vending machines-not so today. Have you ever noticed how the checkout line in the supermarket has changed in recent years? It used to be stocked with gum, mints and a few candy bars. Now everything from potato chips to cookies sit within arm’s reach. Very few people get through their day without consuming some kind of convenience food.
• Fast food fallout. How many fast food restaurants do you pass on your way to work? Probably more than you can count. How many times do you stop in for a quick bite? Probably more times than you would like to admit. Fast food has never been more available than it is today-and it shows in the waistline.

Here’s something you may not know: If you were to exercise everyday of the week but failed to change your eating habits from those listed above, you wouldn’t see any visible results.

Now don’t get me wrong-exercise is a vital ingredient for improving your fitness level, health and the shape of your body. Exercise and good nutrition go hand-in-hand. You won’t make progress toward your goals without them both.

So where does this leave you? The way we see it, you are faced with an opportunity. With just a few small changes to your daily eating habits you could be well on your way to having an incredible body. Couple this with an exercise program and you will be unstoppable.

Keeping with our goal to give you practical tips to improve your health and fitness level, here are three ways to improve your diet.

1. Slash your portions. Even though that mountain of pasta looks great, remind yourself that it is three or four times more than you really need to eat, and those extra calories are going to land right on your waist. Consciously make an effort to reduce your portions at each meal and watch how your weight shrinks and your energy soars.
2. Pack your snacks. Instead of turning to a bag of chips or packaged cookies in mid afternoon, reach for a piece of fruit instead. It only takes a few minutes to pack healthy snacks for your day, and it will save you a boatload of extra calories. Convenience food is packed with sugar, fat and empty calories that will only leave you more sluggish and uncomfortable than you are today
3. Cut out one fast food meal per week. If you currently eat 5 fast food meals each week then only eat four this week. Next week reduce that number down to three. And then two, and then one. Once fast food isn’t a regular part of your diet you should look at it as something to be had as a treat-not a dietary staple.

Now that you have three simple ways to drastically improve your eating habits, this brings us back to exercise. You need regular challenging exercise in order to achieve and maintain results. It’s as simple as that.

Contact us today to get started on your very own fitness training program.

Sincerely,

Team Synergy Fitness