The Stair Master Upgraded Pt 1

Hey OwnPace Family,

I know a lot of you have memberships to gyms and you use the stair master (I give it as homework to some of you). But the feedback I've gotten is usually "it's to boring", so I've put together some new things you can do on the stair master. This is just part 1, hope you enjoy the video and don't hesitate to ask me any questions. 

Also, if you know anyone that could possible use this, please share it with them.

Until next time, 

Olan

OwnPace: 8 minutes a day keeps the fat away

Hey Guys, 

This is one of my go to routines to help melt fat away. You can use it on its own or you can add it as finishers to you workouts. I've added a video below so you can see exactly what each exercise looks like. 

Here is how it works:

2 exercises

8 rounds

20 seconds of work

10 seconds break

Day 1 

Squat Jack

Mountain Climber

Day 2

Floor Tap Squats

Push Ups

Day 3 

Burpees

In & Out abs

Day 4

Lunges

Plank Reaches

Day 5

Jump Rope

1,2,hook, hook

Day 6

Challenge day: Do one round of each exercise

Bonus: Weights added

Squat Press

Renegade Row

OwnPace: The Truth about Weight Loss... Part 2

Hi OwnPace Family, 

Hope every one enjoyed part 1 of this series and learnt a thing or two. Now it's time to go a little bit deeper into the process of fat loss. I started this series because most of us have fat loss goals which is why we attempt to "eat clean" and "workout". However after speaking to a lot of people, I realized there is a huge disconnect in understanding how it actually works and people don't know how fat loss happens which is why they try every single gimmick on the market such as slim teas, fat burning pills, extreme food restrictions and all the other fads out there. So now my goal is to help you understand a little bit better how fat loss actually works so you can not only make smarter decisions but also have very REALISTIC expectations.

Before we go any further, ask yourself these questions and answer honestly. When you lose weight/burn fat where does it actually go? How does it leave the body? When you say you want to lose 5lbs, 10lbs, 20lbs etc where does that fat actually go? Also, do you know what 1/5/10/20 lbs of fat looks like?

There is well written article that explains perfectly how fat exits the body, so I don't have to write a whole new one lol. But instead of just giving you a link to the article, I want to also give you some things to think about as you read the article which will help you make sense of fat loss. 

Things to think about:

• How does fat exit the body? Where does it go when you lose it?
• Now that you know how fat exits the body, how does that impact your expectations of how fast you want the weight to fall off?
• Since fat leaves the body through mostly breathing and partially through sweating and urine, what can you do on a daily basis to improve your chances?
• Do you now see why breathing and cardio is important?
• For clients who train with me, do you see why I take breathing very importantly and why we take those deep breaths at the end of each session to ignite the fat loss process?

Some things to take into consideration going forward:

• Be more aware of what you put into your body since now we know it goes nowhere until it is vaporized. So that burger, cake, beer, pizza, bread, ice cream, margarita etc stays in your body until you burn it.
• Really try to understand the kilograms in kilograms out concept, it's a major key to weight loss.
• I preach nutrition is king for fat loss, but now do you see how training (movement of muscles) plays a role in the process?
• Do you see why some kind of movement at the start of your day can help triple your metabolic rate for the rest of the day which increases your fat burning capacity?

Here is the link to the article.

Here is a quick reference guide to easily remember how fat leaves the body.

Until next time, 

Olan 

OwnPace: The Truth about Weight Loss... Part 1

Weight loss can be very challenging but what is even more challenging is keeping the weight off. Have you ever lost weight using any method and then gained it right back? If yes, then keep reading.

When it comes to weight loss, for most people it’s a never-ending vicious cycle of gaining and regaining weight. The most prevalent reason this happens is we use none sustainable ways to achieve the initial weight loss. Most peoples only idea for weight loss is reducing calorie intake and removing certain foods from their diet completely. The problem here is humans are hardwired to resist any type of restriction especially dietary restrictions. Have you ever tried any of the popular diets, or weight loss methods and just couldn’t complete it or do it all the time, so you gave up. I’ll be the one to tell you most of those things work, but not for long. Low calorie diets, slimming teas, fat loss pills, juicing, meal replacements, fat loss 30 day challenges, and any other thing you can think of, they all work in someway but the problem comes when their effectiveness starts to diminish or you just can’t do them anymore. I can almost guarantee if you do a 7-day juicing, you’ll lose some weight. Even better, I have a 3-day diet that will give you a 5 – 10 pound weight loss.

Link to the 3-day diet below:

http://www.ownpaceathletics.com/new-blog/2017/7/2/transformation-challenge-week-5-part-ii

The thing is you just can’t juice for the rest of your life or do my 3-day diet everyday. So most people go back to their normal eating habits and boom, they gain the weight back and sometimes even more. Want to see for yourself, watch this

Through my years of training and research, what I believe we undoubtedly need when it comes to keeping the weight off is a weight maintenance program. There are new weight loss programs popping up every other day, but nobody is really addressing how to maintain it. So, once you’ve accomplished your initial weight loss hopefully through better lifestyle habits, then we have to shift the focus away from weigh loss and toward healthier living and weight maintenance over time.

A few quick things to think about

·      Do know what a set point weight is?

·      Do you know how the human body responds to dietary restrictions?

·      Did you know your body naturally reverts to a set point weight?

My goal is to be able to shift your perceptions on weight loss so you can escape the seemingly never-ending cycle of losing weight.

If you are struggling with your initial weight loss, follow the steps in the links below and watch the pounds fall off.

Step 1:

http://www.ownpaceathletics.com/new-blog/2018/2/4/get-guaranteed-results-now-phase-1-elimination-and-preparation

Full 30-day challenge here:

http://www.ownpaceathletics.com/new-blog/2017/10/29/ownpace-30-day-clean-eating-challenge

Step 2:

http://www.ownpaceathletics.com/new-blog/2018/2/11/phase-2-tracking

Step 3:

http://www.ownpaceathletics.com/new-blog/2018/2/18/phase-3-healthy-food-options-portion-control-and-supersets

Now over the next few weeks, we’ll be addressing several things that will help you understand how to keep the weight off and how to live a healthier lifestyle going forward.

Until next time,

Olan

OwnPace Athletics

PHASE 3: Healthy food options, Portion Control and Supersets

Hey guys,

So in Phase 1 we eliminated all the “bad foods” that we know are most likely keeping us from our optimal health and fitness. And then in Phase 2 we started tracking to see exactly what habits on a day-to-day basis are either helping or hindering our goals.

Now it’s the time to look at your completed tracker from the week to find trends.

Lets start with the morning weight and waist & hip measurements.

What changes do you see?

What are the trends? Are they consistently going up or down or just the same?

Once you figure that out, it’s time to look at what you did on that particular day.

Lets look at an example, if your weight increased from the previous morning, lets find the possible reason. Look at the remainder of your tracker to determine what happened, did you exceed your calorie recommendation? Did you meet your recommended number of steps? And did you workout?

If you exceeded your recommended calories intake then you know that’s most likely the reason, and then if you compound that with not working out and not taking enough steps, you have your answer on what happened. And the same process goes for the inverse scenario, if you wake up lighter than the previous day, look at what you did that day and those are the habits you want to maintain.

Everyone is different and different things work for different people that is the point of tracking, so you can find out what exactly works for you and you can maintain those habits. Some people can eat whatever they want and not gain any weight, and one like me; I can just look at a slice of pizza and gain 5lbs.

Ps: I know tracking every meal is not as easy as it sounds, but nutrition is the number key to fat loss. You can train as hard and as much as you want, but if your nutrition is not up to par, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but YOU WILL NOT LOSE ANY WEIGHT.

My nutrition philosophy at OwnPace is simple “The right diet for you is the one you can sustain for the rest of your life”. That brings me back to tracking and counting calories. Can we track every single thing we eat for the rest our lives? My answer is NOOOOOO!!!!

So what are our options? At OwnPace I like to keep everything simple because I believe our health and fitness habits should seamlessly fit into our lives. There are two ways I’ve found that work extremely well for everybody and they are

·      Eating better food options (a donut vs. an apple)

·      Portion control (one serving of potato chips vs. the whole bag)

Let’s dive deeper into these options.

Step 1: Healthy Food Options

In Phase 1 we eliminated certain foods we classified as bad foods for the purposes of fat loss, so now we are going to take a look at food choices that are better for you.

We should generally have 3 nutrients dense balanced meals a day. A balanced meal comprises of all essential nutrients (macro and micro nutrients).

I know we’ve all heard about Macronutrients and Micronutrients, but what are they?

Our bodies are pretty complicated, meaning that they have a whole lot of nutritional needs in order to survive and function. The composition of our diet is essential to meeting these needs and therefore it’s important to understand the two different types of nutrients. It can be split into: macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fats) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).

The three macronutrients all have their own specific roles and functions in the body.

Good sources of Macronutrients

Protein: Meat, Fish, Chicken, Beans, pulses and legumes, seeds (hemp, chia, flax), nuts (unsalted), quinoa, avocado, beets, raw greens (kale, spinach).

Carbohydrate: Rice, quinoa, potatoes, apples, bananas, cauliflower, carrots, oats, brown rice, millet, quinoa, chickpeas, kidney beans.

Fat: Almonds, walnuts, seeds (pumpkin, chia), olives, avocados

Micronutrients are not needed in the same quantities as macros, however are still equally as important. Micronutrients work in tandem with macronutrients to keep the body functioning and are crucial in order to maintain energy levels, metabolism, cellular function, and physical and mental wellbeing.

Below is a comprehensive list of foods we can eat from the 3 macronutrients. You can mix and match them for as many food options as possible; you don’t have to eat the same thing everyday to be healthy.

Step 2: Portion Control

The ultimate goal when it comes to eating better is to be able to eat intuitively but before we get to that point we have to know what is ideal.

To reach or stay at a healthy weight, how much you eat is just as important as what you eat. Do you know how much food is enough for you? Also, did you know there is a difference between a portion and a serving?

A portion is how much food you choose to eat at one time, whether in a restaurant, from a package, or at home. A serving, or serving size, is the amount of food listed on a product's Nutrition Facts, or food label.

Different products have different serving sizes, which could be measured in cups, ounces, grams, pieces, slices, or numbers—such as three crackers.

The quality of what we are eating matters but the quantity also matters just as much. The secret is once you start downsizing to healthy portions, your body will downsize too and Portion control doesn't mean you have to eat tiny portions of everything.

We all know that we have to burn more calories than we consume to achieve meaningful weight loss and that is why portion control is extremely important. Basically, the larger the portions of food you’re generally served or serve yourself, the more likely you are to eat too much and gain weight.

Before we go any further, to put things in perspective, let’s say you burn about 2,000 calories per day, which is what you’d have to eat to maintain your weight.

If you overate by just 15% every day (about 300 calories more), you’d be faced with about 30 pounds of weight gain by the end of the year…without feeling like you had been overeating at all.

Luckily once we learn to rightsize our portions, we consume fewer calories and once we understand how to control your food portions and have a heightened awareness of how many calories you eat and burn, you can control your body weight with ease.

It’s not very practical to just tell someone to “eat less” when eating large portions of everything is so ingrained.

Here are several options to help you visualize how much you should be eating of your macro and micronutrients.

Ideal Plate

Step 3: Supersets

Finally we get to the training portion. I know this is the part most people care about the most, so lets get to it.

Supersets are when you perform 2 exercises back to back without rest, which is a very effective fat loss method.

Equipment needed:

A pair of dumbbells

Each day we are going to be performing 2 exercises in this fashion

12 reps each exercise

4 rounds – Beginners

6 rounds – intermediate

8 rounds – advanced

Ps: if you feel like you are a beginner and you complete 4 rounds and still got more left in the tank, don’t hesitate to go more than 4 rounds.

Day 1

·      Alternating Lunges

·      Ascending Inch Worm Push ups

Day 2

·      Squat Press

·      Perfect Pushup

Day 3

·      Lunge Curl

·      Renegade Row

Day 4

·      Lateral Lunge Step Up

·      Lateral Raises

Day 5

·      Squat Hammer Curl

·      Front Raises

Day 6

·      Rotational Shoulder Press

·      Jump Jack Press

Day 7

·      The Challenge

·      Do one round of each exercise 

PHASE 2: TRACKING!!!

Hey guys,

Welcome to Phase 2.

We are not going to throw everything from phase 1 out; instead we are actually going to get more diligent in the process. Not only are we keeping the eliminated foods out of our diet, we are also now going to keep track of what we are actually eating. But before we know where we are going, we have to know where we are. And let me be the one to tell you, getting fit and healthy is not easy, it takes a little bit of effort but it is very worth it.

Step 1: The Tracker

Print a physical copy or Open a digital copy of your tracker and lets start filling it out starting with your name. If you do not have a copy of the tracker, please email me at 

info@ownpaceathletics.com

Step 2: Your Goal

Think about what you want to accomplish and write it down. Also, think about how big or small that goal is and the amount of effort required to accomplish it. For example, losing 5 pounds and losing 30 pounds by the same person does not require the same amount of effort. So if you want a noticeable change, you’ll have to make simple but significant lifestyle changes.

Step 3: Record your Initial weight

Measure your initial weight on day zero (the day before you start tracking) and fill out the starting weight portion of the tracker.

Step 4: Determine your recommended calorie consumption

Download “myfitnesspal” app or any calorie counting app if you don’t already have one.

•       Create an account and enter your information as directed such as your goals, fitness level, height, weight, age, gender, exercise level, and goals.

•       The app will then construct a plan for you consisting of your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) based on the information you provided

Once you have that number enter it into the recommended calorie consumption and it makes your fitness journey extremely simple and intuitive. It also gives you full accountability of your goals, you can no longer say “I don’t know” or make any other excuse.

If you want to lose weight and you are eating more than the calorie goal stated, you will not lose any weight and most likely gain weight. Same goes for muscle gain, if you are not eating enough.

Also, you can keep track of your activity/step in the app also so it adjusts your calories.

• In the app's "More" page, tap "Settings" then "Steps."

Step 5: Filling out the tracker

Why you need the scale.

Morning weigh in: why is it important to weigh yourself in the morning?  Well because you don't have the added weight of a recent undigested meal. During the day, when you're eating and drinking, those foods (and fluids) add weight—at least until they're digested and excreted. Just a cup of water adds half a pound, for example—and 20 percent of most meals are water, which adds up to a lot of extra weight. Since you're not eating or drinking during the night (unless you get the midnight munchies), your body has a chance to remove extra fluids (that's why you pee so much in the morning when you wake up). So weigh yourself in the morning ... after you pee.

Why you need the tape measure.

Waist and hip measurements: 

Why is it important to measure your waist? Waist circumference (distance around the waist) is a common measure used to check for fat held around the stomach. Having extra body fat around the stomach-more than 35 in. (88 cm) for women and more than 40 in. (102 cm) for men-increases your risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Why is it important to measure your hips? Not all excess weight is the same when it comes to your health risks, so the weight in your hips and buttocks have a different health risk than the ones in the abdominal area, so it’s good to keep track.

Below is how you measure it.

Also, there is the waist to hip ratio which measures the ratio of your waist circumference to your hip circumference. It determines how much fat is stored on your waist, hips, and buttocks. People who carry more weight around their midsection (an apple-shaped body) are at higher risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and premature death than those who carry more of their weight in their hips and thighs (a pear-shaped body).

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a healthy Waist to Hip ratio is:

0.9 or less in men

0.85 or less for women

In both men and women, a WHR of 1.0 or higher increases the risk for heart disease and other conditions that are linked to being overweight.

Calories consumed:

Now this is where myfitnesspal really comes in handy. Pretty much everything you eat will be input into the app to see how what you are currently eating compares to your current recommended calorie consumption.

For Phase 2, we are going to focus even more on the elimination diet from phase 1 but this time we are going to track what we are actually eating. In phase 3, I’ll make my recommendations on healthy options you can substitute things with based on your results from this week. So, if you eliminate everything from phase 1 and you track what you are eating in phase 2 and you notice you are still exceeding your calorie recommendation and not losing weight, then phase 3 will correct that because we’ll start focusing even more on portion control.

If you notice, I’m not making you do everything all at once because different things work for different people and why we track each phase separately is so you can identify what works specifically for you.

This is why you need the pedometer

Steps walked:  I know we’ve all heard that whole take 10,000 steps a day thing, but do you know why? So check this out, completing 10,000 steps a day typically burns about 2000 to 3500 extra calories each week. One pound of body fat equals 3500 calories, so depending on your weight and workout intensity, you could lose about one pound per week simply by completing 10,000 steps each day. Ps: if you want to lose more, then move more. 10,000 steps is just the minimum!!!

That’s everything we need for phase 2. In phase 3, we’ll focus on specific fat burning workouts, food options and portion control.

See you in a week with more and more stuff,

Thanks,

Olan

Get guaranteed results now!!! PHASE 1: Elimination and Preparation.

Hey,

Congratulations on taking the next step in achieving your health and fitness goals. There are a lot of programs, diets, teas, pills and equipment out there that claim to guarantee results, however we still have a high number of overweight and unhealthy people, so there has to be a disconnect somewhere.

The truth is, it is almost impossible to guarantee results because there are so many variables such as body type, nutrition, training preference, water intake, sleep, genetics etc. However, over the last couple of years, I’ve researched and tested the metrics and habits that make the most impact on achieving your goals and I’ve come up with a process to guarantee your results. Unfortunately, I have nothing to sell you, no magic pill or equipment and you don’t even have to train with me personally because,

The road to true results is paved with HARDWORK, ACCOUNTABILITY, DISCIPLINE, SACRIFICE and CONSISTENCY.

For the most part we all have a basic idea of what we need to do to accomplish our goals and one of the 5 things mentioned above is keeping us from achieving them.

So how can I guarantee your results? It’s really just a one-word answer.

Tracking, tracking and more tracking!!!

At OwnPace everything we do is individualized, so the only way to truly know what works for you is to track what you are doing on a daily basis and see how it impacts your goals. Do your daily habits positively or negatively affect your goals. For example if you are trying to lose body fat and you drink (3) beers a day, the question now would be will eliminating these (3) beers help lose weight or not. And the only way to truly know the answer to that is to track the difference between not drinking and drinking. That is how all theories and beliefs come to life. You have an idea (hypothesis), then you test them out and they become either true or not true. In health and fitness it’s a little more complicated because there are just way too many variables so ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL. We have to learn together what specifically works for you.

Tracking doesn’t lie, if you do the work meticulously, the results are inevitable. The image above highlights the process we’ll be using to track our progress and come up with actionable items specifically for you.

I'm going to share with you exactly how I stay lean and healthy year round. We are going on a 4-phase journey, but where the magic happens is at the end of step 4 we evaluate our results and use it as a foundation for our lifestyle going forward.

Each phase builds on the prior phase, so when we get into phase (2), you are going to continue doing the steps from phase (1), and when we get into phase (3) we’ll continue the steps from (1) and (2) etc.

Here is a list of the Phases and I’ll go into great detail each week:

Phase 1: Elimination and preparation

Phase 2: Tracking, food choices and portion control

Phase 3: Supersets and core

Phase 4: Tri sets, core and cardio

Lets get right to business!!!!

Phase 1: Elimination and Preparation

We’ll start with the elimination part because it’s usually the hardest for most people. We all have our favorite habits and foods that may not be best for our health and goals such as alcohol, candies,  and processed foods. But to get one thing we have to give up something else.

So if you want impeccable health and an optimal weight for yourself, you’ll have to give some things up.

Here is a list of everything we have to give up right now for the next four weeks at least and then you can slowly integrate some back.

• No dairy
• No added sugar
• No alcohol
• No soda
• No bleached food
• No pasta
• No chips

And here are 3 things we must do

• 3 workouts per week (anything counts, even just walking. We’ll go into more details for training in week 3)
• At least 4 cups of PLAIN water daily
• 1 cup of unsweetened green tea daily

For full details on the elimination diet, please click the link below.

http://www.ownpaceathletics.com/new-blog/2017/10/29/ownpace-30-day-clean-eating-challenge

And now, let’s talk about the PREPARATION piece!!!

Phase 2 is all about tracking, so we are going to need some tracking devices. Below is a list of everything we need for phase 2, some of which you have already. And for the ones you don’t have, you have all of this week to get them.

1.     Scale (any scale that will accurately tell you your body weight)

2.     Tape measure (something to measure your abdominal area and hips)

3.     Pedometer (any step counter such as fitbit, iwatch or any generic step counter)

4.     Food tracking app (myfitnesspal is the one I use but there are many others in the app store)

5.     Food measurer (measuring cups, portion control bowls etc)

6.     Camera (we all have phones with cameras)

Let’s get all these things ready for next week; they are essential to phase 2. 

Before you begin, you will need my tracking sheet, so If you are not on my mailing list and would like a copy of my tracking sheet, please email me at info@ownpaceathletics.com

Thanks for your continued support, 

Olan

Please share with anybody you think this may help!!!

OwnPace 30 day Clean Eating Challenge

Hey OwnPace Family,

Before you read any further, let me just get this out the way. To truly accomplish anything in life you will have to sacrifice one thing or the other. This challenge below is called a challenge for a reason. It's not easy and it is going to really challenge you. Think of it this way, the worse your current diet is, the harder it will be. 

Lastly, if you realize you can't do this at this time there is nothing wrong with that. Now you have it to use as a tool for whenever you want to hit the rest button on nutrition.

Before you begin:

• Please weigh yourself and take a before photo to keep track of your progress

Okay, so now youʼve decided to make fitness a priority. Congratulations and welcome!

In order for that to happen we need to completely reprogram your body. Right now, your taste buds have been desensitized and you eat based on habit. But in order to create a new body, weʼre going to have to force some new habits. Thatʼs why weʼre doing this challenge. Behave for 30 days and see what happens to your body. The reason why people have issues transforming their bodies is that they mini cheat every day with “foods” they can easily live without.

Here are a few: cookies • chips • cakes • sodas • crackers

Moreover there are some “foods” that you really donʼt need; this 30 day challenge will challenge you to eliminate these items from your diet: Namely dairy, added sugar, soda, white (bleached) foods, and alcohol.

So here is the basic goal of the 30-day challenge

• No dairy
• No added sugar
• No alcohol
• No soda
• No bleached food
• No pasta
• No chips unless they are home made
• 3 workouts per week
• At least 4 cups of PLAIN water daily
• 1 cup of unsweetened green tea daily

Allowable carbs include: All raw fruits (no dried fruits), ALL vegetables, sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, steel cut oatmeal.

**Fair warning, if youʼre going to do it, do it 100%. Donʼt ask for shortcuts or breaks. Itʼs going to require planning and mental toughness. Donʼt quit. Donʼt blame your family members, your friends, your job, your schedule, or your childhood. Find a way. People that take this seriously see great results. Be one of those people!

**This challenge is not intended to replace the advice of your primary care physician. Before starting any new nutrition program, always seek the advice of your primary care health professional.

Dairy

The biggest argument I see in favor of dairy is that fact that it gives you Vitamin D and Calcium.

Pt 1. - Calcium

Adults need 1000mg of calcium/day. Here are some foods that have more calcium than a glass of milk (305mg)

• 2 Cups of Broccoli (360mg)

• 1.5 Cups of Cooked Spinach (360mg)

  Now here are some foods with trace amounts of calcium

• 1 Orange (50g)

• 1 cup Beets (164g)

• 1 cup cooked collard greens (266g)

  What about yogurt?

  For those of you that want your yogurt, almond dream makes a non- dairy yogurt. And yes, it will supply you with 200mg of calcium. These can be found in your local Whole Foods Market.

Cheese

When it comes to my clients, I really donʼt think anyone cares about calcium. When I say no dairy, you all fear the loss of cheese. There are a number of things you can use to replace cheese.

On your sandwich

• Hummus
• Mustard

On your salad

• Nutritional Yeast

• Crumbled or seasoned tofu

  Or hereʼs a thought, skip the cheese altogether. You wonʼt die, I promise.

  Part 2 - Vitamin D
  Iʼm sure a fair amount of your have stopped reading after that line

  about skipping the cheese. But for those of you who are serious about your goals, letʼs read on. The second reason people think they canʼt give up dairy is because they need their vitamin D. Again the goal for vitamin D is IU/day.

• 1 Tsp Cod Liver Oil (500 IU)

• 5oz Salmon (803 IU)

• Portabello Mushrooms (375 IU)

  Here are some foods with a trace amount of Vitamin D

• 1 Egg (44 IU)

• Sunlight! Itʼs calorie Free

  People are very reluctant to give up dairy so if you want some food for thought, here are some articles on why you might want to give it up. Google 

1) Health Benefits Of Giving Up Dairy
2) Top 10 Reasons why people go Dairy Free

3) No Body Needs Milk

Added Sugar

Iʼm going to give you 10 reasons to stay away from added sugar. For the fleshed details go to: http://authoritynutrition.com/10-disturbing- reasons-why-sugar-is-bad/

1. Added Sugar Contains No Essential Nutrients and is Bad For Your T eeth

2. Added Sugar is High in Fructose, Which Can Overload Your Liver

3. Overloading The Liver With Fructose Can Cause Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

4. Sugar Can Cause Insulin Resistance, a Stepping Stone Towards Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes

5. The Insulin Resistance Can Progress to Type II Diabetes 6. Sugar Can Give You Cancer

7. Due to its Effects on Hormones and the Brain, Sugar has Unique Fat-Promoting Effects

8. Because it Causes Massive Dopamine Release in The Brain, Sugar is Highly Addictive

9. Sugar is a Leading Contributor to Obesity in Both Children and Adults

10. It Ainʼt The Fat... Itʼs SUGAR That Raises Your Cholesterol and Gives You Heart Disease

Allowable Sugars

Consume natureʼs sugars. You can eat ANY raw fruit and instead of sugar you can put honey in your tea or if necessary, coffee.

Alcohol

You want my real opinion on alcohol? Stop being a weak and just give it up, youʼre not going to die. Take up meditation or walking if youʼre stressed. Turn the TV off two hours earlier if you canʼt sleep.

Because most of my clients are parents I can point to the fact that most of you have gone dry for 9 months so the same way you said, “no Iʼm pregnant” say “no Iʼm doing a challenge. “

For those of you who will spend your time trying to find articles about why alcohol is good for you so you can drink during the challenge, please donʼt bother to show me, just disqualify yourself and continue to do your own thing.

For those of you who will ask me why we have to have a no alcohol rule, Iʼll give you a short answer. One of the livers main functions is fat burning but it canʼt do that if it has to metabolize the alcohol youʼre drinking.

Carbohydrates

Okay, here we go. Carbs arenʼt bad for you. Overconsumption of ANYTHING is bad for you. Low-quality carbs, even in moderation are bad for you. So I will make this very simple.

• No bread

• No cereal ( hereʼs why )

• No flour

• No white rice

• No wraps

• No white potatoes

• No pasta

• No juices

  You do however, have a lot of great options for good carbs and here they are

• Sweet Potatoes

• Quinoa

• Brown Rice

• Steel Cut Oatmeal

The biggest resistance I get is with breakfast cereals. I wish I had the link to the article but I can only find the content. Here are 12 reasons why cold breakfast cereals are bad for you.

Why Are Breakfast Cereals Bad For You?

1. Extrusion Process
Breakfast cereals go through an extrusion process. This manufacturing procedure that makes all the oʼs, flakes, biscuits, and other shapes of cold cereals, destroys the fatty acids and vitamins in grains and alters the structure of amino acids, making them toxic.

2. BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene)
This common additive is used to prevent oxidation in a wide variety of foods and cosmetics and is listed by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) in 2005 as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen” on the basis of experimental findings in animals. It is also used in jet fuels, rubber petroleum products, transformer oil and embalming fluid. Moreover, Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) warns that BHT should not be allowed to enter the environment, can cause liver damage, and is harmful to aquatic organisms.

3. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
HFCS is loaded with unbound fructose and glucose molecules. Studies have shown that the reactive carbonyl molecules can cause tissue damage that may lead to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. HFCS is made from genetically modified corn and processed with genetically modified enzymes. To make matters worse, studies have recently revealed that nearly half of tested samples of HFCS contained mercury.

4. Refined Carbohydrates
Carbohydrate intake should vary according to oneʼs activity level, genetics and time of day. But if you think about it, most of us are sedentary, and should not be eating carbohydrates first thing in the morning, like that cereal. Of course, the argument is that one is fasting throughout the night and need nutrients going to oneʼs cells for energy. Yes, your cells will be ready to receive nutrients and you will be hungry. However, both healthy muscle cells and fat cells are ready to receive nutrients in the morning.
That means that only very lean people (with fewer fat cells), or those who are very active (muscle cells will uptake more of the carbohydrates) should be eating carbohydrates in the morning. The best time for carbohydrates for the rest of the average folks is after a strength training workout because muscle cells are ready to absorb carbohydrates and you wonʼt store them as fat easily.

5. Phytic Acid
Breakfast cereal grains are improperly prepared and contain phytic acid. Ancient cultures have fermented, soaked and sprouted grains before consumption because these natural methods for processing food make the grains easier to digest. These processes eliminate phytic acid, a substance in grains that binds up nutrients, preventing your body from absorbing them and making grains difficult to digest.

6. Colorants
Almost all colorants approved for use in food are derived from coal tar and may contain up tp 10ppm of lead and arsenic. Also, most coal tar colors could potentially cause cancer. Many cereals contain artificial colors that may pose health risks. In 2007, a study published in “The Lancet” indicated that some artificial food colors increase the likelihood of hyperactivity in children. In 2010, the Center for Science in the Public Interest focused on Red 40 in its publication “Food Dyes: A Rainbow of Risks,” suggesting that this dye, which is made with petroleum, contains carcinogens that speed up the development of cancerous tumors in mice. It also found that 15 percent of people experience allergic skin reactions to Red 40.

7. GMO
Unless a cereal has been certified organic, itʼs likely to contain genetically modified ingredients (GMOs), including wheat, corn and soy, which can wreak havoc on the immune system and lead to various health issues such as autoimmune disease, gluten allergies and more.

8. Synthetic Vitamins
Breakfast cereals contain stripped and refortified grains. Some cereal

products contain highly processed flours that have been stripped of most nutrients. Manufacturers then add back low-quality chemical versions of vitamins and minerals that can cause nutritional deficiencies and imbalances.

Many cereals have vitamins added, but these are synthetic (man- made) vitamins that the body is simply not designed to utilize. Many synthetic vitamins are actually treated as toxins and are eliminated by your body as quickly as possible. Synthetic vitamins can also cause imbalances in the body that may lead to health problems in the long run. On top of this, the body cannot absorb many key nutrients if they are not consumed with foods that contain saturated fat. If youʼre eating boxed cereal with low-fat or skim milk, the vitamins and minerals added in

are providing virtually no nutritional benefit.

9. Sugar
Some breakfast cereals contain more sugar than some donuts. A global Consumer Reports study conducted across 32 nations found that eleven popular cereal brands contain as much sugar as a glazed doughnut. This study also found that the same brand cereals in the US have as much as 15% more sugar than in other countries. Sugar is acidic and robs your body of important minerals t
hat you need to stay healthy and energized.

10. Gluten
Most breakfast cereals contain wheat and gluten. 1 in 133 people suffer from Celiac Disease (also known as gluten sensitivity enteropathy, gluten intolerance, or celiac sprue), a chronic, genetic disorder, affecting both children and adults. People with Celiac Disease are not able to eat foods that contain gluten, which is found primarily in wheat, spelt, kamut, rye and barley, as well as other grains.

More and more people are suffering from some kind of food allergy or “gluten intolerance” because their inner ecosystems are damaged and they are missing “grain-loving good bacteria” that help us digest gluten. These folks may crave gluten-containing foods and not even realize that gluten is the culprit for a wide variety of health issues.

11. Loaded with Pesticides
In a 2001 study, researchers measured pesticide residues in the urine of 110 children. All children had measurable levels of organophosphate (OP) metabolites – with the exception of one child. Turns out the child who didnʼt have OP ate exclusively organic produce. OP exposure in kids have been linked to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

12. Sodium
Although breakfast cereals donʼt seem like it would a lot of sodium, many commercial varieties, including those with bran flakes and oat squares, contain 200 to 300 milligrams of sodium per serving. The Institute of Medicine recommends getting no more than 2.3 grams of sodium per day to keep your blood pressure at a safe level, but the average American exceeds this amount by about 1 gram. Starting your day with more than 10 percent of your upper intake of sodium makes it difficult to stay below that recommended number.

Sample Meal Plan

So here is a meal plan to start with. Itʼs roughly 1300 calories but to be honest Iʼm not overly concerned with how many calories you consume as long as you play by the rules of the challenge.

Breakfast

(1)Extra Large Egg
(3) Egg Whites
Diced peppers or tomatoes
(1/2) Sweet Potato ( replace with apple or orange )

Upon Arrival at Work

(1/3 cup ) Irish oatmeal Dry (1/4 cup) Blueberries
(1/2 tbsp) Chia Seeds
(1) Glass Almond Milk

Lunch

(4oz) Chicken Breast (1/2 cup) Rice (cooked) (1 cup) Spinach

Dinner

(2 Cups) Broccoli (1/2) Sweet Potato (4oz) Chicken Breast

Late Evening

(1) Almond dream plain yogurt (add your own berries)

• Chicken can be replaced with turkey, fish, red meat, or pork

• Broccoli can be replaced with any green vegetable

• Nuts can be added as a snack and I will review itʼs effect on your macros in your journal

• Have 4 cups of regular water and one green tea a day

Sample Shopping List

This is not an exhaustive list. These are suggestions to help you shop with more nutritional responsibility. This is in no way intended to replace the advice of your dietician or primary care provider. Always seek the advice of your primary care physician before starting any new nutrition regimen.)

Protein Sources Eggs, Egg Whites, Chicken, Turkey, Tilapia, Salmon, Your favorite protein shake, Greek yogurt, Tofu

Fruits (Carbs) Apples, Oranges, Grapefruits, Bananas, Blueberries Grains ( Carbs) Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal, Brown Rice, Whole wheat, pasta, Ezekiel Bread

Vegetables (Carbs) Spinach, Broccoli, Sweet Potatoes

Fats Coconut Oil, Avocado, Peanuts, Almonds, Cashews (unsalted )

Fat Burning Spices/Aids Cayenne Pepper, Cinnamon, Turmeric, Green Tea, Apple Cider Vinegar 

Don't hesitate to ask any questions. 

Regards, 

Olan

Why you are not seeing progress as fast as you expect!!!!

Hey OwnPace Family,

Now that summer is done, over the next few weeks and months, we are really going to focus on fixing our diets because that’s one thing we all struggle with and EVERYONE can benefit from improving. Without a better relationship with food, and a better understanding of nutrition most of our training when it comes to body composition will be counter productive.

IF YOU ARE NOT EATING PROPERLY, YOU WILL NOT SEE ALL THE BENEFITS OF YOUR EXERCISE PROGRAM, WHICH CAN BE VERY FRUSTRATING.

I hear this a lot when clients come for their consultation, “I eat pretty good and I workout 2-3 times a week and I’m still not losing weight. This is where I show you why and how to go about fixing it.

We are going to take a step-by-step approach so we can properly OBSERVE, MEASURE & ADJUST things when necessary. In each phase, we are going to tackle one specific problem, provide the solutions and see how your body responds to it.

Phase 1: Identify and remove nutrient deficiencies

As most of you who personally train with me know, during the beginning stages of our training I normally say, “let’s ignore nutrition for now, especially calorie restriction/counting” and I follow up with giving general guidelines like eat more nutrient dense foods and drink more water.

Here is the reason why: what happens when you cut calories, eat the right portions, train 5 days a week and you are still not losing weight at the rate you expect? Think bout how that will make you feel. I’m guessing very frustrated and even annoyed.

So what could the issue possibly be? You guessed it: NUTRIENT DEFICIENCY.

Nutrient deficiency is an inadequate supply of essential nutrients (vitamins and minerals) in the diet resulting in malnutrition or disease. Basically, for your body to work properly it needs all the essential nutrients it requires to perform it functions. So if you want to lose or gain weight and you are lacking the nutrients the body requires to stimulate fat loss or weight gain, do you think it’s going to happen?

For example, you wouldn’t tell a dehydrated person to eat more protein because protein is not their deficiency, water is. So eating more protein won't fix their problem, that's why we have to find out what we are deficient in.

So how do we know what we are deficient in? There are 3 ways you can measure your nutrient deficiencies.

1.     Clinical Assessment: This is the most accurate method but also the most expensive. This requires a medical/clinical professional such as your doctor or specialized labs to take blood, saliva or urine samples and testing them to see exactly what is going on in your body. Most insurance companies cover this so if you are very particular about your health, this is the best way to go. The greatest benefit to this is it takes out the guesswork. For example, if you are deficient in a fat burning hormone and don’t know it and you work out 5 days a week and eating very low calories and still not losing weight, even if you increase exercise and reduce calories further, you still might not see much difference. So, this is the 100% guaranteed way to know what you are deficient in.

2.     Nutrient Analysis: This method is also very accurate; it’s done by taking a 3-day food record of what you normally eat and having it evaluated by a dietician/nutritionist. They can tell based on your food intake what nutrients you are deficient in and make appropriate recommendation

3.     Online diet calculator: This is probably the most accessible method but also least accurate however still very helpful. This method involves using one of the many online/app diet calculators such as myfitnesspal, fitday and livestrong’s myplate. It’s similar to the nutrient analysis, however you don’t need to hire a dietician or nutritionist, you just input your data in the app and it tells you what nutrients you are getting from the foods you eating and what you are lacking.

Ok, so what can you do immediately to help fix your diet before you try one of these methods? Well based on our current diets and habits as a society. There are certain things we are all generally deficient in and if we can get these things in our diets we are off to a good start. They are

·      Water: Water is about 60% of our body weight so that should tell you how important it is. Here are a few benefits of drinking enough water and an estimate of how much you should be drinking. Please note, on the days you have high activity levels, more water will be required. 

·      Vitamins and minerals: it’s always best to get your nutrients from real food but when it comes to vitamins and minerals, this is where supplementation plays a big role. Most of us don't eat well enough to get the vitamins and minerals we need from food, so supplementation is the great alternative choice.

·      Protein: 

·      Essential fatty acids

In conclusion, one way or the other at some point you need to know what you are deficient in and make sure your body is functioning optimally. It’s like your car, when the gas light comes on you know it’s the gas because that’s a “macronutrient” but when the check engine light comes on you have to take it to a professional to run a diagnostic to tell you what’s wrong. Same rules apply here, but for now you can just make sure you are drinking enough water, getting your vitamins and minerals, eating your protein and essential fatty acids. 

Nutrition comes down to making good food choices, 90% of the time you want to pick food that are nutritionally beneficial to you.

OwnPace September AB & SQUAT CHALLENGE

Welcome OwnPace Family!

After a lot of brainstorming, I have decided to present to you a challenge for the month of September!

The main objective is to get you started moving if you haven't really been active in the summer due to work, the beach, vacations and barbecues lol. Even if you have been active, just do the challenge to add to your normal routine and just for fun!

The September Challenge will focus on Abs and Squats specifically! For abs I choose the bicycle crunch because this moves stimulates way more of your abs then a regular crunch.  The second ab move I choose was the plank because it's one of my personal favorites and it is great for working your entire core. I also choose the squat because it is a compound movement that helps build your leg muscles. The breakdown is shown below:

Day 1: 10 Bicycle Crunches/ 15 Second Plank/ 25 Squats

Day 2: 20 Bicycle Crunches/ 20 Second Plank/ 30 Squats

Day 3: 5 Bicycle Crunches/ 20 Second Plank/ 35 Squats

Day 4: 10 Bicycle Crunches/ 30 Second Plank/ 40 Squats

Day 5: 5 Bicycle Crunches/ 35 Second Plank/ 20 Squats

Day 6: 15 Bicycle Crunches/ 40 Second Plank/ 50 Squats

Day 7: 20 Bicycle Crunches/ 40 Second Plank/ 55 Squats

Day 8: 30 Bicycle Crunches/ 50 Second Plank/ 60 Squats

Day 9: REST DAY

Day 10: 10 Bicycle Crunches/ 55 Second Plank/ 25 Squats

Day 11: 40 Bicycle Crunches/ 60 Second Plank/ 65 Squats

Day 12: 45 Bicycle Crunches/ 60 Second Plank/ 70 Squats

Day 13: 5 Bicycle Crunches/ 70 Second Plank/ 5 Squats

Day 14: 10 Bicycle Crunches/ 75 Second Plank/ 10 Squats

Day 15: 20 Bicycle Crunches/ 80 Second Plank/ 20 Squats

Day 16: 25 Bicycle Crunches/ 80 Second Plank/ 45 Squats

Day 17: 40 Bicycle Crunches/ 90 Second Plank/ 60 Squats

Day 18: REST DAY

Day 19: 5 Bicycle Crunches/ 95 Second Plank/ 5 Squats

Day 20: 10 Bicycle Crunches/ 100 Second Plank/ 25 Squats

Day 21: 20 Bicycle Crunches/ 100 Second Plank/ 35 Squats

Day 22: 20 Bicycle Crunches/ 110 Second Plank/ 45 Squats

Day 23: 10 Bicycle Crunches/ 120 Second Plank/ 55 Squats

Day 24: 10 Bicycle Crunches/ 140 Second Plank/ 65 Squats

Day 25: 15 Bicycle Crunches/ 150 Second Plank/ 65 Squats

Day 26: 20 Bicycle Crunches/ 170 Second Plank/ 85 Squats

Day 27: REST DAY

Day 28: 25 Bicycle Crunches/ 190 Second Plank/ 95 Squats

Day 29: 30 Bicycle Crunches/  200 Second Plank/ 95 Squats

Day 30: 40 Bicycle Crunches/ 210 Minutes Plank/ 100 Squats

Here are the rules:

1) Try to complete the challenge everyday.

2) Do the best you can!

3) Invite your friends to do the challenge. It will make it more interesting and fun!

4) Post a video of yourself on instagram completing one of the days of the challenge every week (one video per week). Tag our OwnPace instagram account (@OwnPace.Athletics) and use the hashtag OwnPaceMoveChallenge for example #OwnPaceMoveChallenge and we will send you a free OwnPace shirt just for participating and sharing! *(must meet 1 video post per week, 4 post total requirement)

5) Last, but not least...HAVE FUN, I can't stress this enough!

Hope to see your challenge videos soon!

Best in Health,

Marcos M.

Who's Your Competition?

Hi OwnPace Family! I hope everyone is well and has had a productive start to their week!

Today I want to speak about comparing yourself to others and trying to become someone you are not. Everyone has to start somewhere, whether it is with home workouts or by signing up at their local gym. The problem begins when you lose focus of your personal goals and start trying to compare yourself to other people. Look, we all do it, we see someone at our gym that we wish we looked like or even wish we lifted as much weight as them. We might even take it a step further and ask them for their routine, tips or tricks in order to try and obtain their body, but what works for one person may not work for you. Don’t get me wrong, I think we should definitely keep someone we admire in mind as motivation, but at the same rate comparing ourselves to other people could actually slow or bring our momentum to a stop because we start to lose confidence on what we can individually accomplish. The major purpose of this post is to remind you that…

YOUR ONLY COMPETITION IS YOURSELF!!!

 Every time you go to the gym and complete a workout you are getting more fit, stronger, and you are one step closer to accomplishing your goals. We seem to forget that we each create our own individual journey and we can only expect results based on the amount of work WE put in. No one can run for you or lift the weights for you.

Why do we compare our bodies or workouts to other peoples?

 I personally believe this is simply because of human nature and we always want what others have. EVERYONE is different and will progress at their OWNPACE. Again, what works for me will no necessarily work for you and vice versa. I think that is the beauty of the human body, that no two individuals are exactly the same. Everyone’s fitness journey is an experiment and we need to test what works best for ourselves. In general there is no right or wrong fitness program; just make sure it is appropriate for your goals, keep doing what works and stop doing what isn’t working.

I think this social media world we live in today really makes comparing ourselves to others hard not to do. We constantly see post of peoples success stories and this may discourage us because we think, “I wish I looked like them or why don’t I look like them?” We see this and want instant gratification, and think it’s too “hard” to reach my goals. The problem is that most of the time we don’t see how hard this person we are comparing ourselves to is actually working on a daily basis and we need to be more conscious of that.

How can we stay focused on our own goals?

Focus on being a better version of yourself. Break your goals down into smaller goals so that they will be more realistic. Every day you choose to workout or eat nutritionally dense food, that is progress in the right direction. So keep your head up, stay positive and remember that with patience, hard work, and dedication you can achieve your goals at your OWNPACE.

Talk to you again soon,

Marcos

Transform NOW!!! More reasons to find your WHY.

Hi OwnPace Family, 

Hope everyone is having a great week so far. This past Sunday I sent you a message on why it's important to find your reason WHY for training. And just like the universe will have it, as I was doing my nightly study for today I stumbled upon a video that goes even further on how important it is. 

Let's face it, most of us get to the point where we seek having a trainer or even just start working out because we want to make some type of NOTICEABLE change to our physical appearance. In today's fitness world, we call this process a transformation. We want to go from our current selves to an even better version of ourselves that we envision. 

As someone who has gone through several transformations, from skinny Nigerian kid to athletic and from post college chubby to muscular, I know first hand what it takes to make such drastic changes and I've never hidden the fact that it's not easy. I can't even sugar coat the process if i wanted to, the bottom line is, there is no special workout, no special diet, no magic pill, all it takes is a commitment to the process and the sacrifices it requires. This is exactly why it's very important to clearly define your why because on the difficult days when you want to quit, thats what will keep you going. 

Check out this video below I hope it helps someone kick their journey into even higher gear.

Until next time, 

Olan

The WHAT, WHY & HOW Logic

Hey Everyone,

Hope you guys are having a great Sunday. Thanks for all the birthday wishes. I’m back from vacation and ready to have a great last quarter of the year with you all.

Today, I want to talk a little more about the training philosophy at OwnPace athletics and why we do all the things we do during a training session.

Of course, I know everyone has his or her own goals, some same, some different. But whatever your goal is, the primary way to accomplish it is to create a stimulus that causes the specific adaptation you desire. For example, if you want to lose weight, what are the things you need to do to make that happen? or if you want to "tone" what are the things you need to do to make your body adapt to that.

I have a 3 step approach I call the “What, Why and How Logic”. I use this approach because it simplifies the process to the goal and removes all the guesswork. It gives you a very direct roadmap and most importantly it allows you to assess when you are doing something that does not take you closer to your goal.

Quick example: anyone who has trained with me in person and gone through my consultation & assessment knows exactly how we came up with your training program.  We talk about WHAT you want to accomplish and WHY and then we take measurements and perform certain tests that show me HOW best to get there for YOUR specific needs.

Lets take a closer look at the What, Why and How Logic.

The WHAT is your goal, what you want to accomplish. For example, weight loss, flexibility, muscle gain, endurance, athletic performance etc.

The WHY is a little more complex but very important. The why is why you want to accomplish this goal in the first place. This is a little more complex because we always have a surface why, a reason we tell others and ourselves. The problem with this surface why is it’s often not strong enough. As we all know the process to achieving your goal can be very difficult and requires you to make certain sacrifices. So if you don’t have a strong enough WHY that helps guide your decisions, it might be very challenging to achieve your goals. Your intrinsic WHY is what stops you from eating that extra donut, pizza, wing, candy or having that extra drink. If you don’t have a good enough reason WHY, there is nothing stopping you from making choices that will hinder your goals.

The HOW is the path. The HOW is what exactly you have to do to get to your goals. This will vary for each person. My number one rule for this phase is doing what you enjoy. For example if you hate to run but love to play soccer, then play soccer. Find training that you enjoy because that will increase your chances of sticking to it.

Fitness is about finding the perfect mix. I believe everyone can improve with the right workouts. Find the right mix of training and nutrition. It's all about finding the right balance.

Week 9 Transformation Challenge

Hello OwnPace family, welcome back to week 9 of your transformation challenge! If you are reading this, then that means that you have completed 8 weeks of the challenge, so congrats to you! If you are reading this for the first time, it is never too late to start the challenge.

For this week of the challenge I will expose truths vs. myths about fitness and health. The goal is to help you understand what is really going to help you on your fitness journey and what is going to hinder your success.

Myth: Women that lift weights will get big and bulky.

Fact: Women do not create anywhere as much testosterone as men do in order for this to happen. In fact, lifting weights is great to help women get strong, toned and burn calories.    

Myth: Fat spot reduction works.

Fact: Many people think that you can do ab workouts every day and lose their gut. Unfortunately, this is not true and it is a wasted effort if your diet is not on point. When we lose body fat, we lose it as a whole and not in a specific place. We must combine nutritious portion controlled food with exercise in order to create a calorie deficit in our body, therefore losing body fat.                                                                            

Myth: Squats are bad for your knees.

Fact: Contrary to popular belief, there is NOT a lot of evidence that links squats to knee pain. When squatting it is extremely important to keep the weight light enough to keep your form good.                

Myth: You need to intake tons of protein after your workout.

Fact: Your body can only ingest about 15 grams of protein per meal. The rest is excreted out of your body. With a proper diet, you shouldn’t have to supplement with extra protein.

Myth: Stretching before a workout greatly reduces the risk of injury.

Fact: I think people tend to get confused with the different types of stretching, therefore end up doing the wrong stretch before and after workouts. The two types of stretching are dynamic stretching and static stretching. Dynamic stretching involves more movement based stretches and should be done before your workout to warm and loosen your body up. For example, trunk twist-10 to each side. Static stretches are more held stretches for recovery and should be done after your workout. For example, touching your toes to stretch out the hamstrings and holding for 10-15 seconds.

Myth: Machines are better than free weights.

Fact: Don’t get me wrong, machines serve their purpose for people with injuries or little to no experience. In general, free weights give you a better range of motion and is a more functional workout. The body is not made work in one plane of movement.                                                                                  

Myth: The more you sweat the more calories you burn.

Fact: Just because you sweat a lot during a workout, it does not mean that you burn a lot of calories unfortunately. Sweating is simply the bodies way of autoregulating your internal temperature. Working out in the sun for example will lead you to sweat more.

Myth: If you don’t feel sore after a workout, then you didn’t work out hard enough.

Fact: Just because you stop being sore after doing certain workouts, it doesn’t mean that the workout is not effective. Just as long as you are progressively overloading (increasing the weights and/or intensity), then you will be just fine.

Myth: You should find one type of exercise and stick to it.

Fact: Your exercise program should consist of a combination of exercises including strength, cardio, and mobility. This will allow you to obtain optimal results, internally and externally.

Myth: You can get lasting results in 30 days.

Fact: In this instant gratification society we live in today, everyone wants results right now. We see tons of “30-day diets” that may allow us to lose weight quickly, but unfortunately we put the weight back on just as fast. This is because 30-day diets typically consist of major changes that are not sustainable. In order to keep the weight off, you need to make daily small changes to both your diet and workouts that will become habits, which in turn will last a lifetime.

I hope these myths and facts were valuable and helped you learn something new that could help you push towards your health and fitness goals. If you have absolutely any questions, please feel free to reach out to us.

Have a great and productive week!

Marcos

Transformation Challenge Week 6 - 8 Part 2: The perfect balance between eating right and training smart

Hey, 

I'm back with more goodies. These next 3 weeks will be a game changer for your transformation if you stick with it. Here you have the tools for guaranteed success.

Now that we are done with that extreme 3-day diet, it’s time to do something more sustainable that we can apply for the rest of our lives.

The idea here is once you’ve taken off the first several pounds, then just combine good nutritional principles with regular exercise and watch the transformation happen.

* The great thing about this phase is it can pertain to any goal. Whether your goal is weight loss or muscle gain, you just have to adjust some variables but the same principles apply.

But of course, we are still going to start with nutrition (better eating).

Step 1: We need to know how much we need to be eating

•       Download “myfitnesspal” app if you don’t already have it

•       Create an account and enter your information

•       It will give you a calorie goal for the goal you enter

Once you have that number it makes your fitness journey extremely simple and intuitive.

It also gives you full accountability of your goals, you can no longer say “I don’t know” or make any other excuse.

If you want to lose weight and you are eating more than the calorie goal stated, you will not lose any weight and most likely gain weight. Same goes for muscle gain, if you are not eating enough.

Step 2: We need to know what we should be eating

I know we’ve all heard about Macronutrients and Micronutrients, but what are they?

Our bodies are pretty complicated, meaning that they have a whole lot of nutritional needs in order to survive and function. The composition of our diet is essential to meeting these needs and therefore it’s important to understand the two different types of nutrients. It can be split into: macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fats) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).

The three macronutrients all have their own specific roles and functions in the body and supply us with calories or energy. 

Good sources of Macronutrients

Protein: Meat, Fish, Chicken, Beans, pulses and legumes, seeds (hemp, chia, flax), nuts (unsalted), quinoa, avocado, beets, raw greens (kale, spinach).

Carbohydrate: Rice, quinoa, potatoes, apples, bananas, cauliflower, carrots, oats, brown rice, millet, quinoa, chickpeas, kidney beans.

Fat: Almonds, walnuts, seeds (pumpkin, chia), olives, avocados

Micronutrients are not needed in the same quantities as macros, however are still equally as important. Micronutrients work in tandem with macronutrients to keep the body functioning and are crucial in order to maintain energy levels, metabolism, cellular function, and physical and mental wellbeing.

Step 3: Portion Control; how much of each nutrient do we need?

Here are several options to help you visualize how much you should be eating of your macro and micronutrients.

Step 4: The workouts

Here we have the training to accompany this phase of your transformation.  The cardio burns calories, but the resistance training helps you lose fat. Regular exercise at the very least helps keep you from gaining fat.

3 days a week + 1 optional day

One day break between training days

Day 1: Upper Body

1. PUSH UP VARIATION – to failure

2. RENEGADE ROWS – 15 reps each arm

3. LATERAL RAISES variation (dumbbell, bands, cables) – 15 reps

4. FRONT RAISES variation (dumbbell, plates, bands, cables)   – 15 reps

5. STANDING ARNOLD PRESS (kettle bell or dumbbell)– 15 reps

*Perform exercises in circuit fashion with 30 seconds between each exercise if needed.

*Take a 60 second break

* Select an appropriate weight that provides a challenge (easy doesn’t create change)

*Complete 4rounds

Day 2: Cardio & Core

EMOM (which stands for every minute on the minute) is a type of interval workout where you perform a specific task at the start of every minute for a set amount of time. Whatever time is left on the clock after you perform the set number of reps is your break till the next minute hits.

Minute 1: 10 burpees

Minute 2: 12 box jumps or tuck jumps

Minute 3: 40 jumping Jacks

7 rounds total

AB Circuit

• Heels to heaven
• Crossover crunch
• Toe touches
• Bird dogs

30 seconds each exercise

3 rounds

 Day 3: Lower body

1.     Squat Press Variation (Dumbbell, Kettlebell, or barbell)  -15 reps

2.     Lunge curl – 15 reps each leg

3.     Lateral lunge + Knee raise – 15 reps each leg

After the lateral lunge, raise the same knee once you get back up

4.     Squat + Hammer curl – 15 reps

5.     Jump jack press – 15 reps

*Perform exercises in circuit fashion with 30 seconds between each exercise if needed.

*Take a 60 second break

* Select an appropriate weight that provides a challenge (easy doesn’t create change)

*Complete 4rounds

Day 4: Repeat Cardio

Now lets go get some amazing result!!!

Have a wonderful day, 

Olan

Transformation Challenge Week 6 -8 Part 1: You can't out train a bad diet

Hey there,

Let me start by saying if you completed the 3-day diet, Congratulations!!! You are willing to do what it takes to lose weight and transform your body.

Don’t forget to send me your feedback and results. I lost 6.5lbs of excess fat.

One pointer from the diet you should think about; if day 1 was extremely difficult and you struggled through it, i.e. you were very hungry, had no energy, was very tired etc. then you are currently eating way too much because day one was not as restrictive as the other days.

Anyway.. So why did we have to go through such an extreme diet? Well besides the fact that we needed something to jumpstart the fat loss process by creating a caloric deficit, it boils down to simple math.

Think of the hardest workout you can ever do?

How many calories do you think you burn from your workouts?

Regardless of how hard you think you train you don’t burn enough calories to cause fat loss if you don’t have a good nutrition plan to go with it.

Please watch the video below all the way through… it shows the correlation between your workouts and weight loss and also your nutrition and weight loss.

After watching this video, you should fully understand why you can't out train a bad diet and why your nutrition and training go hand in hand.

I don't want you wasting your efforts, money or time. I want you to train and eat smarter and get the best results possible.

Look out for part 2..

Until next time, 

Olan

Transformation Challenge Week 5: How to lose up to 10lbs in 3 days Part II

Hey there,

It's me again.

From the last post the main focus was establishing the simple rule “fat loss will only happen if you are in a state of sustained caloric deficit”. As we know it can be very frustrating working out hard and eating “clean” but seeing no changes on the scale or in body fat.

As we said, the guaranteed way to ensure you are in a caloric deficit is to be on a structured eating plan where you know for sure you are not eating in excess of your daily requirements.

Now that we have that out the way, the first diet we will use is a 3-day diet to ignite the fat loss process. This diet ensures we are in a caloric deficit regardless of your current eating habits. It worked out perfectly that this week is a holiday week and most of us will be making poor food and drink choices until Tuesday. So this diet will run from Wednesday the 5th of July to Friday the 7th of July.

For the record, I’ve done this diet myself and will tell you upfront, it will not be easy to finish. But this will also allow you to answer the question: Are you really willing to do what it takes to lose weight and transform your body?

Step 1: The grocery list

Below are the items you will be consuming on the 3 days of this diet.

A loaf of whole wheat bread

A Grapefruit

Natural Peanut Butter

2 Cans of Tuna

Half Dozen eggs

3 bananas

Reduced sugar or low fat vanilla Ice cream (try halo top)

Salt free saltine crackers

Pre sliced cheddar cheese

2 small apples

3-ounce piece of any meat

1 Cup of fresh green beans

Broccoli (the steam bags are the easiest)

Carrots (the steam bags are the easiest)

Coffee or tea of your choice (must contain caffeine)

1 cup of Cottage cheese (you can use plain Greek yogurt)

Step 2: Track beginning state

Record your weight on the night of 4th of July

Take pictures (front, side, back)

Step 3: The Diet

DAY 1:

Breakfast

1/2 Grapefruit

1 Slice of toast

2 Tablespoons of peanut butter

1 plain tasteless bittercup of black coffee or tea ( with caffeine)

Lunch

1/2 cup of tuna ( the whole 4 oz can)

1 Slice of toast

1 plain tasteless bittercup of black coffee or tea ( with caffeine)

Dinner ( The best dinner you will have in the 3 days)

3 ounces of any meant ( use thyme, pepper, MS dash seasoning salt, fresh garlic, parsley to season,) ( guys can have a 4 ounce piece of meat as a 100 calorie add on )

1 cup of green beans

1/2 banana

1 small apple

1 cup of vanilla ice cream

If you have survived welcome to...

DAY 2

Breakfast

 1 Egg

1 Slice of plain toast

1/2 banana

Lunch

1 Cup of cottage cheese ( or approved substitute)

1 hard boiled egg

5 saltine crackers

Dinner

2 hot dogs ( 3 if you're a guy as an added 100 calorie bonus, try to get turkey hot dogs they are only 70 calories)

1 Cup of broccoli

1/2 cup of carrots

1/2 banana

1/2 cup of ice cream

Don't quit now!! You've already consumed that terrible dinner let's finish strong

DAY 3

Breakfast

5 saltine crackers

1 slice of cheddar cheese

1 small apple

Lunch

1 hard boiled egg ( or scrambled basically however you like to eat eggs make them that way)

1 slice of toast

Dinner

1 cup of tuna

1/2 banana

1 cup of ice cream

If you are still hungry after this just go to bed!!! Lol no need to ruin what you've done in 3 days

Step 4: Track your results

Weight yourself immediately you wake up on Saturday July 8th.

Take pictures (front, side, back)

Step 5: Feedback

Let me know how it went for you. The good, the bad, the ugly: Did you lose any weight? What were the challenging parts? Were you able to finish? Etc.

Please note: we are only doing this for 3 days. I wouldn't advice you to utilize this as your primary diet. However, it’s a good tool to have in your secret box to utilize if you have a short time to lose some extra pounds.

TIPS

•       If you don't want to do the ice cream, you can eat and additional piece of meat

•       Sip water throughout the day ( flavor your waters with lemon and different fruit and herbs)

•       Since you will have minimal energy on this diet, try to keep your workout to a minimum