Go Green

You can go to any grocery store, pharmacy, or health food store and you will see the words green tea everywhere. Over the past few years we have been experiencing a green tea craze. From actual drinking tea to gum, it is all over the place. People in Asia have been utilizing green tea for centuries, and now I myself may want to “GO GREEN”. Before I do, I have to know what this stuff is, and how can it benefit me?

  Green tea is said to be an accidental discovery by the Chinese emperor Shen Nung in 2737 BC . However, it was not until several thousand years later that Buddhist monks introduced green tea to Japan. Ever since then it has been a common drink in South East Asia – popular because of its taste and health benefits. In some parts of Asia tea drinking has even evolved into a religious ceremony. Even though we in the Western world have known about tea for centuries we have not really used it for anything but a drink. It is not until now that green tea – with its distinct color and flavor - finally caught on in our part of the world. It is the least processed tea and the flavors, antioxidants etc. are therefore much better preserved in the tea leaves.

  It has long been believed by Asian cultures that green tea prolongs life, prevents diseases and slows aging. Therefore green tea has also long been used in traditional Chinese medicine to cure various diseases from irregularity and slow metabolism to heart diseases and cancer. Companies selling green tea products here in the United States have used these beliefs and claims – especially about its weight management properties - to promote their products. Creating an entirely new industry where even giants like Lipton have made a new line of Lipton Iced Tea with various green tea flavors.

 Green tea is known for its high levels of polyphenols - a known agent for protecting against cardiovascular diseases by preventing the oxidation of cholesterol and build up of plaque in the arteries. Green tea also contains a polyphenol called epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) which is one of the most powerful antioxidants. Some claim that EGCG might explain or prove why green tea could have cancer fighting properties. The question however remains, is there scientific research and evidence to back up the claims about green tea.

 Several studies have now been done on the effects of green tea. The result of one such study was published last year in The Journal of Nutrition. Researchers found that participants who consumed green tea beverages during an exercise-induced weight loss program lost more abdominal fat than those who did not drink the tea. They therefore concluded that their results suggest that consumption of green tea can enhance fat loss . These results would back up green tea being sold solely as a weight loss supplement. Another study was conducted by the School of Sport and Exercise Sciences at the University of Birmingham, U.K. on some of the health-promoting benefits of green tea consumption. The university found that the subjects’ average fat oxidation rates increased by 17% when using green tea as a supplement as well as a 13% increase in insulin sensitivity. Based on this they concluded that green tea can be used to increase fat oxidation and improve insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance .

 Several other studies have been done citing that green tea can decrease muscle necrosis (University of Lausanne, Switzerland), prevent and fight skin cancer (University of Alabama) and help prevent periodontal disease (Kyushu University Faculty of Dental Science, Japan). However, despite these studies green tea does not seem to be getting much serious attention in the medical field. Instead is seems to be regarded as part of the alternative medicine field and over the counter weight loss/health industry.

 The effect of green tea to today’s athlete or fitness enthusiast is quite obvious. During their pre-season when athletes are getting ready to compete green tea could be used as a safe way to assist in shedding adipose tissue. This will help them compete at a higher level without compromising their health or ingesting artificial or synthetic drugs. Also, taking green tea as a supplement will help prevent free radical damage. Studies done in Tochigi, Japan also suggest that consumption of green tea help endurance athletes. The results show that supplementing with green tea improved the athletes’ endurance capacity by as much as 24%. Based on this alone green tea should be a supplement taken by every endurance athlete out there. What runner or swimmer would not like to improve endurance and thereby performance by 24%?

 In general green tea is to be preferred over a drug with similar effects simply due to the fact that it is a 100% natural product. If green tea – even when consumed in high doses – had any serious side effects chances are we would know about them by now since it has been around for centuries. As of today the only side effects reported are mild and restricted to e.g. diarrhea and restlessness (due to the caffeine). As Americans get more health and environmentally conscious, as we search for natural remedies and look more to nature for solutions the market for products like green is sure to grow.

 The problem remains; how do you convince the average American, athletes and the medical field that green tea is not just that – a tea. If the claims about green tea hold to be true (more research is surely needed). Then we could have found our miracle drug of the 21st century and a natural one at that. One thing is for sure. With the mounting evidence green tea is on my list next time I shop for supplements.

SUPER BOWL!!!

As we all know the Super Bowl was yesterday evening. I hope everyone enjoyed it. It was a great game. The Super Bowl provides us with entertainment, but also it give us one of our biggest challenges. The Super Bowl Party!! There is always lots of drinks and things for you and your guest to eat. At most parties they  definitely not have the most healthy things. One of my newest clients gave me a call  yesterday. This guy has been on a roll for he past 2 weeks. He has his eating on track and working out like crazy when we train and even when he is on his on. In just this short period of time he has made some crucial changes to be successful at achieving his goal as to one day look as good as a professional bodybuilder. When I answered the phone he asked me how bad was pizza to eat with a few wings and a side salad. I laughed and I told him he might as well go to McDonald's and get a super sized meal and a diet coke...lol Anyone who has trained with me knows exactly how I feel about having pizza in your diet when you are training. I have seen it set people back so bad just from having a few slices. My client really wanted it though. He said "Please don't do this to me man, it's the super bowl!" I told him he needs to put some lettuce leaves in his "Super Bowl". Haha!  Then he went on to say he was having his girlfriend prepare a chocolate lava cake. He went on to describe this thing to me, I must admit it sound delicious, but not good enough to be set back a few weeks. So, instead of continuing to argue with him over this I had him look up the nutrition facts on everything he wanted to eat. By the time we finished calculating we were at about 5,000 calories. I told him he could easily get those calories off. He said just tell me what to do and I'll do it. I told him how I ran 16 miles and burned about 2600 calories.  He didn't like the sound of that at all. Haha! So I met up with him and his girlfriend and showed him a lot healthier options that he could have. Of course he gave me the "STINK FACE." We all know that look. The one where your upper lip curls up to cover the bottom of your nostrils like you just smelled something gross. Haha! He ended with with lean cut steak,(which was grilled) grilled veggies, a vegetable tray, and a fruit tray. His buddies still had their beer, but he stayed away from it. To his surprise everyone was thrilled with the food and said it tasted great. The point of this is that even in the toughest of situations you can make a good choice and not stray too far from your diet and still be on track as this client found out. I know it's tradition sometimes to pig out at certain occasions, but to really make a change you have to do just that. "CHANGE!" I know the Super Bowl is over for this year but there will be another next year. Put yourself to the challenge next year and try to make your Super Bowl a healthy one and throw some green veggies in it. ;-) Until next time..Train hard and be consistent ;-)

No one gives a better stink face than babies!!..LOL

"AGE AIN'T NOTHING BUT A NUMBER"

It's the beginning of the new year and as you can imagine my phone has been ringing off the hook. What has surprised me is the number of older adults I have gotten calls from. I think that is absolutely excellent. I get inspired when I see older adults take an interest in physical fitness. It lets me know that even in my later years of life I can still be energetic. Studies have shown that being more active in your later years can be very beneficial to your health. I asked one of my newest clients why she decided to give me a call. She said that she would go and visit her brother who was 2 years younger than her at his house. She said he took a variety of medications on a daily basis because he had a variety of illnesses. His physicians tried their best to get him to try to make changes in his life. Most of those changes revolved around exercise and activity. Unfortunately, he passed away before he could ever get started. She told me that her doctor was telling her the same things that his doctors had been telling him. She said in memory of her brother she was going to make that change. I am not the most soft hearted person but I had to fight back a tear or two hearing that. The reason for me even writing this blog is to hopefully get someone that you know, that may be in the same situation, to do something before it's too late. Be suppoortive and try to help anyway you can with positive reinforcement.Now, what is the right amount of exercise for an older individual? Me personally, I say what ever your body will allow. What I find most often is that you can do a lot more than what you think you can do. Age is seriously just a number. One of my clients in his 60's, he started with me barely being able to lift a 10lb dumbbell, but he has made a serious change. When I was at his house last week doing a training session I had my camera with me. I told him I just wanted to test out the quality of my camera...haha! Well, I kind of made a little video of this guy working out. If he knew I was posting this for everyone to see he would kill me, but oh well....That is what he gets for not keeping up with my blogs....lol...Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the video..Haha!

http://youtu.be/K4QKCbRWwq8

"Mental Jihad"

THESE ARE THE EVENTS OF THIS MORNING.

I know everyone has to deal with that little voice inside their head that helps them make decisions. Sometimes the voice inside them is negative, sometimes it's positive. Regardless, it's still there. I, like many of you, had to deal with this sort of situation this morning. My alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m. then.....

Negative me: Hit the snooze button man!
Positive me: You haven't worked out properly in 2 days. Walking your dogs doesn't count. Get up!
Negative me: When you hit the snooze button, it's going to go off again in 9 minutes. Hit the damn thing, we are tired!
(I eventually ended up hitting that snooze button a few times.)

ONE HOUR LATER
(I'm somewhat awake trying to find my training clothes)
Negative me: Damn we are hungry! Let's grab some food and watch some tv.
Positive me: We have slacked off enough. We have goals to meet. Let's get going before your first session.
Negative me: Just think about what you have done over the last 6 months. You have worked our ass off, literally. All your shirts are big, people are telling you that your pants are sagging so bad it looks like you are wearing a diaper. Another day off isn't going to kill you.
Positive me: Now if one of your clients came to you with a tired excuse after taking 2 days off, what would you say to them? You'd most likely tell them to get off their ass and even threaten to come visit them to get them going.
Negative me: When is the last time you've had pizza. That used to be your favorite food. I have an idea. How about we cancel all our sessions for today, call Pizza Hut and order a stuffed crust meat lovers pizza and chill out for the rest of the day. We are stressed! We didn't have a proper cheat day, our whole weekend got messed up because of our car, we spent sooo much money trying to get it fixed and it's still broke! That pizza is sounding better and better huh?
Positive me: Hell, even I have to admit that pizza sounds nice. There is only one problem with that though. How long has it taken your body to recover in the past from eating pizza? Remember how frustrating it is to get back on track? Is it really worth it?

THE RESULT! (I got up and ran 5.99 miles)

My reason for sharing this story is some of the people I train and my readers know that I struggle sometimes also. To be successful at what you want to accomplish, sometimes you have to sacrifice. Would I love to have eaten that pizza and chilled out all day? OF COURSE! But, being set back a few weeks on my goal damn sure would not have been worth it. Also, I would feel totally like crap looking into my clients eyes and knowing what I had done. They've told me story of overcoming stress and food struggles and I cheered them on. What kind of a leader would I be if I couldn't even do it myself. A true leader leads by example and also leads from the front. In your time of struggle on your journey, follow my lead and choose the positive over the negative. Until next time people! Be consistent and train hard!

Super Food

I love to eat! That is just a fact! When it's time for me to eat I don't play. The best thing to do around my feeding time is to stay out of my way. Haha! There are foods that we eat that provide us with certain vitamins and minerals to keep us healthy, give us energy, etc. There are also some that I consider to be super foods. These foods do something that is outside of the ordinary that benefit us. One of my favorite super foods for this time of year is oatmeal. I know some of you may not like oatmeal, but read on and make up your own mind if it is worth giving it a try
Well we all know that oatmeal has alot of fiber. Alot of medical prefessionals will have  patients with high levels of cholesterol use oatmeal to lower it. So, I'm sure you are curious as to how exactly it works right? I'll explain. Oatmeal contains a molecule called Beta-glucan. What this does is bind itself to saturated and trans fat in the body. After it has binded that fat can easily be passed out of your system and not stored to make cholesterol. I've searched but I couldn't find any data that confirms that it could be a catalyst for weight loss. So......I did my own little independent study. I had someone I was training with cut way back on their exercise. I had them keep their diet the same except for one thing. I had them have oatmeal for breakfast every morning. The result was the person lost bodyfat and overall weight. I even tried it myself. I decreased exercise and started having oatmeal for breakfast. The results were exactly the same. A decrease in bodyfat and overall weight. There are products out on the market right now that are supposed to do the same thing. Before you go and invest in something like that. I suggest giving oatmeal a try. It's worth a shot.

Yum,Yum, Yum, give me some :-)

FAT LOSS AND EXERCISE IN A BOTTLE!

I normally don't talk about many products that I use but this one is almost too good to be true.Unlike what you normally hear about things that are too good to be true, this isn't. I mean, if you are a person who is trying to get in more exercise or more fat loss then this is a product you should definitely use. I've known about this for a while and I've talked to some of my clients about using it. I don't know if they take me seriously or not, but I wanted to share some information I acquired about it.

According to a recent study consuming this throughout the day can cause you to burn an extra 100 calories (Boschman 6017). That is the equivalent of running a mile. How cool is that!! The study suggests that consuming this supplement induces thermogenesis. Thermogenesis is a term used for a process in which the body raises its temperature, or energy output. This results in an increased metabolism and often fat cells are then utilized as energy to support this metabolic increase. This supplement could possibly increase your metabolism by as much as 30-40% (Boschman 6017).

So, I know you are curious as to what this stuff is so you can run right out and get some right? Well, it's already in your house right now. What I'm talking about is WATER! Everyone knows that if you get dehydrated you need to drink some water to get re hydrated. Or, if you want to offset the amount sodium you consumed you drink water to flush out the extra sodium, but to give you the equivalent of running a mile is excellent. Take the time right now and evaluate what you are doing with your diet and exercise regime. If you are doing all you can and you are still struggling, then ask yourself this one simple question. How much water have I drank today??

Study cited:
Boschmann, Michael, Jochen Steiniger, Uta Hille, Jens Tank, Frauke Adams, Arya M. Sharma, Susanne Klaus, Friedrich C. Luft, and Jens Jordan. "Water-Induced Thermogenesis." The Journal of Endocrinology & Metabolism 88.12 (2003): 6015-019. Web. 5 Nov. 2011. http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/88/12/6015.full.pdf+html.

Positive Attitude + Confidence= SUCCESS!

She was really nice but a little unsure about me. I could see her nervousness. She had never worked with a trainer before. I told her over a period of time she would see progress in her physical fitness. I told her to trust me, and she did. We started off slow at first, doing a little bit here and a little bit there. The day came when I asked her to do her warm up inside a gymnasium. I asked her to jog around the perimeter a few times to get the blood flowing a little. She looked at me like I had slapped her across the face or something, but she started jogging. At that moment she had gained confidence that what I was asking her to do was possible. Why wasn't it possible before? She had never tried it before, so it wasn't possible to her. A few weeks later she had doubled the amount of times she was able to jog around that gymnasium. I was so thrilled I started running beside her playing the theme song from the movie Rocky. She was pumping her fist and we were both laughing. It was a sight to see.

The whole point of me telling that story was to focus in on that person's attitude. If she had been completely negative and shot me down there is no way she would be able to do what she can do now physically. She decided to throw caution to the wind and give it a shot. Once that confidence was gained the sky was the limit and she became successful. It's important when training (especially when you have a goal in mind) to challenge yourself to be able to do more. If you get caught up doing the same thing or the same amount of everything you will not be able to move forward. It's kind of like only being able to add and subtract your whole life. Could you imagine how far your development in math would be behind as an adult? The same goes for your body. If you lift that same 5lbs each and every time you go to the gym you won't see any development. I have another client  who has embraced the whole idea of having a positive attitude. I mean this woman doesn't half way do anything. I could point to the 50lb dumbbells and tell her to do some shoulder presses with them and without even second guessing she will go right for them. I know she can't do that much but she is still willing to try because you don't know if you don't try. She has also been very successful.

If you are finding yourself in a rut in the gym and not seeing the results you want then maybe it is time to step it up a notch and challenge yourself a little more. Be positive, try new things, and I guarantee you will find success. I am very proud of both those ladies. The first lady I mentioned sent me a photo today that I just have to share. Keep up the good work!!!!

NOW THAT IS WHAT I CALL SUCCESS!!!!