Exercise Archives • Page 3 of 6 • Elect Wellness

Hormone Imbalance – 8 Ways to Fight It

One of the most frightening things we face in life comes from the “inside-out.” It’s hormone imbalance, and it can scare away weight loss while spooking our bodies into shapes that we no longer even recognize as us. Here’s some ways to fend off the fear:

1. Avoid all soy products. Soy, 93% of which is genetically modified, drives up estrogen levels, the same hormone that puts fat on girls when becoming teenagers, and contributes heavily to even a healthy women hold 10-15% more fat than a healthy man. Both men and women need some estrogen, but too much is very bad thing.

2. Lift heavy during your weight training. Heavier lifting better stimulates testosterone in both men and women, the hormone that helps drive up metabolism-boosting lean body mass. Don’t worry women, it won’t turn you into man … only an even better looking woman.
3. Sleep long and deep. Growth hormone, the “fountain of youth,” is released during sleep. Sleep also increases the fat-burning hormone leptin, which makes you feel satisfied and full. At the same time, proper sleep reduces the hormone ghrelin, which makes you hungry. The result is that you’ll reduce food cravings, while looking leaner and younger.

4. Drink only water purified by reverse osmosis. The water from your faucet has toxins that have been termed “obesogens,” due to the way they interrupt normal endocrine function and contribute to weight gain. Your fridge filter helps reduce these somewhat, but leaves fluoride, a toxic poison that will slow down your metabolism-controlling thyroid gland.

5. Don’t eat or drink from heated plastics. The softer the plastic, the higher the danger here. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical found in plastics that have been softened. Unfortunately, it can leach into your food or drink and disrupt your endocrine system. The estrogen mimicker is so strong that men working in plastic factories before exposure was as least somewhat controlled, actually grew female-like breast tissue. So use glass or ceramic instead. Not heating plastics in the microwave is obvious, but don’t drink from that water bottle that’s been sitting too long in the sun either!

6. Eat only organic meats, or at least no-hormone added meats. Commercial farming uses hormones to make their cattle as big and fat as possible, so they can sell more meat per animal they raise. Simplyfying the science, why would you want those “big fat animal hormones” entering your body?

7. Use only natural or organic soaps, cosmetics, lotions, and makups. Unfortunately, these items are sources of a multitude of estrogen mimickers and endocrine disruptors. Women, who already struggle to maintain a healthy hormone profile due their more complicated “dynamic equilibrium” instead of men’s simpler “static equilibrium,” are obviously at higher risk for exposure to these obesogens.

8. Use natural perfume or cologne. Where does it end, right? Sorry, but phthalates within unnatural fragrances mess with your hormones too. Ironically, while trying to make ourselves more attractive with such devices, they are actually making us fatter, possibly defeating their purpose. Look for all-natural types next time you to need to refill your “smell well.”
Hopefully you find these tips helpful. Here’s something to think about: How would your world change if you were totally confident in both your health and appearance, energetic and strong enough to do all that you’d really like to do?

If you are ready to improve your quality of life, simply reply to this email or call us to schedule 3 completely complimentary home-delivered sessions. We’ll show you exactly how you can reach your full physical potential, and let you decide whether you want to chase the goal on your own, or with our help. Either way, the most important thing is to make yourself a priority.

The Facts on Foot Pain And Plantar Fasciitis

You get out of bed and almost fall over, swearing you stepped on a nail that somehow was standing vertically on its head. You hobble around the house as flat footed as possible, careful not to strike your heel, where the pain is most potent. What the heck is wrong with my feet?

You’ll hear all kinds of answers from all different kinds of experts. But here’s the bottom line on what’s happening: the ball of your foot and the heel of your foot are moving away from each other at either an unnatural distance or in an unnatural manner, with each step you take. The result is over-stretching and often tearing of the shock-absorbing plantar fascia, which extends from your heel to the ball of your foot. This terrible condition has become known as plantar fasciitis.

There are 2 main causes:

1) Calve muscles that are entirely too tight, pulling on the achilles, causing the heel to rotate back, up, and away from the ball of your foot … pre-loading the fascia before significant work, and thereby overloading the fascia when you use your feet.

2) Arches that are collapsing, causing the heel and ball of the foot to move away from each other … again pre-loading the fascia before significant work, and thereby overloading the fascia when you use your feet.

Furthermore, there are 2 things that contribute to each of these causes

A lack of stretching, flexibility, or range of motion training can contribute to tight calves. A lack of strength from the antagonist (muscle opposite), such as the tibialis anterior, which lays atop the shin, can have the same effect. Often it’s a combination of the two.

Both excessive weight and weak muscles whose tendons support the arch can contribute to collapsing arches. Again, it’s often a combination of the two.

So, to truly fix the problem, we are left with 3 specific prescriptions

1. Achieve healthy body weight to allow better arching of the feet

2. Strengthen the muscles whose tendons support the foot’s arch

3. Increase flexibility of the calve muscles to lesson backward pull of heel bone

Weight loss is about energy balance. Specifically, learning how to make each bite you take and each workout you perform an investment into increasing your resting metabolism (where 80-90% of our energy is burned). It’s something I talk about all the time and beyond the scope of this article, so we’ll focus on prescription #2 and #3. (However, our focus here in no way should take away from the importance of #1 above.)

To strengthen the arch-supporting muscles, we must first know what muscles do that. That would be:

– the peroneus longs, brevis, and tertius

– the tibialis anterior

– the tibialis posterior

Furthermore, we must know what the actions of these muscles are, right? Otherwise, how in the world are we going to work them?

The peroneus group of muscles is primarily responsible for eversion of the ankle joint. This means taking the outside of your foot and lifting it up toward the outside of your lower leg. Do this 50x and you’ll learn to feel this muscle working quite quickly. Note, I did not say lifting your toes toward the front of your lower leg. That’s coming…

The tibialis anterior is primarily responsible for what is called dorsiflexion of the ankle joint. It’s the exact opposite of a calve raise movement. Consider it a “toe raise.” It’s lifting the ball of your foot up toward the front of your shin. Do this 50x and you’ll be able to pinpoint the tibialis anterior with the “burning shins” you’ll feel. If you currently have plantar fasciitis, it probably won’t take much to make this muscle burn, as it is likely weak.

The tibialis posterior is primarily responsible for inversion of the ankle joint. That is, raising the inside edge of your foot up toward the inside of your lower leg. Many people have never thought to, or are afraid to strengthen this movement, having rolled their ankles many times in the past. They think, “why would I want to make my ankle better at doing this?” That’s unfortunate, because the ankle rolls are caused by a lack of eversion strength, NOT too much inversion strength. Furthermore, this invertor plays a huge roll in maintaining a proper arch and preventing plantar fasciitis. You do yourself no favors to neglect it.

To stretch the calve muscles, you must first realize what they do, and the fact that you have 2 (or should I say 4) of them.

The calves plantar flex the ankle. That is, they move the ball of your foot downward, away from your shin. So it stands to reason that to stretch them, we need to somehow pull the ball of the foot toward the shin. But remember that we have 2 different calve muscles. The first is called your gastrocnemius and it’s origin point is actually above your knee joint. To stretch this one, just like if you were trying to work it, you must “pre-tension” it by keeping your knee locked out. The second calve muscle is called your soleus, whose origin is below your knee joint. So, to focus the stretch on the soleous, remove tension from the gastrocnemius by bending at the knee joint during the stretch.

With the concepts now understood, here’s my recommended practical plan of attack. It’s a daily plan, by the way, since it’s much easier to do something daily consistently than it is to do something every other or every other 2 days consistently. (if you don’t believe me, compare the consistency of brushing your teeth to the consistency of your current exercise program)

Today

Sit on your bed with your foot hanging off and intensely dorsiflex your ankle by pulling your toes up toward the front of your shin. Keep the rest of your leg and body as still as possible. (Try not to externally or internally rotate your foot during this dorsiflexion movement.) Do this until you can’t bear the burn anymore, or you feel like you will cramp – probably somewhere between 50 and 100 repetitions. If it’s under 50, you need this all the more. Ok, after that failure point, move immediately to the other leg and match the number you got on the first leg. Then go back and do the first leg again. Go back and forth until you have done 3 sets on each leg. The tibialis anterior has been fried.

Now we move to the peroneous longus. With the same body/leg position, evert your foot by lifting the outside of it up toward the outside of your lower leg. Try not to otherwise rotate or dorsiflex it. Just focus on eversion. Intensely evert the foot until you feel that burn, hit failure, or feel like you are about to cramp. Count the reps and then do the same number with your other foot. Go back and forth between legs until you have done 3 sets on each.

Finally, we will work the tibialis posterior. With the same body/leg position, invert your foot by lifting the inside of it up toward the inside of your lower leg. Try not to otherwise rotate or dorsiflex it. Just focus on inversion. Invert the foot over and over again until you feel the burn, hit failure, or feel like you are about to cramp. Count the number of reps you get and then do the same number with your other foot. Got back and forth between legs until you have done 3 sets on each. Congrats, you are done for today!

The Next Day

We’ll focus on stretching the calves the day after our arch-supporting muscle work. Facing a wall, lean up against it with one leg forward toward the wall, and the other leg back away from it. Plant the heel of your back leg on the ground, keep your foot pointed straight forward (not externally rotated!) and keep your knee locked out as you move your hips toward the wall. You should feel more of a stretch in the calve the further forward the hips move. If you don’t feel it, move your back leg further back until you do. It’s important to keep your heel on the ground to minimize stretching the plantar fascia and maximize stretching the calve muscles. After holding the stretch for a full 40 seconds, slightly bend the knee and hold another 40 seconds to stretch the soleous. Then switch your legs and do the same to other one. Go back and forth until you have stretched each calve muscle on each leg 3 times. That’s 480 seconds of total calve stretching. This should take you 8-10 minutes, depending on how fast you transition into the positions.

The Day after That

See “Today” and repeat

The Following Day

See “the next day” and repeat

So on and so forth …

If you are more of a “free spirit,” and you totally checked out when I started talking about sets and reps, let me summarize the thoughts above and give you a fun way to gain more control over these movements: healthy feet have both healthy arches and healthy ranges of of motion. You should be able to dorsiflex your ankle (raise your toes toward your shin), invert your ankle (raise the inside toward the inside of your leg), evert your ankle (raise the outside of foot toward the outside of your leg), plantar flex your ankle (point your toes down and away from your shin).

To work all of of these movements, write the alphabet with your toes – either in space, one at a time, or better yet, on a white board with a dry erase marker between your big toe and second toe. The white board is great because you can really see your level of control. Remember, your hips and knees should be still while everything happens from the ankle. See how can do! Be careful where you do this in case you drop the marker. You can always start in the air by hanging your foot off the end of a bed.

While you are performing either these 10 minute workouts or the alphabet drill (every other day) and waiting for the right muscles (arch-supporting ones) to be strong enough, and their antagonists (calve muscles) to be loose enough to fix your condition, you can lessen the severity of your painful symptoms with plantar fascia sleeves. These look like partial socks, and provide compression to control inflammation. More importantly, however, they provide resistance against an arch that wants to collapse under load. They also give support while still allowing the weight to still be distributed where God intended it to be – on the ball of the foot and the heel. If the good Lord wanted the middle of our foot to support our weight, He wouldn’t have built an arched foot in the first place, right? So build your arch-supporting muscles to support the arch of your foot! Like so many other conditions, optimizing the original and natural design is the only real fix.

Now, most conversations and articles on this matter are primarily filled with talk of insoles. Insoles are not the ultimate answer, so I have saved my mention of them for last. But, they can help provide some temporary partial relief of symptoms, and a reduction in pain. They might also be able to delay or lessen some of the knee, hip, and back pain that may eventually come as a result of unfit feet. Let it be known, however, that they will only make your feet weaker if constantly relied upon, as opposed the exercising your feet/ankles. Some of the best feet in the world belong to those who go barefoot the majority of their lives. So keep insoles in proper perspective.

Here’s a little insole wisdom for you:

Don’t go too soft. If you are trying to create an arch in your foot that doesn’t exist naturally, then a soft insole isn’t going to make it happen. For example, if your weight rolls to the inside of your foot, then on a soft insole, it will still roll that way, compressing the soft pad. At the same time, the extra padding under the outside of your foot, the lighter side, will now push it up even further. Basically, the soft insole exaggerates what your foot already wants to do, rather than change its behavior.

Don’t get too high of a heel. If your heel is elevated, then the ball of your foot will be asked to hold a higher % of your weight than for which it was designed. Furthermore, you will have to increase the arch in your back in order to keep from falling forward. This is not a terrible thing if you have a “straight back.” But if you are starting with normal curvature of the spine, or like many, with a exaggerated (lordotic) arch, this will certainly give you back pain as it causes you to arch even more. Here’s yet an additional negative of the elevated heel. Many people with foot pain have calves that are too tight. As you put more weight onto the ball of your foot, you work and tighten your calves even more.

Don’t get TOO high of an arch. If your arches have fallen, it’s probably happened over many years. Do you really think that you can throw in an artificial lift that raises your arches right back to where they were years ago and all will be well? If you do think so, you shouldn’t. Consideration number 1: God built the arch into your foot to act as a sort of shock absorber. It works because it’s not in contact with anything underneath it, while the ball and heel of your foot support your weight. When you stick a high-arched insole into your shoe, you are asking a part of your body to bear weight that was designed for such a purpose. Technically, the best insole would be inserted below the bones of your arch and above your plantar fascia, but that’s not practical.

Don’t get too low of an arch: this is an insole that either doesn’t do much, if it’s a harder insole, because it doesn’t change anything; or worsens the problem, if it’s a soft insole, because it exaggerates natural tendencies.

Watch out for slippery surfaces:. You can have an insole that seems just right: not too soft, not too hard, not too high, not too low … while standing still. Then, as you try to walk, you notice that your foot wants to spin within your shoe, changing where the arch support makes contact with your foot, or even bashing your little toes against the outer edge of your shoe. The insole designer focused too much on making getting into/out of the shoe easy, and forgot to add some “stiction” to the surface of the insole to help keep your foot stable upon it and in the right position. I have so far found only 2 solutions for this: either go barefoot (be careful with this option during sporting activities, as you could “catch a nail” on some part of the shoe) or wear yoga or kitchen socks, with the little “traction balls” on the sole. The advantage of the yoga socks over kitchen socks is that they are “fingered,” helping to splay (spread) your toes, which helps keep your feet healthy, while adding another level of traction.

After reading the above, you might be thinking: wow, it seems really difficult to find the perfect insole. You’re are absolutely correct. It’s a bit of a nightmare, which is why I don’t generally even recommend them. It’s better to put your time and efforts into your shoe choice, making sure you have a comfortable and effective fit – preferably without having to match an insole. Once you add an insole to a shoe, it changes the way the shoe fit you originally – which could bring some painful or annoying consequences. If you need a particular insole, be sure to try on your potential new shoe with the particular insole and make sure everything works together well before proceeding to purchase. In the end, the better option is a pair of “plantar sleeves.” These give arch support without asking your arch to bear more weight. At the same time, they can help reduce inflammation via the compression they provide. Supporting your arches with athletic tape is another decent option, but most people won’t take the time to do it properly. Hence my recommendation of a great pair of shoes, plus the sleeves, instead of game-changing insoles. If you really need more cushion, you can always try adding second pair of socks. I’m not against insoles for symptom relief while you are building better feet, but they do require that you do some “self homework” while both choosin and using carefully.

Finally, remember that RICE is your friend, but NOT your healer.

I’m not talking about the food here. It’s the acrostic that every serious athlete knows quite well: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Essentially, get off your feet, get some ice on them, tie it up tight, and get them above your heart. There are some companies that make a sort of “cold pack slipper” that makes this easier to do. Slip them on before you go to bed and sleep on your back with your feet up on a few pillows. Of course, be sure to place a pillow under the knee as well so you don’t start over-stretching other tendons too. Keep in mind that R.I.C.E. is simply a part of symptom control, not the way to fix your condition.

In summary,

Fit Feet Feel Fantastic, so work those suckers as hard as you work every other muscle in your body. You’ll be so glad you did.

Reasons & Fixes for Workout Nausea

Most of us have been here before, at one point or another. You finish an incredible workout, having pushed every limit of every muscle group in your body, building a failure-inducing burn with every set, while minimizing or eliminating all your usual rest intervals. You expect to feel incredible (albeit sore and tired), like you just conquered the world. But then …. BAM … the world conquers you. You feel terrible – headache, upset stomach, trouble focusing, maybe blurry vision, feeling like you are going to throw up.

Well, there are a few different things at play, and we’ll cover those below, as well as how to fix them. The good news is this: you are a hard worker, and because of that, you are the type of person that usually sees great results from exercise – because you are willing to push your body’s limits. More good news, your threshold before this feeling hits will increase. It will take more and more volume, intensity, and duration to experience this feeling, the more fit and healthy you become.

1) Dehydration – when you exercise, your sweat rate increases exponentially over your resting sweat rate. You cannot just “drink as usual” and expect to be ok. You must increase your water intake before and after exercise, especially if you are working too hard during exercise to keep up with hydration needs. Compensating for this loss with plenty of water will make you feel better.

2) Acid Buildup / Buffering – when you challenge the glycolytic energy system with high-rep weight training, you burn sugar, which results in lactic acid. Your body attempts to buffer the acid buildup, but the exposure of your cells and blood to much higher acid levels than you are used to handling can leave you feeling nauseated for a while. However, the more frequently you push this system, the better your body becomes at buffering this acid. Basically the same workload becomes easier and easier for both you and your body to handle. It’s called “increasing your lactate threshold,” and it’s a big marker of your fitness. Eating a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables, which “pre-tax” your body’s buffering systems the least by hitting your blood with more alkalinity than acid, will help you feel better while workout out.

3) Muscle Tissue Damage – when you stress your muscles, you are making little tears in them, on purpose, knowing that the body will not only make the necessary repairs, but also increase the strength/size of the fiber to help prevent future tears. So it stands to reason, that you will not always feel so great while the body is responding with inflammation to those tears. Some light aerobic activity after an intense resistance training session can keep blood circulating and help the body better handle the damage and take care of the “rubble” immediately after a tough workout.

4) Nervous System Exchange – you have 2 “sub-nervous” systems, if you will. The sympathetic, which controls skeletal muscle and external energy, and the parasympathetic, which controls internal smooth muscle like that which moves food through your digestive tract. These 2 systems are negatively correlated. Meaning, when one is working hard, the other will take a rest. During exercise, your sympathetic nervous system is stimulated with adrenaline, so your internals will take a break. Their time off can sometimes cause some stomach upset, until the exercise “buzz” wears off. (Conversely, this is why we don’t feel like expending any external energy after big meals.) A short cool-down period of “active rest” will help transition you back to daily life, much like a warm up transitions you into intense exercise.

5) Electrolyte Balance – this is more of a problem for individuals exercising for long durations and/or in high temperatures. A banana with a little salt sprinkled on it is usually sufficient to correct most problems. If you are training in the heat for more than an hour and replacing lots of fluids, be sure to use a mixture like 50% apple juice, 50% water, and an 1/8 tsp salt per 20oz of this drink. The reason is to avoid hyponatremia, an extremely low blood-sodium condition that results when combining electrolyte loss and extreme re-hydration without minerals. If this happens, you can say goodbye to the world for about 2 days, and hopefully, your friends will fill you in upon your return as to what transpired during your absence. This is serious, but again, only a concern if you are exercising intensely for a long duration with a high sweat rate. I don’t suggest drinking juice or Gatorade during every indoor 45-minute resistance training workout.

I hope this helps put this occasional nauseous feeling into perspective. We don’t enjoy it, and it’s not necessary. But if you have hit that wall, at least you are pushing yourself. Now just make sure the aforementioned things are tended to, so you can continue to do so!

Fatloss Secret: 4-Step Order of Eating

Step 0 (vital habit BEFORE you start eating)

You can only live for 4 minutes without oxygen, so oxygen is the first priority. Deep breathe 10 times prior to your first bite. The “French paradox,” the observation that the French don’t have our health problems, despite the lack of calorie restriction & food quality, is not attributed to their wine intake, like we once thought. Rather, it’s the patience with which they eat their meals, which decreases stress and raises the parasympathetic nervous system’s function, which improves the first stages of metabolism – digestion & nutrient absorption.

No doubt you’ve experienced severe heartburn while trying to down a meal in 5 minutes in your car. This is just one evidence of how stress disturbs proper digestion. But just because you don’t take it to the point of experiencing heartburn, doesn’t mean you are providing the optimal setting to get the most from your meal. When you don’t get what the body needed from a meal, you brain says, “try again.” Now you are fighting your instincts, and it’s hard to win.

Step 1

Drink your water next. You can live for only 4 days without water, so water is the next priority. Hydrolysis is one of the first steps of digestion, breaking larger food particles down to smaller ones. Water also dilutes blood sugar concentration, helping to control the insulin response that signals “storage” to the body. In addition, water helps alkalize our blood, from the outside-in, taking some of the burden off the body’s buffering systems, saving you both bone density (“saving” bicarbonate) & minerals. Leaving those minerals to be used in the function of your nervous and muscular systems can help your metabolism. Furthermore, research has demonstrated significant reduction in muscle contractile strength under dehydrated conditions. This means that workout intensity and the resulting calorie burn/muscle development and ultimately your resting metabolic rate will suffer without water. Long story short: drink your water. (& don’t poison it with artificial dyes & colors)

Step 2

You can live without fruits & vegetables, but you can’t live without disease in their absence. Almost every major disease could be avoided if we actually ate 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables EVERY day. They reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, arthritis, vision problems, diabetes, indigestion, diverticulitis, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and list goes on … and on. Fruits & vegetables are packed with not only vitamins and minerals, but also enzymes, fiber, water, and a growing class of compounds that have come to be known as phytonutrients. This includes substances like lutein, lycopene, resveratrol, flavonoids, polyphenols, isoflavones, and more. You can survive without these, but you won’t enjoy your survival. Why not truly “find life” instead, and eat these vital (and original) components our diets?

Step 3

Eat your protein source next. Protein is made up amino acids, rightly labeled “the building blocks of life.” Protein, as you probably know, composes 20% of your muscle (70% water, by the way). And your muscle plays an important role in your resting metabolic rate. Even if you workout 4 hours a week, if you have a sedentary job, that’s a measley 2% of your week’s time. Translation? The majority of your calorie burning is up to your resting metabolic rate and the thermic effect of food – both of which are improved with protein. As you remember, protein burns 2x what carbs burn in digestion, and 3x what fat burns in digestion. Did you know that protein is also a vital component of bone, skin, hair, hormones, enzymes, & antibodies? And this is by no means an exhaustive list. Furthermore, certain amino acids help darken your tan (finally got some’s attention), improve brain chemistry, release antioxidants, and increase growth hormone. They also play an important role in regulating brain chemistry and dopamine levels. They may also help you focus and better interpret information and situations – important when trying to change habits. For example, while researching a group of autistic children, a recent study found a mutation in the gene that normally prevents the breakdown of branch-chain amino acids like leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Protein is powerful, and necessary for both fastest fat loss, and maintaining our focus on that goal. Eat it third.

Step 4

Save the starchy carbs for last. This your bread, rice, cereal, crackers, pasta, potatoes, & oatmeal. It also includes, though hopefully not too often … any chips, cake, candy, and other crap. [I needed another c-word there] This is obviously the easiest food category to over-eat, and therefore should be saved until you are already somewhat full. Carbohydrates have the lowest satiety factor of the three macronutrients: fat, protein, & carbs. Meaning, you need a lot to feel full. I would say they “go right through you,” but this is hardly the case. Rather, they “stick right to you.” Yes, this is the gas in the tank of the car we don’t drive enough, so to speak. You only need as much carbohydrate … as much as you move your body. The brain needs less than 500 calories worth a day of glucose (the blood product of carb assimilation) to function. Although our information/communication-based jobs feel like we are working our bodies hard, we just aren’t. Of course your muscles can use a lot of glucose. But therein lies the catch- you gotta use them! So, unless you are trying to increase athletic performance or maintain bodyweight during periods of heavy exercise, save the starches for last.

It’s a Terrible Resolution…

If you are anything like millions of other Americans, either “lose weight” or “get in shape” was near the top of your New Year’s resolution list.

But, a common goal doesn’t mean common success. In fact, in this case, it means common failure. That’s right, 92% of people will fail to make their New Year’s resolution a reality.

The question becomes then, how do you become part of the 8% that succeed?

Start with this: recognize that “Lose Weight” is simply a terrible resolution.

Why would a health & fitness business owner say that? Well, what are you resolving to DO ? Because you can’t just tell your body to “lose weight!”

Your body decides when it wants to lose weight, not you (that’s the bad news) … and it does it in response to your actions, not your desires. (that’s the good news – you can influence it!)

Out of all the posts, blogs, updates, and videos I post, if you remember one thing, remember this:

Body change follows behavior change.

It does not precede it, nor does it come beside it. It FOLLOWS it. Every time.

So why are we always trying to “re-position the carriage, instead of directing the horse?”

The horse, in this metaphor, is behavior change, and the carriage is the body. Furthermore, your mind is much like the carriage driver. It’s resides on the top of the body and has the power to both choose and direct the horse that he or she selects. But the carriage (and subsequently the driver) doesn’t go anywhere that the horse doesn’t go first.

Here’s an example of 3 common and well-intentioned resolutions, that just so happen to be doomed for failure, if they are not tied to actionable resolutions:

Lose Weight

Improve Health

Get off Medications

Why are they “doomed?” Because they are RESULTS of necessary actions, not the actions themselves.

Think about it. You are resolving to see the results of certain actions, without resolving to take any specific actions. Crazy, when you think about it, isn’t it?

Body change should be the RESULT of your resolution(s), not the actual resolution itself.

With that in mind, here’s the 3 resolutions that will reward you with the 3 good intentions previously mentioned:

1) Exercise for 45 minutes a day, 4 days a week

2) Record & review what I eat & how I feel, daily

3) Assess myself routinely and chart my progress

Put a structure in place that causes the consistent application of these resolutions, and you’ll join the elite 8%

12 Tips of Christmas

In light of a French chant that became a popular English carol, we’re giving you 12 health tips, loosely based on the song that celebrates the twelve traditional festive days of Christmas:

A Partridge in a Pear Tree The perfect snack is a lean protein source and a piece of fruit, like turkey jerky & a pear. Fruit is also a great dessert. Slice a pear (or an apple), sprinkle with some cinnamon and stevia, and microwave for a couple minutes. You could even top the fruit with some oats or low-fat granola.

2 Turtle Doves Doves are a sign of peace. While the holidays are supposed to be a joyous and enjoyable time of year, preparation and travel often add to our stress levels. This stress releases within our bodies the damaging hormone called cortisol. Sometimes family expectations over the holidays can increase stress. Remember the real reason for the season: a perfect gift for imperfect people. That proper perspective helps us forgive, which is the best weapon against stress, whether it’s forgiving others, or yourself.

3 French Hens Poultry is a great lean protein source and makes a good substitute for ham. Focus on the white meat, and avoid eating the skin. This will save you tons of calories from fat, especially the saturated kind.

4 Calling Birds Finish drinking before the “last call.” Drink alcohol in moderation, avoid high-calorie mixers like juice and soda, and sip on water between drinks to help you stay hydrated. Focus on the fellowship with friends and family more than the drink in your hand.

5 Golden Rings Golden rings remind me of commitment. Indecision and a wayward mind are unhealthy. The holidays are no time to let your commitments slide, especially commitments that keep you healthy. Disease doesn’t take a holiday break. In fact, it often gains its greatest advantage while people put healthy habits on pause, while eating poorly to boot. Keep your commitments and benefit from your fortitude.

6 Geese A-Laying Eggs are a great protein source because they have all nine essential amino acids, are easily digestible, and can be very low-calorie if you avoid the yolk. Keep eggs or natural egg whites around for a quick protein-packed breakfast, or include a hardboiled egg white at a snack or on a salad.

7 Swans A-Swimming Swimming is a full-body workout, has low impact on joints and can be a cardiovascular and resistance workout all in one! Try out water aerobics to include more resistance training, or swim consecutive laps for a great cardiovascular workout.

8 Maids A-Milking There are many different kinds of milks and milk products available. Organic skim milk, non-fat Greek yogurt, and low-fat cottage cheese are highly recommended protein sources. If dairy causes you to have stomach upset or congestion, try unsweetened almond milk for a lower-calorie, high-antioxidant calcium alternative.

9 Ladies Dancing Don’t make your celebrations solely about food. Get your friends and family together during the holiday to engage in some group exercise. Soccer, football, tennis, golf, even dancing are fun ways to get everyone together while burning some calories. You’ll be amazed at how much better you feel.

10 Lords A-Leaping Leap into the New Year with some new health and fitness goals. Set a new goal weight or eliminate a food item you know negatively impacts your health or desired results. Why not sign up now for a 5k, half marathon, or the full 26 miles? Nothing is more motivating than knowing that day is on the calendar!

11 Pipers Piping Obviously smoking is terrible for you. But what about smoked meats? As alluring as they can be, they are filled with cancer-causing nitrites and nitrates. If you simply can’t resist, eat just the meat and avoid the blackened skin. Also avoid cured and preserved meats that have “nitrite” or “nitrate” in the ingredient list. These compounds react with amino acids in the body to create a compound called a nitrosamine, a potent carcinogen that your body must deal with.

12 Drummers Drumming If you are getting headaches or even migraines that feel like 12 drummers drumming in your head, think about how your diet may be influencing and/or instigating your pain. Are you drinking enough water, taking a multivitamin, getting essential fats, avoiding preservatives like MSG, getting enough sleep, avoiding or at least timing your caffeine intake, and restricting alcohol consumption? If you answer no to any of these, you are opening the door to drummers in your head.

Next time you hear the song, see if you can recall these tips. Repetition is the key to learning. But more importantly, APPLICATION is the key to benefitting!