The Easiest Way to Lose Weight - Ever

I made this program for a client who did not have the motivation to exercise and couldn't keep a healthy eating plan for longer than a few days. For people like me, it is very easy to stay healthy, because I know how good exercise is for you. I also long for that feel-good endorphin high that I experience after every workout. For those who don't exercise regularly, it can be hard for them to understand, or even look forward to, these happy hormone encounters. Endorphins are released during exercise to uplift your mind and body and improve performance. The feeling is very similar to the dopamine release that you feel after eating chocolate. It makes you want more.

I have also been doing it for so long that I forget about how hard it might be for someone who is just starting out and hasn't built up the continual momentum yet. Many people are very overwhelmed by the idea of hard, physical effort. They see it as a chore, when I see it as a chance to experience a sense of achievement and progress.

This program makes healthy lifestyle changes simple, small and easy. All you need to do is start off with a single squat (Yes, just one squat and you are done for the day!). You are now following an exercise routine. Let that sink in for a moment - you are one your way to a healthier you. It does not sound as bad as you always thought it did, does it? Once you come to terms with the fact that you are already getting healthier; the idea of doubling the health effects by doing two squats doesn't sound too intimidating, and I'm sure that the idea has already crossed your mind. This is progress. Every step is not only easy and seemingly insignificant, but after no time at all you will be as fanatic about your health as I am.

This is the basic idea of the program: You start off by making small changes that seem too easy to make a difference, and they add up every day until you are taking down mountains. By starting out extremely low and increasing gradually, you give your mind time to come to terms with the new change. You will also start to change your mind-set about exercise. After some time, you will start to look forward to your little achievements. Once you start to see the changes in your face, weight, energy levels and mood, you will start wanting to do more and more on your own. This helps you to change your mind-set from the negative chore-like image of exercise to the positive, life-giving one that it actually is.

By now I'm sure you get the point, so let's jump right into the program:

The Progression Program

Week 1: Exercise: Squats

On day one, all you need to do is a single squat. Add one more squat each day so that you will do two the next day, three the next, etc. Keep adding a single squat to your routine every day (and continue to do so into the following weeks).

See: Benefits of squats and How to squat properly

After a week or two, you might start struggling with the amount of squats that you are doing, depending on your fitness level. If you reach this stage, firstly reward yourself for getting that far! Secondly, you can stick with the amount of squats that you are doing for a few days before you are comfortable with increasing the number by one again.

Week 2: Just add Water

As you continue to build up your squat count, start off this week by making sure that you drink at least 2 liters of water every day. Since you have been so good at keeping your past goal from the last week, you will be motivated to keep the ball rolling by adding this simple extension. This is the power of momentum. Once the ball is rolling, it gets easier and easier to increase its speed.

Most people are dehydrated, and water is needed to flush out excess sodium. Too much sodium (which is found in almost all processed foods and requires fluids to be flushed from the body) leads to high blood pressure and heart disease.

Proper water consumption also allows your body to eliminate toxins and regulate its internal systems through proper circulation and blood flow. According to Everyday Health; dehydration is a major cause of lethargy (lack of energy and feeling tired all the time), headaches, and even sugar cravings!

Since you are building up your new body, help it speed up the change by giving it the water that it needs to refresh and revive itself. Adding lemon juice to water will increase its detoxifying benefits.

Make sure that you drink at least two liters of water every day, and you will have successfully completed this step!

For those who are wondering, yes; it is possible to drink too much water. This usually only happens if you are drinking something like 5-10 liters of water in a day, or if you drink too much too quickly. Don't chug 2 liters in one go! Read more about getting too much water here.

Week 3: Que the Fruit

Fruit are full of nutrients, aid digestion, keep us young and get rid of toxins. This week, all you need to do is make sure that you have 5 servings of fruit and vegetables every day. They can be any fruit or vegetable - as long as they are fresh, uncooked, and different. Two apples do not count as two servings. Rather have an apple and a carrot to make two different servings. This gives you a greater variety of micro nutrients like antioxidants, vitamins, minerals (see their importance), trace elements, phyto-chemicals and more.

You can add them as an entire meal or separate them into small additions to your current diet. Don't worry about changing anything else about your diet just yet, although at this stage you will probably start wanting to.

As you start to see a positive change in your body (which you definitely will at this stage if you have followed the steps correctly so far), you will naturally want to do more and more to keep the results coming. Acknowledge this and celebrate the fact that getting healthier is starting to become exciting for you.

Week 4: Alternatives

This is the week where the changes get a little bigger. I'm sure you've been wondering when we were going to address your current eating habits, and this is the week. Now that you have made small changes and seen results, you will be motivated to make the bigger changes. Even at this stage, I have good news for you: It is not going to be as horrible or dreadful as you have made it out to be in your head. Read this page for the alternatives that you need to make and start experimenting with a few of them. Try them out and see which ones you like the most. Discover which ones seem to make a bigger difference. You might be shocked about how easy the changes are (No substituting a burger with a carrot).

A simple example would be making a protein shake instead of buying a milkshake, eating nuts instead of your usual snack or having one of your daily fruit instead of a candy bar. Remember: Gradual changes stick, radical changes don't. After a while, you will start to crave a protein shake instead of an unhealthy meal. This will happen because your body will realize that it gets more useful nutrients from the one, compared to the other. It is important to experiment with different flavors and brands, because some will suit your taste and nutritional needs better than others.

Week 5: Time to Shine

At this stage you will feel better, have lost weight and be ready to take things to a whole new level after seeing what you are capable of - and how easy it actually is to change your body into the version that you want. Now that you have built up the momentum and started with the basic elements of a healthier lifestyle, you get to choose what you do next. Are you going to join a gym or fitness club, start a sport, add a running routine, experiment with other dietary ideas or search for the next item to add to your weekly list? The choice is up to you! All you need to do is realize that you can do anything through small changes and that getting healthy is a lot easier than you make it out to be in your head. Congratulations on making it this far and best of luck to you on your new journey. Stay Strong!

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Ketones - All About Ketosis

So, let’s start simple with this subject.  Without any medical terms, presumptions or claims, here is a good understandable definition: 

Ketosis is the presence of ketones in the metabolism.   The ketones are being used for fuel after all the stored glucose has been used up.

Yes - I did say being used for fuel. The body, brain and metabolism require two sources of fuel for your body to operate in an optimal state.    

What is an optimal state you may ask?

   

Let’s start very simple with optimization. Is anyone reading this post a distance runner? Yes, many of you call it a runner’s high after you make a breakthrough in your event. This may come around mile 5, 6 or 7. Performance Dr. Jacob Wilson of ASPI Performance Assessment Labs suggests it takes about mile 7 of a distance run to burn through the stored glucose. What many athletes aren’t aware of is that they have burned through their stored glucose and started operating off fatty acid produced ketones.

Why is this considered optimization?   

Well, if you own and operate an Automobile, don’t you usually make sure that the Auto has fuel and oil? If it has both, the motor will run most efficiently. Take one away, and the motor will not run very well for very long. That’s one of the best ways to compare the body’s ability to be run optimized using both forms of required fuel, ketones and glucose.

The biggest surprise often is that ketones are a cleaner and more sustainable fuel when studied under performance activities. If you know what VO2 Max is (oxygen utilization), you would be impressed with the fact that VO2 Max can be up to about 30% more efficient while in Ketosis. Dr. Volek of Ohio State University has been studying performance and the presence of ketones for many years.   One of the biggest surprises and benefits to ketones for fuel is that your body manufactures them instead of having to store them for hours and days prior to performance. We all know that the maximum amount of glucose for storage is usually much smaller than what is required to make it through a performance event.

But performance is only one of many applications of being in the state of ketosis, and the presence of ketones. A person’s mitochondria require ketones for fuel. Mitochondria are the powerhouse of your cells.  Why should I be concerned about mitochondria? Because mitochondria are in your heart, brain and muscles. So, no ketones in the metabolism and look what’s not getting the fuel(s) it requires to be optimized?

Ketones, ketosis and metabolism

Now, the importance of Ketones in the metabolism is getting a little clearer to someone who may never had heard of the word 'Ketosis' or 'Ketones'. But how do I get Ketones in my metabolism? That is a great question. Most of the studies since the 1920s have suggested that eating a moderate protein, lower carbohydrate diet with higher good fats can naturally put a person in to nutritional ketosis.   The Ketogenic Diet (KD) has been studied for a long time for health, wellness and performance. The KD really confuses many athletes; since so many have been raised on storing fuel with proteins and carbohydrates. But these same athletes have never experienced the sustained fuel of operating on the dual fuel system explained above.

Like most things, technology continues to produce better options for people. Over 10 years ago a team of researchers in Tampa, FL figured out how to match one of the body’s ketones, b’hydroxybutyrate, BHB. Dr. D’Agostino did this for the U.S. Navy Seals and NASA astronauts.   BHB is very effective for increasing human cognition and ensuring the reduction of seizures. 

Why is this relevant? 

Think about the conditions of these two professions - altitude pressures, oxygen deprivation etc. If the KD is prescribed for reducing seizures, doctors are saying that the presence of ketones will help your brain. Remember, the brain is one of the locations for mitochondria. So now you can fuel with endogenous (made in the body) and exogenous (taken in the body) ketones.

I’ve wanted to keep this post as simple as possible. It is your body and brain that needs to be optimized and preserved at their highest levels. Simply take a look at the recorded number of Alzheimer’s disease in the world. Remember that the brain has these mitochondria and it needs ketones. Eat a lot of carbohydrate based foods and the body may never produce a single ketone.

I only want you to take in this information and examine if you need and want to be better. You can be better very easily. I write this with experience of both lifestyles. I’m enjoying the higher levels of physical and mental fuels in my metabolism. Your personal challenge is probably to get better all of the time. I can be found on LinkedIn and Facebook.   My name is Brian Magazine and I have enjoyed sharing this information with you today. I look forward to hearing from you on how to get ketones in your body.

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Natural Ways To Boost Testosterone

Image Source: Paulaowens.com

Testosterone is often referred to as the manly hormone. People with higher levels of testosterone build muscle faster and are stronger. They have more energy and burn fat more effectively. There are natural ways to boost your testosterone levels. I have searched the web to find the best ways you can increase your natural testosterone levels.

How to Increase Testosterone Levels

1. Do Compound Exercises

Compound exercises like squats, pull-ups and even push-ups increase natural testosterone production. These compound exercises also increase other muscle building hormones like growth hormone. Make sure that a big enough portion of your workout routine involves compound movements that stimulate more than one muscle group.

2. Get Enough Rest

Over-training can decrease your body's ability to produce testosterone. Make sure that your rest days maximize recovery. Allow your body enough resting time to recover and rebuild. Take a rest week every few months for deep recovery and re-calibration. I've found that I come back stronger after a good rest week (one that is earned, of course). Sleep is also very important. Sleep is the critical time for most bodily changes. Besides building muscle, your body also uses sleep to regulate hormones like testosterone. Not enough sleep will deplete testosterone production.

3. Get Enough Zinc

Fitness.mercola.com says that consuming enough zinc to maintain testosterone levels is very important. It states that besides the muscle growth, hair retention and reproductive health benefits of testosterone; it is needed for maintaining bone density and keeping an optimum red blood cell count. It sites a study where increasing zinc levels for 6 weeks increased this hormone's levels in men who had low testosterone levels to begin with. Getting less zinc reduced testosterone levels and zinc protects you from exercise-induce testosterone reduction. Foods that are high in protein are usually high in zinc. Natural sources of zinc include meat, fish, dairy products and beans. Zinc is also important for regular body maintenance and growth. It is needed for immune function, recovery from injury and blood function. Zinc is also touted as a powerful antioxidant that fights cancer. Since conventional farming methods that use a lot of chemicals can deplete zinc content, try to eat as organic and free-range as possible to increase zinc consumption. Go easy on the tabs, though. Zinc supplementation can benefit those who are deficient on zinc, but too much can restrict iron and copper absorption.

4. Stress Less

According to Authority Nutrition, the stress hormone cortisol will decrease testosterone levels if there is too much of it in your body for a long period of time. Cortisol can reduce testosterone levels very quickly. It says that when cortisol levels are high, testosterone levels are reduced and vice versa, since they balance each other out. Not only does cortisol negatively affect your testosterone levels directly; but indirectly as well. Cortisol makes you eat more food and produce more bad fat, which will also decrease the amount of testosterone that your body creates. Consider what makes you stressed and find ways to deal with these situations. Learn to cope better with situations that you can't change. Dedicate enough time to leisure and pleasurable activities and attempt to find a good balance between work and play. Things like exercise, healthy food, laughter and companionship decrease cortisol levels.

5. Eat Fat

www.jackedfactory.com explains that fat is needed to produce testosterone and that low fat diets hamper hormone production in general. Saturated fats (like the cholesterol found in egg yolks) are dangerous in large quantities, but small amounts are needed for the body to function properly. This saturated fat is needed for a strong heart and testosterone function, among other things. Testosterone is actually formed using cholesterol. Fat sources should make up 30% of your total caloric intake. 15-25% of these fat sources should consist of saturated fats. Saturated fats can be found in meat and dairy foods. You don't need any Trans fats, so you can steer clear of those. Trans fats are found in processed oils, baked foods like cakes and biscuits and fried foods. Fats from avocados, fish, nuts and seeds are good for you (when you get them from the food source, not processed).

6. Get the D

www.bodybuilding.com said that vitamin D is arguably the most important vitamin for testosterone production. It cites a study that found that people who were deficient in this vitamin had less testosterone than those who had higher vitamin D levels. You get vitamin D from the sun. Looks like tanning is good for you after all! Just be safe and don't get burnt - that's when skin damage and cancer becomes a risk. Vitamin D is important for strong bones and combats depression, cancer, diabetes and heart disease. People who have more fat often have lower vitamin D levels. This is because fat gets in the way of this little vitamin. Studies have found vitamin D to speed up weight loss in obese individuals. Salmon and mackerel are good food sources of vitamin D.

7. Avoid Alcohol

The Editors of Men's Health say that alcohol decreases testosterone levels. They referred to a study where men drank a medium amount of alcohol every day for 3 weeks. These men had 7% less testosterone than before they started the drinking study. Men’s Health recommends limiting yourself to 1-2 glasses of beer or wine per day to protect your precious testosterone levels. Alcohol also hampers your body's ability to build muscle. When there is alcohol in your blood stream, your body prioritizes the metabolism of the alcohol instead of turning protein into new muscle tissue.

8. Ginger Ninja

Eat ginger and add it to your food whenever you can. www.mensfitness.com states that ginger is one of the best foods for increasing your T-count. In a study, ginger was found to increase testosterone levels and even increase semen quality in infertile men. Ginger is regarded as a super-food because of its many benefits. These benefits include relief from nausea, loss of appetite, motion sickness, morning sickness and pain. It is a powerful immune booster and aids in cancer prevention. It has been shown to decrease the duration of illnesses like flu or colds and make them more bearable. Some even eat it to decrease muscle pain from exercise so that they recover quicker!

I would like to hear other great ways to naturally boost your testosterone levels in the comment below. STAY STRONG!

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Fasted cardio myth debunked by science

Maybe it is time bodybuilders start training like cyclists

Fasted Cardio Myth Debunked

By Clint Latham – www.BikeALatteCO.com 

 I Wipe the sleep from my eyes, fumbling blindly in my closet for my bibs and ask myself time and time again; “Why am I doing this? Why am I doing this?”

I would slowly make my way downstairs while carrying my bike; just thinking that this won't even last an hour, as I try to find some way to grip any bit of motivation left from the depths of my soul.

I’m sure that you’ve heard it a million times; especially if you are involved in the body building community.

If you want to maximize fat loss, you need to wake up early and hit the cardio before a single calorie hits the pit of your stomach. But the science would actually indicate otherwise. If you lived during the late 1990’s you have likely heard of the health craze sweeping the nation: Body for Life.

It was a health and fitness challenge put on by sports supplement company guru Bill Phillips. I was especially fascinated by this challenge as it was based out of my home town of Golden, CO.

  In Bill’s chapter on cardio he had two basic principles:
1) Hit the cardio early before eating your 1st meal
2) Perform short, high intensity interval cardio or High Intensity Interval Training

The idea was that the body had been fasting all night while you slept; reducing blood sugar levels, decreasing muscle glycogen stores and further decreasing insulin levels. Thus if you hit the cardio before your first meal the body would have no choice but to use fat as its primary fuel source.

This would send the body's fat burning potential into high gear. Ever sense countless cyclists, bodybuilders and anyone else has been looking to cut weight; they have been clawing their way, tired and hungry, through high intensity cardio in the hopes of shedding a few extra pounds.

As I traveled the country to the world's biggest bodybuilding events - The NY Pro, the Arnold and the Olympia - I would hear this time and time again. You've got to do your cardio fasted if you want to burn fat. It is as if it had been inscribed into the 10 commandments.

As I would head down to the hotel gym in the morning for a spin, I would see countless bodybuilders knuckling the cardio equipment in the hopes of shedding a few extra ounces of fat, being so tired and hungry that they could barely keep a steady pace, let alone reach the intensities required for High Intensity Interval Training.

Could this really be the best way to burn fat? They looked absolutely miserable. As I started to get back into the racing scene, a friend and training partner (Gareth Thomas - the national triathlon coach for the UK) used to always harp on me before our rides. "How many grams of carbs have you eaten?"

But I always brushed him off. Here I was working with some of the fittest people on the planet, who can get to 3% & 4% body fat and your telling me to eat!? Yeah right!

But that's when I got curious. We have bodybuilders performing fasted cardio and we have cyclists cramming as many carbs as possible. Yet both are extremely lean.

What's the truth? How does the body oxidize fat?

The human body does not operate within a vacuum

The body is constantly adjusting its use of fat or carbohydrate usage depending upon a variety of factors. Kent Hansen, in his study, The Effects of Exercise on the Storage and Oxidation of Dietary Fat, found that, "Generally if you burn more carbohydrates during your workout you will burn more fat post workout".

While research does show that fasted cardio can increase the mobilization of fat from the adipose tissue, this only occurs at very low levels of intensity. In the study Regulation of plasma fatty acid oxidation during low- and high- intensity exercise, "Our data suggests that, in addition to sub-optimal FFA availability, fatty acid oxidation is likely limited during high-intensity exercise because of direct inhibition of long-chain fatty acid entry into mitochondria." 

If a bodybuilder performs HIIT, they may see an increase in fat mobilization but that does not mean an increase in fat oxidation. This results in all those fatty acids being re-packaged and stored back into the adipose tissue.

After all of that suffering you put it right back where it came from! Furthermore Jeffery F Horowitz in his article in the American Journal of Physiology, found that; “When trained subjects exercised at 50% of the their maximum heart rate, an intensity that equates a slow walk, there was no difference in the amount of fat burned - regardless of whether the subjects had eaten or not.”

These results continued to be the same until the subjects, that were fasted, exceeded the 90 minute mark. Only then did the fasted cardio begin to show favorable results. Thus what are we left with?

The body will burn more fat cells when fasted at a lower intensity, but the duration has to be longer than 90 minutes. Anything shorter and it's a wash. And if we try to increase the intensity, there is an inhibition of fatty acids being able to enter the mitochondria.  

Why bodybuilders should think like an endurance athlete

As a competitive cyclist my goal for each workout was to make my engine bigger, stronger & faster. The way to do this is to increase the size and density of your mitochondria. Mitochondria are what produce ATP and is the only place in the cell where fat can be oxidized. It is the cell's fat-burning furnace.

The more mitochondria my body has, the bigger my engine and the faster I can ride. Think about it like a car. If you have a V12 and a 4 cylinder engine both sitting at idle, which one is going to use more gas? The V12, right!

Thus we would be better suited to turn our bodies into a V12 mitochondria machine so that we are constantly burning more fat cells. The study: An acute bout of high-intensity interval training increases the nuclear abundance of PGC-1α and activates mitochondrial biogenesis in human skeletal muscle found that low volume, high intensity interval training increases mitochondrial biogenesis.

Within 24 hours of maximal intensity exercise, new mitochondria were being formed.

I preach to any new cyclist I that work with to always eat before their rides. Why? Because without the fuel to fuel your muscles, you can't reach the intensity levels required to produce the enzymes that lead to mitochondria growth.

I know countless bodybuilders who will preach, “You got to eat before you lift bro! You need to fuel those muscles.” Why doesn't the same principle apply to high intensity cardio? You need to fuel the muscles to perform at a high level in order to induce growth. In this case, increase mitochondrial growth and fat burning potential is the goal.

In the same study, they found that a combination of both endurance and resistance exercise causes a significantly higher degree of mitochondrial biogenesis then endurance exercise alone. Bodybuilders have the resistance training part down, but what about the endurance?

Most bodybuilders I know cannot wait for their cardio sessions to be over. In fact, most of them dread cardio. Enter the popularity of the high intensity interval training workout. It's short and sweet. We also know that one of the best ways to cut fat is calories in vs calories out.

As bodybuilders get closer to show prep they begin cutting calories drastically to start leaning out.

Now it is even more important that our mitochondrial engine is huge. We want to run the fat tank on empty.

When performing an HIIT workout at the correct intensities, the body uses roughly 75% carbohydrate and 25% fat.

 The body, fully stocked full of glycogen stores, has roughly 90 mins worth of fuel for a moderately intense workout. In order to maintain optimal levels of glycogen, a daily carbohydrate intake of approximately 3 to 5 grams per pound of lean body mass is recommended when accumulating between 1 to 5 hours of training daily.

If a bodybuilder cuts (and especially limits) their carbohydrate intake, they are already running on empty before they hit the gym.

The bodybuilder's worst nightmare

Muscle tissue is made up mostly of protein which, in turn, is made up of amino acids. Normally, your body does not use protein to produce energy. If you run out of glycogen stores and no glucose is available, however, your body will then break down its own muscle tissue to release amino acids.

These amino acids are sent to your liver where they are converted into glucose in a process called gluconeogenesis.

When your body starts to use muscle tissue for energy, you lose muscle mass.

Starving without any glycogen left in the muscles to fuel their cardio efforts, bodybuilders still hit the treadmill in the hopes of shedding more fat.

What's really going to happen is your body? It's now going to use the protein in that hard earned muscle to fuel your HIIT session.

Think about a Tour De France rider. (If you're asking what the TDF is, it's like the super bowl of bike racing) Why are they so dang skinny? They burn so many calories during the race that they cannot eat enough to restore glycogen stores.

What happens? The body starts eating the muscle. A bodybuilder is doing the same thing to a lesser degree during the cutting phase. The question becomes, why not have 20-40 grams of carbohydrates pre-cardio, to be able to hit the intensity requirements needed to build more mitochondria and save that precious muscle mass?

You will be a constant fat burning machine and not have to sacrifice any muscle mass! In my Ride to 75 programs for new cyclists, one of the key principles is fuel.

We want to ride to lose weight. Cycling for Weight loss requires that we build a big mitochondrial engine to be a 24/7 fat burning machine. Now it is never a good idea to make a major change before a big show.

However, you can start focusing on building your engine between shows by fueling your HIIT workouts which will burn more fat cells.

You will also have to suffer less during the cutting phase. If you or someone you know who is interested in achieving happiness and health on two wheels please share with them, Cycling for Weight Loss, the FREE resource guide is found here.

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High Fat Diets: Just Another Fad

Are high fat diets really the best way to lose weight that the world has seemingly just discussed? The answer is a resounding NO! Trends come and go. There was a big anti-fat movement years ago. Now it has changed to the anti-carbohydrate movement. Both movements (or trends, rather) promised better health and weight loss. Before you jump on the anti-carbohydrate bandwagon, consider a few of the points below/

Carbohydrates are macro nutrients

There are 9 calories in 1 gram of fat, 4 calories in one gram of carbohydrates and 4 calories in one gram of protein. For those of you who would like to know, there are 7 calories in 1 gram of alcohol (and no, this is NOT a macro nutrient, wink wink).

Carbohydrates are good for you

Carbohydrates are good for you and should not be banned from our diets. This excludes sugar (the simplest carbohydrate), which should be brought to an absolute minimum except for fruits and vegetables or used to spike blood sugar before or after exercise. Our bodies break carbohydrates down for energy faster than fats and proteins. They are a great way to fuel up before exercise and refuel straight afterwards to put the body in recovery (muscle building) mode as soon as possible. Carbohydrates are also broken down into glycogen which is stored (along with other places like the liver) in the muscle, which attributes to their size. The more glycogen a muscle contains, the larger it is. Carbohydrates are not bad, but western diets almost always contain too much of them. The problem is therefore not carbohydrates, but the proportion in which they are consumed.

Fats are good for you

Fats are not bad for you either, except for plant oils used in extreme heat like deep frying. When plant oils are super-heated (like they are when they are used to fry things), they become very unhealthy for the human body. They contribute to unhealthy cholesterol levels, create unhealthy heart environments, increase risk of diabetes and can lead to obesity. Fats are more calorie-dense than carbohydrates but take longer to be broken down in the body for energy. Fats also keep you fuller for longer than carbohydrates. Fats are great in the morning because they take longer to break down so that you feel fuller and it therefore takes longer before the body starts to hunger for more calories. Because the body craves less for longer as a result of a fatty breakfast, it learns to break down its own fat for energy instead of relying on the quicker energy release from carbohydrates.

Protein is good for you

At the risk of being doctor obvious; protein is good for you, too. It cannot be stored in the body (except for in muscle mass, a storage we do NOT want to tuck into) and therefore should be accompanied by fats in the morning, when your body has not had any protein for hours of sleep. Your body needs protein to grow and build your body and muscles. Protein is also beneficial straight after your workout so that your body can recover and start the recovery/rebuilding process. High protein, low fat and low carbohydrate diets are okay for short periods of time to drop fat quickly, but can't be sustained for long periods of time because your body will start to break down muscle for energy.

Proportion

As you should be able to see from the three points above, the key to a healthy diet which supports your goals is proportion. There should be a healthy balance between all three macro nutrients. Focus on eating fats and protein in the morning, protein and carbohydrates around (before and after) exercise and a balance of all throughout the day, depending on your goals.

Price

This is my personal guess as to why trends are often swaying between high carbohydrate and high fat diets. Unfortunately, protein is more expensive than both carbohydrates and fats. Furthermore, the healthier foods are more expensive than the less healthy foods. This makes sense when you look at how well carbohydrates that trick the body into thinking that it is a protein are sold. Examples of these are beef and chicken flavored chips and noodles. People might be satisfying their cravings for more protein with cheaper versions which are actually carbohydrates or fats.

Calories

The best way to drop weight is to drop total calories consumed to levels below expenditure (the bodybuilding industry has been saying this for years). You can do this by increasing caloric expenditure, decreasing calories consumed (through diet) or a combination of both. It is important for optimum health to keep a good balance between carbohydrates, fats and proteins without completely avoiding any of them.

The real culprits to avoid are sugars, super-heated plant oils, additives and processed foods; not entire macro nutrients like carbohydrates or fats. Keep everything in balance and focus on having fewer calories than what is expended instead of excluding a food group that your body needs. STAY STRONG!

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High Intensity Interval Training

High intensity interval training is a favorite form of fat burning exercise for many bodybuilders for a few reasons. It is one of the quickest ways to shed fat, does not decrease muscle size, takes less time than standard cardio and is considered less boring than most other cardiovascular exercises.

What is high intensity interval training?

High intensity interval training is a form of cardio where you alternate between extreme bursts of exertion and less intense bouts of activity. This can be done with running, swimming, rowing, skipping and other exercises. The typical timing is 1 minute to 30 seconds of extreme exertion and 2 minutes to 1 minute of lighter exercise respectively. For example, someone who is performing high intensity interval training while using running as their method will sprint as fast as they can for 30 seconds, jog at a medium intensity for 1 minute and repeat for 10 to 40 minutes without taking a break, depending on their fitness level. The lower intensity period is almost always double the amount of time as the high intensity period, acting as the form of active rest while keeping the heart rate up. It is important to push yourself as hard as you can (running as fast as you can, for example) during the high intensity part, while you almost catch your breath during the lower intensity period.

Benefits of high intensity interval training

High fat burning capability

Pushing the body to perform at its maximum possible energy output burns more calories in a shorter period of time than any other form of exercise. The body is also put into a fat burning mode for a longer period of time after exercise as it tries to recover from the cardio at such a high intensity. More fat is metabolized (broken down and used) one to two days after this form of exercise than when it is actually performed. It is because of this extreme fat burning state that makes high intensity interval training such an effective way to burn fat.

High intensity interval training does not harm muscle mass as much as other cardio forms

Another reason why this form of exercise is loved by many is because it does not decrease muscle size as much as other cardio forms like standard steady-state cardio. Muscle is comprised of fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers. Slow twitch muscle fibers are used for longer periods of time and result in decreased muscle mass. This is why marathon runners have skinny bodies. Fast twitch muscle fibers are used for shorter periods of time that require a higher level of intensity, like weight lifting. These fast twitch fibers are the ones that are responsible for increased muscle size. Stimulating slow twitch muscle fibers too much will result in decreased muscle size as the body adapts to the new stimulus (yes, running a marathon will cost you some gains). High intensity interval training, on the other hand, puts the body in a fat burning zone, but stimulates the fast twitch muscle fibers instead of the competing slow twitch muscle fibers, as maximum output is reached in a shorter period of time. This means that it won't affect muscle size the same way as traditional cardio.

It takes less time

This is one of many people's favorite things about high intensity interval training. A simple 30 minute training session can burn more calories, overall, than a 2 hour standard cardio training session. For people who have limited time to train or who want to dedicate most of their training time to weight training, this form of cardio is ideal. It is also less boring than standard cardio. Some people dread the thought of idly walking on a treadmill for long periods of time.

Things to consider regarding high intensity interval training

Every form of exercise has its pro's and con's. Here are a few things to consider about this form of training.

High intensity interval training pits a lot of stress on the central nervous system

All exercise stresses the central nervous system. The central nervous system becomes stronger as a response, just like muscles get weaker during training but stronger when they have the time and nutrients needed to recover. The greater the intensity of an exercise is, the greater the stress that is placed on the central nervous system. Putting too much stress on the central nervous system leads to negative symptoms like a weaker immune system, decreased ability to recover from and perform exercise, and over training syndrome. High intensity interval training stresses the central nervous system more than most exercises because of its intensity. This is why it is recommended that high intensity interval training should not be done for more than 3 times a week for most people. If your current weight training program is already putting a lot of strain on your central nervous system, then adding high intensity interval training might not be the best idea. If your central nervous system can handle the extra stress placed on it by adding high intensity interval training to your program, this won't be a problem.

Increased nutrient need

The body will respond to this exercise by scrambling to recover, even until long after the exercise is done. It will not only burn more fat cells because of this, but will also need more nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, oxygen etc.) to recover. Make sure that your body has enough of the nutrients it needs so that the body does not end up breaking down muscle for those nutrients. 

Higher chance of injury than standard cardio

Because of the high intensity, the risk of injury is greater than most other exercises. This does not mean that high intensity interval training is particularly dangerous, but that caution must be taken to make sure that injury is avoided. Higher intensities (of any exercise) put more pressure on joints, for example, than lower intensities.

It takes a lot out of you

High intensity interval training takes a lot of energy. If you do it right, you will feel drained afterwards (and possibly for the next few days afterwards!). This needs to be taken into consideration when deciding when to perform this exercise. Doing it just before weight training, for example, will lower the amount of energy you have left for your weight training session.

High intensity interval training is a great way to burn fat, increase fitness and add a level of intensity to your program but will require extra energy, nutrients and planning. STAY STRONG!

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