Meal Intervals

People often get very confused about exactly what constitutes proper eating habits. There is so much conflicting information in the media that it becomes difficult to determine what to trust. One day coffee if bad and should be avoided, the next it's touted as having great anti-oxidant properties. Then it lowers the risk of diabetes. People may disagree about the details but there are a handful of fundamental principles that everyone agrees on. These principles will be found in every good nutrition plan and over the next handful of weeks or so I'll write about each of them. The first is proper meal intervals. The days of three squares a day should be over. You should plan your meals about 3 - 4 hours apart. That means you should have 5 - 6 smaller meals per day. Don't mistaken these for snacks. These are full meals containing lean protein, dietary fats, and fruits/vegetables...just in a smaller portion. This will keep your metabolism running all day long and keep you energized. It will also prevent you from crashing after a large meal. The body can only utilize so many calories at a time...the rest it stores for later use as body fat. So if you eat small meals throughout the day your body will become more efficient at using what you put in for energy. People often say they don't have the time to eat 5 - 6 times per day. The key is preparation. Take a couple hours on a Sunday to shop for high quality meats, fruits, and veggies. Cut up the veggies and store them in containers for use that week. I typically cook up a bunch of chicken breast early in the week and put it in the refrigerator. Then I put all my veggies/fruits in containers so I can just dump them into my wok (veggies) or blender (fruits - for breakfast.) I then take no more than 10 minutes to cook up good meals throughout the week. I switched to this type of diet about 8 years ago and could not believe the results. I had no idea I had lost so much weight (I didn't know I had so much weight to lose.) But I stepped on the scale 6 months later and I was 25 pounds lighter than I thought I was. The thing is changing my meal intervals was the only change I made. I didn't change my activity level or even food quality...only meal intervals. So try making this change and see the results for yourself.

Oh, and coffee is loaded with great anti-oxidants and is healthy...just don't douse it with cream and sugar and whip cream.

Low Back Pre-hab

About 80% of the population has some degree of low back dysfunction. This includes those who have had surgery to those who have disk problems but have not yet felt any symptoms. Low back pain generally is a symptom of some combination of three problems, 1.) Hip Immobility, 2.) Upper Back Immobility, 3.) Glute amnesia. Each week I will write about and post a video of a different exercise to help you mobilize your hips and upper back and activate your glute muscles. First up is a great and easy hip mobilization exercise; the Split Squat. This is a great exercise to mobilize your hips in the sagital plane.

1. Start with feet about 3 - 4 feet apart
2. Put your hands behind your head. If you have trouble with balance put your hands on your hips.
3. Drop your knee straight down and tap your knee to the floor
4. Push through your front heel and return to starting position
5. Maintain perfect posture throughout the movement. Keep your chest up and eyes looking forward.
   

Perform up to 8 repetitions on each leg. If you are a beginner try performing 4 perfect split squats each leg and progress from there. Try adding this exercise to your warm-up and may experience dramatic improvments in your hip mobility.

You Only Have One Body

I don't have anything original today, just a couple great posts by others. The first is titled, "Only One Body" by Michael Boyle. This is one of the best posts I've read in all my days. His point is simple...You are going to spend the time and money on your body during your life. You can either do it now to maintain your health or you can do it later...in the hospital...or in a rehab center. Your choice.

And this is from U.S. News and World Report titled, "6 Stupid Holiday Diet Tips You Should Ignore (And 1 You Shouldn't" A few popular myths are debunked...which is always fun. The last line is perfect..."It isn't what you eat between Christmas and New Year's; it's what you eat between New Year's and Christmas." Damn Skippy!

Holiday Spirit

This post has nothing to do with fitness or nutrition. Instead it has to do with giving to people who really need it for the holidays. Here is a great blog post by a local coach. I intend to follow his lead and at the very least buy a couple toys for Toys for Tots. There are other great agencies in every area as well. I urge everyone to take just a couple minutes to check out a local agency and do something to help those less fortunate.

And if you aren't in the holiday spirit quite yet this video should help....

Squat Past Parallel and More Eggs...

That's right, this is my fifth post of the week! I'm cruising now. Today will be brief though.

• I just read this very good article about squatting depth. Anyone who tells you not to squat past parallel or not to let your knees go past your toes simply don't know what they are talking about...
• I've been talking a whole lot lately about the tremendous health benefits we get from eating eggs. I've linked to these before but I think they are worth another read...Truth is eggs are among the worlds most perfect foods and the cholesterol found in the yolk actually helps to decrease your blood cholesterol levels. I start every day with 4 raw eggs in a blender with tons of fruit and a little yogurt...mmmmm, tasty....
  

Something Motivational?

Think of your last workout (yesterday I hope?) Were you completely present and aware of your body for your entire workout? Or did you simply go through the motions? If you work on a treadmill or an elliptical machine and you can read a magazine or carry a conversation you are not working hard enough. Next time you’re at the gym (today, right?) try to put maximum effort into every single rep of every single exercise you do. That involves:

• Get tight in your core! Stay tight in your core, glutes, and back for the entire set.
• Move the weight as fast as you can control through the concentric phase.
• Select the appropriate weight:
• If you can perform one more rep that’s perfect!
• If you can perform two more reps then use more weight!
  

Maintain perfect posture! That means feet just past hip width, knees slightly bent, butt out, chest up. You have two options; “Train Hard or Go Home!” If you are just not feeling it today try giving maximum effort for 15 minutes as opposed to going through the motions for 60. If you are not getting the desired results from your training then try upping the effort level and be ready to see the changes in your body.

Juice Up

I'm going to stay on the holiday gift theme today. This past August I bought a juicer. I realized I wasn't eating enough vegetables in my diet and figured using a juicer would solve that problem. I tried eating raw veggies and stayed with that for about 2 weeks. I tried preparing a tons of veggies on the weekend and putting them in containers for use that week and that didn't work either. Those options were just too boring. But with the juicer it is a piece of cake getting my 6 - 8 servings of vegetables per day. I bought a Jack Lalanne juicer. I honestly have no idea if it's a good one since I have nothing to compare it to. Here is a site with consumer reviews of juicers. I use mine 1 - 2 times per day and have been hooked since buying it. The great thing is you can put anything in it in any combination you like. You are only limited by your own creativity. For the first week or so I make some pretty nasty tasting juices but it doesn't take long to learn what is a palatable combination and what isn't. It takes about 5 minutes to clean after each use. The only down side is you lose the fiber in the pulp. So it's a tremendous tool to use to get all the vitamins and minerals you need but you must be aware of getting your fiber from other sources throughout the day. I eat tons of berries (along with other fruit, seeds, and oats) for my first two meals of the day so I think I have my fiber needs covered. The great thing is you can just throw in any vegetable, no cutting or peeling required. Broccoli, carrots, ginger, apples, pears, celery, cuccumbers, tomatoes, beets, grapefruit, asparagus, parsnips are all common in my juices. So if you have a hard time getting the necessary vegetables every single day in your diet give a juicer a try.