Author Archives: darrenstehle

05.31.12
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What Am I Eating?

Eating healthy is easy and simple. Knowing how to cook helps, but that’s a skill you can learn and master. Keeping things simple is one of the biggest keys to eating well and staying lean.

This is what I ate for my second meal today (10:30am): Chicken breast cooked in a tomato sauce (50% sauce, 50% water), broccoli and sweet potato. Notice the portion sizes. I have at least twice the amount of vegetables to meat and no processed carbs (like bread, rice, pasta, etc.).

Here is what I had for breakfast yesterday morning. Boneless pork chop (cooked in the oven) with broccoli and a large tomato. Again notice the portion sizes.

I’ve been following the advice of Tom Dyer of Ultimate City Fitness, and have removed most processed and starchy carbs, and limited my fruit consumption. I haven’t eaten rice in the past 10 days and have only had a few slices of bread in the past 7-days. I’ve limited my fruit to 1-3 servings depending on my level of physical activity that day, and how I felt energetically. I seem to need a couple portions of fruit so that I don’t feel like I’m crashing, even when eating five meals per day that look like the pictures above.

The thing I’ve noticed is that if I have a meal like the above for breakfast I have MUCH more energy, and I feel full longer. I’m now having eggs later in the day, if that’s a meal selection, instead of at breakfast, because they don’t fill me up as much as chicken, steak or fish.

Food for thought…

Be well.

© 2012 Darren Stehle. All Rights Reserved.

05.31.12
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The Weekly Spin: 31 May 2012

I’m a bit behind with my Weekly Spin. What gives? The Victoria Day long weekend in Canada was a 4-day vacation for me and I simply got side-tracked, and dare I say it, a bit lazy the week after. Life is like that. Sometimes we lose focus on what we want and need to do. I know that I need to write. More. Often. PERIOD. It’s also a thing that scares me the most, because I know that my honest and personally revealing writings are my best work. Stay tuned! I am on track to deliver some meaningful writings.

In the meantime, here are some useful health and fitness tips for the week.

Sunscreen: The Good and the Bad

I think this is a bit of a ‘buyer beware’ article, since I don’t know who the writer is, or her qualifications. However, the information is useful and one can easily use Google to learn more about the chemicals you probably want to avoid in sunscreens.

Vitamin D: The Next Cold & Flu Cure-All?

I’ve been reading a lot about the benefits of Vitamin D, and how it can also improve testosterone production in men. I’m going to have a blood test done to see what my Vitamin D level is. I’m excited to know the result considering I spend a lot of time outdoors on a daily basis walking my dog.

The Perfect Pushup and Variations

Here’s a great description and video of the perfect pushup: http://www.scrawnytobrawny.com/the-perfect-push-up-challenge.

I did 3 sets of 10 reps and a fourth set of 20 reps during my workout this week. Love the one-second hold above the ground. If you found this too easy, then add some variations like these, just because you’re a masochist!

7 Lies of Health & Fitness

Tom Dyer is a friend of mine and he and his business partner, Gavin, run Ultimate City Bootcamps in London, UK. They’ve just launched a 14-day fat burning program that is worth the investment. These guys know what they are talking about and they have the physiques to prove it. Check out Gavin’s article on what he considers to be some of the biggest fitness lies.

All About Nutrition & Mercury Toxicity

Everything you need to know about mercury toxicity from Precision Nutrition. How to best avoid it, minimize it and reduce its use in industrial production.

9 Training Strategies for Knee Pain

Great strength training techniques to deal with knee pain, starting with basic, corrective exercises for a beginner or someone just out of an injury, to more complex movements for a more advanced lifter.

Shout-Out

And finally, a shout-out to a great blog I just discovered from a (former?) member of the Adelaide Club, where I train my clients. Beth is a great person. I’ve chatted with her a few times on the gym floor and was fascinated to read her story about having Asperger’s Syndrome. Read her blog here.

Until next week, be well!

© 2012 Darren Stehle. All Rights Reserved.

05.14.12
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The Weekly Spin: 14 May 2012

Here’s what I’ve found to be of interest in the last week for health and fitness news.

It Looks so Good But it’s REALLY Bad for You!

Turns out those yummy and delicious designer cupcakes I bought the other day are SUPER-FAT! Thank goodness I only had the mini-cupcakes.

Can Your Thoughts Make You Thinner?

Affirmations are great, but without associated actions they’re useless. Repeating a positive intention or a thought like, ‘I am thin and healthy’ over the course of the day can go a long way to changing negative thought patterns like, ‘I’m so fat.’ But you need an action plan that involves a series of steps and new habit patterns, such as knowing what to eat that nourishes your body, how much and what type of physical activities to perform, etc. If you set up the plan but keep telling yourself you’re fat, you will most likely give up, hence the usefulness of positive affirmations.

Has Yoga Lost its Soul?

This is a great series of articles that discuss how yoga as been capitalized by some, how certain forms or yoga are considered to be ‘un-authentic’, and how this ancient practice is simply evolving in our modern world to adapt to different peoples needs.

Oh, and yoga is also good for sex!

Back Pain?

If you are stiff and have a sore back when you wake up, do these five stretches before you get out of bed.

Barefoot Running?

If you’ve been to the gym in the last year and a half you’ve started to see these funny looking, 5-finger Toe Shoes by Vibram and now from other manufacturers. Are they just a fad or actually useful? I think they can be incredibly useful, however, it depends on your body. Slow integration is important, and possibly a proper assessment to see if these types of shoes are right for you. Read the research article here.

Thanks to Adrian Choo (@SynapseHealth) for the link .

Until next week, be well!

© 2012 Darren Stehle. All Rights Reserved.

05.08.12
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The Weekly Spin: 07 May 2012

Here’s what I’ve found to be of interest in the last week for health and fitness news.

Improve Your Posture with Your Hands?

Turn up your palms! Just like in meditation, this small change can help the alignment of your shoulders and thus your back. Read the entire article here.

The Best Ab Exercises?

Article titles are all about luring you in to read the article. There are some great exercises, most of which are relatively advanced. My advice is to do what is appropriate for your level of skill and conditioning. If you are not able to do a crunch into a full sit up under control and with a slow speed of movement (and without pain, jerking or momentum) then many of these exercises may be too challenging. Click here for the article.

Diet Soda Is Just as Bad as Regular Soda

Even though there is no sugar, the artificial sweetness tricks the brain into wanting more sweet and thus the potential for unhealthy weight gain. My simple rule is this: if you don’t want sugar, don’t eat it, and don’t try to replace it with a chemical alternative.

Tips for Being Consistent with Your Exercise Routine

From putting time for exercise in your calendar, to having a regular training buddy, or signing up for an online fitness social group like fitocracy, these are not new tips, but they are probably the best tips to keep you active.

This Is a Guy Thing…

It makes a man feel good. It’s good for his prostate and it boosts mood and immunity. Spanking the monkey gets the ‘thumbs up’ for men’s health!

Until next week, be well!

© 2012 Darren Stehle. All Rights Reserved.

04.30.12
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The Weekly Spin: 30 April 2012

Here’s what I’ve found to be of interest in the last week for health and fitness news.

Hit a Training Plateau? Change It Up!

Our bodies are designed to become accustomed to routine physical activity. When you do exactly the same thing over an extended period of time (e.g. the same weight training program), adaptation slows down as the body attempts to return to homeostasis. To keep getting results, you have to shock the body into having to ‘re-adapt’. Generally speaking adaptation tapers off in 4-6 weeks, at least for strength training for the average population. That’s when it’s time for a new program or routine.

Relaxation and Meditation as Crucial to Health as Diet and Exercise

I can tell you from my own experience just how important meditation is to both my mind and body. If my mind is racing or if I’m upset, so is my body in response. My heart rate and blood pressure go up with mental stress. This happens to all of us. Exercise helps to calm the body and to calm the mind as a side effect. The converse is also true. If you find that you are still stressed out even after exercise focus on calming the mind as well.

Avoid Foods with More Than 5 Ingredients

The more ingredients in processed food, the greater the chance of chemicals, preservatives and other additives that more than likely should never enter your body.

The Health Benefits of Having a Dog

I know of people who have lost 50 pounds or more by adopting a dog and thus a more active lifestyle. For others, having a dog means more ‘human’ interaction with other dog owners.

When I adopted my dog, Buster, from friends, I had been looking for almost two years. I knew why I wanted a dog and was willing to design my life around having a relationship with my dog to increase my quality of life. I have never regretted my decision. My happiness and level of calm increased and I learned more about myself in learning how to handle having a dog.

Here’s a picture of Buster and me last September, at the cottage.

Tips to Keep to Your Exercise Routine

Keeping a regular exercise routine is, well, all about being ‘regular’. One of my favourite tips is to exercise first thing in the morning. It’s great because you accomplish something ‘for you’ before working for anyone else, and you feel more energized and happier all day long.

(Thanks to Tzabia Siegel @foodcoach for the Tweet!)

Want to Build Muscle?

This is a great program for guys who want to put on muscle. I enrolled in the program a couple of years ago and found the coaching format to be of great value. I also use other services offered by the same company, Precision Nutrition, to help coach my clients in nutrition. You can’t go wrong with these guys!

Until next week, be well!

© 2012 Darren Stehle. All Rights Reserved.

04.23.12
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The Weekly Spin: 23 April 2012

I have a lot to share with you this week and if you read all the way to the end, you’ll get a bonus tip from yours truly!

Cardio Confused?

As a personal trainer I get asked about cardio all the time, from, ‘How much cardio should I do?’ to, ‘When is the best time?’ and, ‘What should I do for cardio?’ All of these are great questions, and like the author of this article, I will prescribe based on the individual’s needs.

‘Cardio’ can involve the traditional machines like a stationary bike and the elliptical machine and the way in which you train while lifting weights. The author gives a great description of the proper uses of cardio and how to decide what to do.

Get Out Into Nature to Calm Stress

It seems that living in the city is stressing us out! I know how riding my bike on the busy streets of Toronto, being blasted with the sounds of construction, the white noise of building heating and cooling units, and even the sounds of people talking can take its toll. The urban environment overwhelms our senses.

This article looks at how getting out into nature (real nature and not just a city park) can calm you down physically, psychologically and neurologically. It’s a fascinating must-read!

12 Simple Rules for Buying and Cooking Fish

Fish can be a daunting item to purchase at the store. How do you know if fish is fresh? What signs do you look for on the fish itself? What about the store? Click here for all the details.

The Art of Sleeping

Are you getting enough sleep? Do you feel rested when you wake up in the mornings? Are you constantly stressed out or irritable? Your sleep may need a wake-up call! Although not an exhaustive list, these 10 tips may help you to improve your sleep. I’d add to the list that you buy the best bed that you can afford and one that is comfortable and supportive for your body. A good bed will last at least 10 years and we sleep one third of our lives, so why compromise!

5 Ab-Exercise Upgrades

Here are five interesting and extremely challenging variations from Men’s Health on some traditional abdominal exercises.

Eating Before Bed

And here’s another question I get all the time. It’s a bit of a yes and a no answer. I would add the following: if you’re lean and or very muscular and on a lean-mass gaining program, then you probably need to eat very close to bed time, because you are trying to pack on the pounds. The issue will be to eat easy to digest proteins and non-reactive foods to not disturb the quality your sleep. Read more here.

Hotel Workout

So many of my clients travel for business and not every hotel offers a gym, let alone a gym with decent equipment. If your schedule is such that you don’t have the time to travel to a nearby gym, try these easy-to-understand bodyweight exercises that you can do in your hotel room. My own tip: pack a jump rope.

BONUS!

I have protein shakes all the time, but sometimes they bother my stomach. The other day I added a lot of fresh ginger and have been doing so ever since. The ginger helps with digestion, tastes awesome and really opens up the taste buds making the shake even yummier!

Yummy, healthy protein shake recipe

  • 1 cup frozen mango
  • I large, ripe banana
  • 4-6 slices fresh ginger
  • 1-2 Tbsp raw almond butter
  • 2 cups water, milk or almond milk
  • I scoop vanilla protein power (20-30 gr protein)

Add the frozen mango to the blender first and then the remaining ingredients. Blend on high power until completely smooth. Enjoy!

Until next week, be well!

© 2012 Darren Stehle. All Rights Reserved.

04.16.12
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The Weekly Spin: 16 April 2012

Every day I digest a lot of information on health and fitness, from reading a book, browsing articles, scrolling through Twitter feeds and various news sources. It occurred to me that instead of simply re-tweeting something I find interesting, it would be helpful to my readers to provide a short, weekly summary of health and fitness information that is actually useful and/or applicable.

There is simply too much information for one person to deal with, however, since I specialize in the areas of health and fitness, my goal is to provide you with relevant and interesting information, and original articles and programs, like what I’m doing with the Proud Body Series.

Every week I will provide a brief 1-2 paragraphs summary about a few health and fitness articles or research. And without any further adieu, here is the first ‘Weekly Spin’ on Health and Fitness.

An Apple a Day…

I haven’t read a nutrition article in a long time that made me stop and think, ‘Wow, this is a great concept!’ The idea is to ‘crowd out’ instead of ‘cutting out’ certain foods (usually the ones you know you shouldn’t eat). So instead of having a candy bar when you’re feeling tired and hungry in the middle of the afternoon, you choose a food that’s nutrient-dense and fibre-rich, something like an apple, which will fill you up and keep you feeling full. “All you have to do to get started is to add healthier choices to whatever else you’re already eating.”

Read the article here.

Paradigm Shift to Lose Weight

I dislike this article, but even for what I think are its flaws, it is worth mentioning in The Spin. The main point is that a lot of people diet (or are told to diet) without investigating why they are eating the way they do in the first place. People who say, ‘I can never lose weight’, or someone who is seriously over-weight not only needs to change how they eat, but they need to learn what behaviours cause them to eat in a way that harms their bodies.

What bothers me about the article is the author’s list of “telltale signs that a plan, program, or “lifestyle change” is actually a diet, even if it says it’s not.” I believe there is great value in following some rules that will help someone to eat healthier or in a way to help them lose weight. How is this any different from learning a new skill, playing a sport or learning a language? For example, to learn a language you need to follow grammatical rules. Don’t ignore what you need to change about your psychology that’s holding you back from the body you want, but don’t deny that certain tried and true methods do work for some people some of the time.

Read the article in the Huffington Post.

Sitting Got You Down? Stand up!

Sitting all day working at a desk is bad for your health and your mortality, let alone your posture. Short of getting up at least every 15-30 minutes to stretch out and move, what can you do? There are a few workstation manufacturers that give you the option to work while standing by raising your computer monitor and keyboard to your optimal height.

Here are two articles on the topic. One from Men’s Health and the other from Tim Ferris (author of The 4-Hour Workweek):

A Beginners Shopping List: Quality Food Builds Big Muscles!

There are a lot of articles out there about weight-loss but not as many about how to eat to gain muscle. If you’re working out hard and wanting to put on the pounds of muscle, you will have to eat more than others. But that doesn’t mean stuffing your face with pizza and burgers to top up the calories. You will need quality, lean protein sources, nutrient-dense carbohydrates, good fats and lots of vegetables and fruits. This is a great list of foods to choose and to avoid.

Let me know if this information is helpful, and if you have suggestions or topics you would like for me to cover.

Until next week, be well!

© 2012 Darren Stehle. All Rights Reserved.

04.02.12
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Proud Body Program Part 3: Flexibility

In the last two articles of the Pround Body Program I gave you a general overview to help you determine where you are now with your fitness goals: gain muscle or loose weight (or both), tips on nutrition and the importance of good posture. In this issue I will elaborate on the benefits of stretching. I will be teaching you a complete program to build a Proud Body, consisting of flexibility and strength training. This series of articles will continue to be released over the next few months.

Why flexibility?

Whenever I work with a client, my goal for them is always injury prevention, over performance or physique enhancement. There is nothing wrong with body building or body sculpting if that’s what the client wants. However, I teach in a way that allows the client to achieve their goals while respecting their physical health along the way. What good is the pursuit of body building if you tear a muscle as a result of an imbalance that your trainer didn’t notice in your physical assessment? What good is a shoulder injury as a result of not stretching, taking you out of the gym, and unable to perform any number of upper body strength training movements, and possibly take you out of any sports you play?

To that end I teach that stretching has priority over strength training for the majority of the general population. To keep things easy to follow for this series I’ll teach you a number of stretches for the upper and lower body that you will do as part of your preparation prior to each workout. You may benefit from more specific stretches and variations (due to your weight, injuries, etc.) but this program is a great start. I also recommend stretching for the sake of strecthing (i.e. a dedicated session of an hour or more, not followed by a workout), which will further benefit your ability to lift with more control, have greater range of motion and the potential for greater strength and thus bigger muscles, if that’s your goal.

The following are tips on how to stretch:

Body Temperature

Warm up for 5-10 minutes, on a stationary bike or elliptical trainer, to break a light sweat. This will increase blood flow in the joints and increase body temperature making it easier to stretch. I prefer to wear long, loose-fitting pants and a warm shirt and/or even a pullover to keep my body temperature up and my joints warm for the duration of the stretch. Staying warm will especially benefit a long-duration stretch. If you have access to a warm room (like a hot yoga studio), use it. You can stretch with cold muscles, but it will take longer to get the benefits of stretching, and longer to relax into the act of stretching.

Silence

Find a quiet place to stretch. Preferably no music, and with no one else around. If your gym has a dedicated quite room for stretching, fantastic! Otherwise, if you need music, something New Age or ambiant, without vocals, is best. Even some form of meditative music will work well.

Breathing

You want to focus on your breathing by inhaling and exhaling deeply and slowly to relax and focus into the stretch. When you are holding a stretch position, try to breath into the area of the stretch, the area of tightness and imagine the tension releasing as you exhale. Don’t hold your breath.

Static and Progressive

The stretching in this program consists of holding the stretch until the muscle relaxes such that you can progress into a deeper stretch, thus increasing your range of motion. How long? Ten seconds is not enough! I’m not going to prescribe an exact number but I would suggest holding each repetition in the stretch for 20-30 seconds or longer. Just do it and experience the results.

Reps and Level of Intensity

Once you have held the stretch in the first position long enough for the muscle to relax, you go on to the next rep by increasing (going deeper into) the stretch. For most of the stretches I’ve prescribed three reps. For the first rep, you should feel the stretch, but it should not be a challenge to hold it. Challenge yourself a bit more in the second rep. For the third rep go to a point of challenge. For some this may be uncomfortable and that depends on your level of flexibility.

Caution

If you challenge yourself too soon, you won’t be able to hold the stretch. Always back off slowly, never just let go of a stretch or your muscle could go into spasm. Slowly reduce the depth of the stretch and come out slowly but using other parts of your body to move.

Coming up next

The next sequence of article will be: an upper body stretching routine (part 4), followed by the lower body stretching routine (part 5) and then Stage 1 of the Proud Body Strength Training Program (part 6).

Need more help? Feel free to contact me for a professional consultation.

© 2012 Darren Stehle. All Rights Reserved.

03.27.12
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Proud Body Program, Part 2: Posture

In my last article I introduced you to the Proud Body Program. I discussed some general concepts and suggested some homework to help you get started. In this next installment I’m going to discuss another aspect of physical health, your Body Mechanics or how well your body moves.

Your body is a kinetic chain. An injury of the foot could result in neck pain. Tightness in one muscle could be the result of shortness in another. Your body needs to be in healthy working order for the sum of all the parts to work together with ease and in harmony.

As an example, many guys spend too much time at the gym working their chest, resulting in forward rounded shoulders. They are setting themselves up for an injury or major discomfort about the shoulder joint later in life. It’s the Monday gym ritual: chest first. For optimal balance you should be ‘pulling’ as much as ‘pushing’, i.e. as many dumbbell rows and barbell rowing type movements for as many chest pressing movements. Ideally, your back muscles should be able to pull as much weight as the chest can push. But it’s not just bench pressing that may be the result of rounded shoulders. Most of us sit for a large part of our day, and if that sitting is at a desk in front of a computer, that posture itself is one that leads to slouching, a rounded back, head and shoulders forward while typing.

So what is good posture? Anatomically healthy standing posture as viewed from the side looks like this: you should be able to draw a straight, vertical line through the mid-point of your ear falling directly through the midpoint of the side of your shoulder and centerline of your hip. You should not be able to see any of your upper back from the side view and there should be very little curve in the neck.

If your head is poking forward of the centerline of the body and if your shoulders are rounded forward and if you can see your shoulder blades from the side view, you will need to strengthen the muscles of the back that involve retracting (pulling back) the shoulder blades. You might not have developed this posture from benching, but it’s possible that your ratio of benching (pressing) to horizontal pulling (back exercises like rows) is not equal and favours the chest. If your posture is out of alignment as described above you should favour rowing type movements until the imbalance is corrected.

Remember what your mama used to say? “Sit up straight!”, and “Stand tall, shoulders back, head up!” She was right. Posture is key to optimal body mechanics and you should investigate your posture, both sitting and standing, or hire someone qualified to assess your posture and advise on corrective exercises. How you walk (your gait) is also part of this picture.

Analogous to my suggestion that you should push (bench press) as much as pull (rows), you need to lengthen your muscles at least as much as you shorten them. I highly respect the writings and teachings of Physical Preparation Coach, Ian King (under whom I studied for four years), who after 20 years in the physical preparation industry coaching rugby teams, the Canadian Olympic Ski Team and elite athletes, came to the above conclusion. Ian discovered that the application of properly applied stretching techniques with athletes he worked with resulted in a complete reduction of mechanical injuries on the field or in the game. If this is the result of stretching for atheletes who practice and play sport as a career, imagine the benefit to those of us who will never push our bodies that hard.

In addition, the longer your muscle fibers the more opportunity for muscle growth. Short, tight muscles not only limit your ability to produce strength and muscle growth, but once again you are waiting for an injury. A tight muscle will reduce optimal range of motion about the joint, causing bone to rub against bone, wearing down the joint membrane and pinching nerves restricting nerve flow.

So what do you do? Knowledge is power so study the subject or hire a competent trainer who’s knowledgeable in body mechanics and can design a program to fit your current needs. Ask yourself these questions: ‘Does it make sense to lift weights that are more than my body weight if I have no idea what I’m doing?’ And, ‘Is it possible I could hurt myself?’ Just as you are required to pass an exam to drive a car, you need to know about what you are doing to your body, in its current state, when you start an exercise program.

Up next:

In the next two articles I will teach you what you need to know about stretching and a general upper and lower body stretching routine. After that you can look forward to the first strength training stage of the Proud Body Program.

© 2012 Darren Stehle. All Rights Reserved.

03.20.12
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Proud Body Program. Introduction: Getting In Shape For Summer

With spring around the corner, the anticipation of summer is close at hand. I know my thoughts keep wandering to walking barefoot on the sand and sun tanning at Hanlan’s Point on Toronto Island. Summer is a great time for vacations, going to the cottage, enjoying a meal on a patio and hitting the beach on the weekend. But for many people this is not a happy time if they are concerned about the shape of their body or the extra body fat they want to lose. I know some people who wouldn’t be caught dead taking their shirt off in public.

If you want to improve the shape of your body and summer is your deadline let’s start now. To make some big changes you’re going to need 3-4 months so the time for delay is over! If you get started on both a fitness and healthy nutrition program by April 1st, 2012, you will have three full months to make visible changes to your physique and improvements to your health by July 1st.

You’re in luck, because that’s what my Proud Body Program is designed to do for you. Over the next few months I will be publishing articles on healthy eating, eating to gain lean muscle mass, eating to lose body fat, and actual workout programs with video instruction to help you get in shape for summer.

So how do you transform your body to get a physique that makes you feel proud?

Having a health and fitness program in place based on your individual needs is the best way to achieve your goal. Following the latest program or diet out of a magazine is a haphazard approach. This is like getting in your car and driving somewhere, but you haven’t decided where you’re going. Where do you end up? Sometimes you get there and sometimes you don’t!

For example, reading my Twitter feed one day I came across this post: “Is fasted cardio best?” The link went to an article from a popular website that I follow. I was very interested to see what the writer had to say, someone whose work I also follow. Skimming through the article to get to the protocols, I read,

 “The final solution was this: a small dose of leucine-enriched casein hydrolysate consumed during the cardio session. [Supplement X] fit the bill perfectly.”

I couldn’t help myself and tweeted,

You have to ask yourself if the content of an article in a magazine is truly useful, or if the apparently fantastic results of the tester are pure hyperbole to sell a product. Also know that all diets work for some people some of the time. This is why you will find testimonials from people who swear by the latest diet, usually starting something like this: “I’ve tried hundreds of diets and none of them worked until I tried…” Exactly!

To effectively reach your fitness goals, you need to consider a host of factors. These factors are all fundamentals. Fundamentals are like the foundations to a strong and sturdy building. Screw up the foundations and everything above will collapse. But when you have solid foundations, you can do almost anything on top of that base of support.

Let’s consider a few questions in this article so that you can be prepared to start working on your health and fitness plan.

First question: Where do you find yourself on the body-shape continuum?

Body Fat Loss <————- + ————-> Lean Mass Gain

Is your focus dropping body fat, gaining lean muscle or somewhere in between? Knowing this will affect how you manipulate the following factors in your strength training and cardio program design:

  • Total workout time
  • Total number of sets, reps and exercises per body part
  • How intensely to train; types of exercises to use
  • The amount of rest and recovery required to avoid injury and over-training
  • The amount of cardiovascular activity required (and when/time of day) to reduce body fat.

Another ignored and highly debated issue is flexibility. I teach that flexibility is one of the greatest keys to your physical health, which transfers beneficially to your state of mind as well as lean mass gains. If your muscles are tight, tense and pulling on your joints you are ripe for injury and you will not have the range of motion to maximize the full length of your muscles to grow. If you are currently not stretching or have no idea about how to stretch, this should be the first area addressed and programmed to suit your needs.

Most importantly, meal planning will have the biggest impact on your results. Everything from meal timing, frequency, nutrient balance, portion sizes, etc., needs to be considered and planned. I have loosely addressed meal planning in the following articles:

For weight loss or gain, most people should be eating about every three hours, be that three meals and 2-3 snacks or 5-6 smaller meals every three hours. Each meal needs to be a balance of lean protein, vegetables, and/or fruit (less fruit if weight loss is your goal), healthy fats and limited starchy carbohydrates. You need this frequency to both gain and to loose. What will change is the amount of food and the type of food you eat depending on where you placed yourself on the body-shape continuum. Keep a written record over several days of everything you put in your mouth. This is the only way you will know what to change.

Many people think if they simply eat less they will loose weight. This is a huge misconception. By starving yourself your body will convert as many calories you consume as possible to body fat. By eating with regular frequency the body burns calories more efficiently. Some quick tips to start dropping unwanted pounds include: remove all sugar sodas (cola, tonic etc.) from your diet and replace with water (not sugar-free pop). Most importantly, add a quality fish oil supplement and/or flax oil to your diet.

Fats are not bad for you and most people are not eating enough of the healthy fats. Fish and flax oils contain omega-3 fatty acids that reduce the risk of heart disease, assist in muscle tissue repair and help the body metabolize (burn) stored body fat as fuel. Drop or limit partially hydrogenated fats, remove chicken and turkey skin, limit whole milks and cream and fatty cuts of beef and pork. Add nuts, nut butters, olive oil and cold-water fish. For detailed recommendations on your nutrition and supplementation or for safe weight loss products, contact me directly.

Perform a self-assessment and take a look at your life: what’s your stress level like? How long is your workday? When and how much time can you commit to working out in the week? Are you dealing with any injuries or imbalances that are challenges to your current workout? What are you willing to change, eliminate or start doing? Do you cook or eat out? Knowing the answers to this self-assessment will again help you to determine what you can do, and what you will choose to change.

Program design, when done on a holistic level, can be a complex task. Very few trainers know how to do this and they simply teach the same thing to all of their clients. I’ve seen many trainers put their clients through the exact same program on a single day. If you want to get in the shape you desire by this summer, the best thing you can do is to work with a professional who will custom design a program based on you current mind, body and nutritional needs. Think of this as the map you will follow every step of the way, with course corrections along the journey as required. If you’re working with a trainer who doesn’t have your program in hand every time you meet (and a pen to make notes), you’re wasting your time and your money.

In the coming installments of the Proud Body Program I will discuss and teach posture, flexibility and stage 1 of the strength-training program. Until then, perform the self-assessment and answer the questions presented in this article so you can be ready to get started!

Resources:

Precision Nutrition Strategies For Success.
Precision Nutrition System. This is the system I work with to help people eat healthy and for physique changes.
Healthy Eating Jump-Start Tips. A month-long program of daily nutrition tips, created by dietitian Leslie Beck for the Globe & Mail to change your lifestyle.
Healthy For Life.
Working Out, Working Within

© 2012 Darren Stehle. All Rights Reserved.