Food for Thought

Food for thought: the human body is resilient. It WANTS to survive and thrive. If you are someone who has experimented with the "starvation" diet (i.e. reducing calories in order to lose weight) you probably know that this method is not sustainable. Why not? Because if you don't nourish the body, it will intentionally store fat. It doesn't KNOW that you are intentionally starving it, it really thinks you're starving! So it's going to store fat.

If you are looking to "lose weight" aka lose excess body fat, make sure you are:
1. eating to satiety (protein and fat will help you feel full longer)
2. losing the grains and dairy (inflammatory to your system, plus grains get broken down as sugar quickly and stored as fat),
3. eating ample FAT (as your body gets away from the grains, it will look to metabolize fat for fuel. Please realize that eating fat will NOT make you fat. You need fat for your brain to function properly, for cell membrane structure, etc. )
4. weight training/sprinting (NOT long slow distance. Running on the treadmill for 45 minutes induces a cortisol response and causes your body to store fat. Keep things short and sweet). 

Anyone have failed or successful training programs or weight management programs? Does losing weight = healthy???

At Home with Chris P.: Hardboiled Eggs

 Breakfast. Some would say it's an integral part of nutrition, but how can you eat on the go? We know things like cereal or those breakfast bars will spike blood sugar and leave us hungry mid-morning, so how can we get good protein in our life? Watch my Sunday night routine below. (Timing of the sound is a little off during the bloopers, sorry!)

What do you eat for breakfast? Do you have any tips or tricks?

Foggy and Groggy

Are you foggy and/or groggy during the day? Do you get that slump after eating lunch? There are probably several factors working in there, but the biggest is probably your food. Wait, what about sleep? Yes, that is an important factor, but one that is obvious and one that you've probably tried to correct while not getting great results. However, you might have overlooked the nutrition piece. Eating a SAD diet (Standard American Diet - think food pyramid) causes big sugar rushes and insulin spikes whether you know it or not. You may think you eat a low-sugar diet, but remember that having bread (yes, even "whole grain" bread) and pasta (yes, even "whole wheat" pasta) will break down very quickly in your system and be converted to sugar. It is this roller coaster ride that can contribute to those slumps in the day. Remember, your body normally has about a teaspoon of sugar flowing through it, or about 5 grams. If you were to eat the exact proportions of the food pyramid recommended by some doctors, you would be consuming the equivalent of 300 grams of sugar a day!

Take out the grains and sugar, add in plenty of protein and fat (yes, fat is good!) and you get rid of the slumps and fogginess. Also, get good, quality sleep as this is also a factor. Hit the link below for more specifics on what food head towards.

Link: Nutrition, Fitness, and Health 101

Guest Post on RadicalHateLoss

Head over to Radical Hateloss to see a guest post I wrote. Steph V. is an athlete at CF King of Prussia and runs the blog. She has an amazing story of ups and downs with her weight, self-esteem, and journey through fitness. It was an honor to write a post for her.

Supplement: Magnesium

Everyone talks about calcium, but what about the other side of the coin? Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and is involved in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body.* The problem as a paleo/primal/meat,veggies,nuts etc. eater is that good sources of magnesium are found in things we try to avoid: grains like cereal, bread, etc.** As a supplement, it will help relax the muscles and systems in your body, boost your immune system, maintain heart rhythms, and get better sleep. 

Although there are many magnesium supplements out there, I personally take Natural Calm. It is touted as an anti-stress powder, but I like it to help me sleep better. Sometimes it can be hard to tell if a supplement is working, but when I take 1-2 tsp. of this powder mixed with water before bed, I am definitely more alert the next morning and sometimes even jump out of bed because of how well rested I am. Essentially, it makes my sleep more efficient. 

Be sure to read up on side effects, follow directions to ramp up the dosage over time, and of course talk to your doctor if you have any conditions to see if you can take this. Magnesium supplements can be found anywhere (CVS, Whole Foods, Vitamin Shoppe, etc). You will probably discover that there are Magnesium + Calcium supplements out there. I don't see a reason not to get this if you want, but if you're eating enough green veggies and getting Vitamin D, you should be fine in retaining calcium. 


*http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium.asp
**http://www.healthyeatingclub.org/info/books-phds/books/foodfacts/html/data/data5d.html