Lose 10 Pounds Overnight!

I had someone ask me yesterday for a selection of diuretics and colon cleanses. She was going someplace warm for her vacation in a few days, and wanted to look better in her swimsuit. A “trainer” at a gym told her to get these items. Technically, he was correct, she would lose 10 pounds after a few very uncomfortable days. His advice had all the real merit of telling someone to roll down the windows because the car radio is too loud.

If your goal is to lose 10 pounds of fat to look better in a few days, the best thing you can be told is IT CAN NOT BE DONE!

Think about it.  You spent your life to look the way you do.  Are you really going to change that in days? I have been eating right and exercising for years, and I am no fitness model. It takes time to change your body especially without professional help.

With people making resolutions this time of year, I recommend changing what you eat, exercising, and using supplements to complement your efforts. You can build a house without a hammer, but it ain't easy! That is why I use supplements.

I have in the past recommended a foundation of supplements for body shaping: protein, creatine, glutamine, and arginine. I would add CLA. Conjugated linoleic acid is a great tool for the management of body fat. It used to be part of our diets when we were eating grass feed meat. One more thing we lost when “grain-feed” became a good thing. It works to prevent the absorption of bad fats from food, the reduction of empty fat cells in the body, and the production of lean muscle. It is generally safe, with little to no side effects. I would take 1 gram in the morning, 2 at lunch and 2 at supper. CLA will not win any races for speedy results, however. Most studies done are conducted over 1 year.

Another thing you could try is a product call SafSlim. Like CLA, it comes from safflower seed oil, but it has been shown to be more effective on belly fat in a 16 week trial. CLA was overall more effective on body fat, but SafSlim was more focused so it may be a better option.

Remember that you spent a lifetime looking the way you do. It will take time to change that. This weekend, just have fun and plan for the next vacation now.

New Year Resolutions

Well, here it comes. The annual promises that people make to themselves to “get in shape”, “get healthy”, or “lose weight”. These all last until they realize how difficult changing your lifestyle can be. Some even make it as far as getting to the shock of finding out that it takes a long time to change themselves.

I have said in the past that vague goals will do you no good. Look around you and pick something fun that you would like to do, then train to do it. That is what worked for me, in the beginning. Six years ago, I decided to become a MSBiker.  These events are all over the country and happen most of the year. You do not need an expensive bike to take part, I have never used anything better than a used 30 year old ten speed. It is not a race, so you do not have to ride like Lance. There are rest stops every 8 to 10 miles, which means about 45 minutes of biking. When you pull into the stops, the volunteers there treat you like you are a rock star, which is very energizing. And when you are done, you have raised money for some of the members of your community that could really use it. Throughout the year, I help hundreds of people feel better and get healthy. I tell anyone who asks that the MS Ride is the most rewarding thing I do every year!

That started me down the path to better health. As you are making your resolutions, if you need help picking a goal, I can not think of a better way to start.

Happy New Year!

What to Use, What to Use

People who know me often ask what I use before I start my workouts. There only about a bazillion choices in the pre-workout category, so one of them MUST be the best, right? And everyone must get the same response from the each of them. Yep, this is a good question for me.

Everyone is different, with different goals, workout styles, and tolerances. The best way to pick a pre-workout is to turn the bottle around and read the ingredients. I know, I know, if people did that, most of the crap in the grocery store would never sell, and it may mean the end of microwavable foods. It is a risk I am willing to take, Stouffer's be damned!

My tolerance to stimulants is nothing short of heroically scary. Through experimentation, I have found that I do not even feel caffeine short of 700 mg. That is about 7 cups of coffee, closer to 8 Red Bulls, or around 13 Mountain Dew sodas. It has often been noted that I have issues. So, when I am having a low energy day and need a boost to help me in my workout, I look for 13-dimethylamylamine. If the pre-workout has that in the ingredient label, I know I will feel it. It is a fantastic stimulant and can really power you through a great workout. My personal favorite is Jack3d from USP labs.  It is not great for cardio workouts, however. It can over amp my heart rate and cut my speed dramatically.

In general I do not need the extra energy from stimulants. That makes my choice of pre-workout much easier. I much prefer a supplement that improves focus and concentration. I have found that for almost every workout I have, PreSurge Unleashed is my go to formula. Most people will get a solid energy pick-up from this formula. What I love about it is the increase in focus the L-theanine provides. I am able to get neat, clean, full reps in each set, or cut minutes off my mile pace. If you are serious about your workout, I suggest you give PreSurge a try.

Yea Turkey!

Smoked turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, turkey, stuffing, turkey, yams, turkey, and pumpkin pie. Oh, ya, in case I forgot to mention it, turkey. Then a great tryptophan induce nap. A great way to spend Thanksgiving!

Wait a minute. “Tryptophan induced nap”?

Yes, the amino acid L-tryptophan is part of the serotonin cycle and does support a feeling of relaxation and sleep. The problem is a serving of turkey has less than 400 mg of tryptophan. Turkey really is only about 1.1% tryptophan. In comparison, a serving of milk or sesame seeds is twice as potent. Most supplemental tryptophan starts at 500 mg per cap. It plays a supporting role - I forgot the rolls! - in your traditional Thanksgiving Day nap, but it is not the star.

Most of us will consume at least 1 to 2 days worth of calories in that one meal. Happily in my case! Since up to 80% of the calories we consume goes into the digestive process, it makes sense that we have to shut down other systems to deal with the load of food we just consumed. To blame the drowsiness on tryptophan is like saying the electric space heater tripped the circuit breaker in our home, and the rest of the things running are innocent.

So, what do we do?

Well, you could eat less. (Ya, I laughed at that when I wrote it) You could run out and by a digestive enzyme supplement to support the process in the stomach. I like Digest Gold by Enzymedica. You could even try a teaspoon or two of apple cider vinegar to improve the acid level in you stomach. This usually helps break down the food better.

Me, I plan watching football till I fall asleep. After all, it is a tradition.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Saying Goodbye to the Sun

Along with the Daylight Savings time shift, we here in the northern part of the country also have a noticeable decline in sunlight to enjoy. Add to the astronomically shorter days the gloom of the weather and you almost want to send the sun a going away party. Seems like we had one or two sunny days from the beginning of November to June last winter and spring. Even on the nice day we get each month, it is cold enough that we bundle up and cover as much skin as possible. Not the best way to catch some rays, dude.

The lack of sunshine means a drop in the vitamin D produced by our bodies for the next few months. Vitamin D has been in the news recently as more and more studies have found links between it and various cancers, H1N1 (swine flu),  and some forms of depression.  There more peer reviewed studies released everyday. Its support of the immune system could be why sickness is more common in the winter.

Unless you have a polar bear somewhere in your family history, snow-tanning is not a likely option for you in your efforts to maintain your body's Vitamin D levels during the winter. Some people try using tanning beds, but that leads to other cancer issues. You could always drink more milk, of course each serving has only got about 150 iu, which is about 25% of your needs to prevent rickets.

So, just how much Vitamin D should you try to get in your day? Well 10 minutes of direct summer sun in summer attire will generate about 10,000 iu. That would be, umm, about 67 servings of milk, per day, every day. A family of 4 would need two happy cows and a milking machine for its needs.

While some I know would love a couple of new pets, I suggest trying supplements. Vitamin D3 in supplemental form is very cheap and easy to take. I use a liquid version and just take a few drops a day. Being a fat soluble supplement you can take your weeks supply in one serving and be just fine. I have had people come to me with prescriptions for 50,000 and 100,000 iu doses. I personally shoot for about 5,000 to 7,000 a day to maintain good health.

Rays, cows, or pills your choice for your sun loss needs.

EDIT 11-8-11:

At the risk of offending Dr. House, you can add Lupus to list of illnesses are impacted by vitamin D.

100% of People Who Say They Take Supplements Die

Eventually anyhow.

A recent study cited in the mainstream media, but never linked too, gave rise to headlines like:

Can Supplements Increase a Woman’s Risk of Dying?

Yep, clearly these dangerous supplements must be stopped! After all they are not regulated by the FDA, like Oxycodone, Vioxx, and Phen-fen. I feel much safer just knowing they are guarding us from the evil billion dollar supplement industry. I can see them now, twisting their handlebar mustaches, the bastards! I know the hundred billion dollar pharmaceutical industry is happier now.

As reported in several articles on the web the people in this study were surveyed about their supplement use and health. That sounds like good solid science to me. Yep walk through any mall stopping people “do you take vitamins?” Yes, hmmmm, and how do you feel? Hmmm, got a cold must be that supplements are bad for you.

I see no problem here. Clearly direct logic and solid critical thinking.

WOW!

How is this even getting “Dog bites Man” respect from the media?

FYI, it is estimated that over 700,000deaths per year are the result of conventional medicine.

Goals Are For Beating

Wow, guess it has been a while since I wrote anything. Sorry. I got focused on a goal that I set a year ago. I was watching some friends run in a marathon race and decided to try it myself. Last weekend the race had one more runner. The event that started me running was a goal that I was very focused on finishing. Long story short, I finished the 13.1 mile half marathon in a personal best time and a whole lot of pain. More on that later.

Looking back over the year I realized that setting that goal changed my attitude towards working out and getting healthy. I went from “trying to get fit and stay healthy” in the short term and got the final results I had been trying to achieve for a long time before.

I often tell people at the beginning of a body/life changing process to pick an event they want to do. Make it a challenge to focus their training. I have helped many people change their bodies and health over the years, but that seems to be the key to success. A goal needs to be specific and difficult, but still obtainable. Saying “ I am going to “run a full marathon” when the farthest you have jogged is to the fridge during a commercial is a sure way to become frustrated with yourself. Making your goal “to get fit and healthy” is so vague that you have no way to know that being out of breath after your fridge dash is bad.

Be honest with yourself about where your are at when you set your goal. Pick something you have always thought would be rewarding to do. Make it only achievable when the amount of training you can push yourself to give. Plan and execute! Then go beat the stuffing out of that goal!

Along the way you may find yourself where you originally wanted to be.