Popeye was on to something

At some point in our lives, mom said, "eat your greens." And mom was right. A vast majority of our ancestors nutrition was greens. Or bodies cry for it, yet it is one of the most neglected groups of food in our diets. 

An great article I recently read listed these as the top 10 leafy greens:

1. Kale

2. Collards

3. Turnips

4. Swiss Chard

5. Spinach

6. Mustard Greens

7. Broccoli

8. Red/Green Romaine

9. Cabbage

10. Iceberg Lettuce

As our primal ancestors traveled, they picked green leafs along the way and may have consumed pounds per day! Greens served as the leading food for obtaining important nutrients. In fact, greens are calorie-for-calorie the most nutrient dense foods available to humans. Some of these nutrients and minerals include:

Magnesium

Calcium

Potassium

Manganese

Foalte

Betaine

Vitamin K

Vitamin C

Vitamin E

B Vitamins

As a strength coach, this was an 'ah-ha' moment and solved a childhood question of mine: why does spinach give Popeye so much strength!!! Greens contain nutrients that support or body's mitochondria, the organelle responsible for producing ATP (our body's energy source). 

Additionally, the nutrients support brain function and are a rich source of phytonutrients that protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age-related problems.

What is great about consuming these power-packed plants is that despite being a carbohydrate, it's impact on blood glucose is very limited. The carbohydrates found in plants are within the fiber, which is slow digesting and thus do not spike your insulin (a major contributor to weight gain). 

Fill up those plates with greens. It worked for Popeye.

Recognized Leaders for Shedding Pounds & Dollars

It has been about a year and half since I took the position as Director of Wellness with Able Engineering, a company I coached while interning at Athlete's Performance in '10. I was fortunate enough last summer to hire Mike Austin, a hard-working and driven fitness director I had previously worked for.  

A lot of great stuff has happened in that year. This past October, our program was recognized by the Wellness Council of Arizona for Progress, Process and Leadership in Worksite Wellness. We were very excited to attend the event and eager to see what other practices were out there. We were very humbled to find that what we offered was not closed to being paralleled within our department. 

It made me sit back and take a look at what we offer, and, to be frank, I am not sure there are other companies - especially ones with 335 employees - that offer what we do. Our programs include: 

• Drug and tobacco free environment
• Annual biometric screenings 
• Catered food services with healthy nutrition options including homemade protein shakes
• Purified water stations 
• Two full-time performance coaches
• Free personal training & nutrition counseling 
• Paid health insurance premiums for active participation
• Free post-workout supplementation, including protein shake, fish oil and multivitamin 
• Wellness clubs, including hiking, biking, basketball and obstacle events
• Company newsletters, lectures and blog

We have been able to take the conceptual, subjective notion that 'healthy employees are more productive and make your company more profitable,' and have made it objective and quantifiable. 

We are very proud of our clients for their success, which includes: 

• Over 45% of employee involvement 
• 1,109 lbs of recorded weight loss
• Reduction in biometric testing with 88% of participants 
• 89% of participants reported a reduction in pre-training, chronic pain 
• Over $100,000 reduction in claims
• $1,500 reduction in the per member healthcare cost with a 25% in membership

Our staff is honored to receive the award, which is a direct result of the hard work and commitment we have received from our 150 clients. 

We are proving that health care costs are controllable and investing in the health and wellness of your employees leads to a more productive workforce with massive cost savings. 

Pit Stops that Refuel!

Through many conversations with clients, I have found that a lot of people are always struggling to find healthy options to eat or snack on within their busy lives. I can understand and realate. After a long day at work, I find myself getting into my car and driving to a one (sometimes both) practices to coach and train. And somewhere in between I have about 10 minutes to stop and refuel.

I have had this on-the-go lifestyle for quite sometime, so I have discovered the trick to eating quick and keeping it healthy. My go to is Circle K. Why? A lot of locations and a lot of options! For my east-coast followers, any convenience store will work. 

Here's what I commonly see people leave a convenience store with:

64oz Big Gulps

5-hour energy

Bear claws

Hot Dogs (really?!)

Candy Bars

Bag of Chips

Now there is nothing appealing about this:

God knows what those are made out of.

Here's a list of things that you can grab that will surely fill you up, give you energy, help build muscle and won't destroy your waistline, blood pressure or cholesterol.

Emeralds Almonds

Beef Jerkey

Kraft Cheese Stick

Banana

Kind Bars (All Natural, Gluten Free, Fruit & Nut)

Low Fat Chocolate Milk

Naked Fruit Smoothies (Hey now!)

These items are my go-to snacks on the fly. Yes, you may pay an extra $2-3 but it is roughy the same amount you will spend on fast food garbage. And I shouldn't have to ask you if you think it's worth it.

Little Sleep, Bigger Waistline

It's not too difficult to find someone in today's society who is sleep deprived. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that 30% of the people who surveyed the National Healthy Interview were sleep deprived. Roughly 40.6 million U.S. workers reported getting less than 6 hours of sleep. 

Sleep deprivation is a big culprit to weight gain, mainly from a hormonal perspective. When we are sleep deprived, we release a hormone called Ghrelin in large amounts. Ghrelin is the hormone that tells the body we are hungry and that sensation drives us to eat. 

 These poor sleep patterns also cause the body to suppress the release of Leptin. Leprin is a hormone that signals the body we are full and satiated. 

This altered hormonal environment is obviously not an ideal situation for someone looking to lose weight. Additionally, our metabolism becomes hindered and it makes it difficult for the body to perform efficiently. 

Take notice and commit to a proper sleeping habit of 6-8 hours a night. You will manage your hormone levels effectively and boost your metabolism, helping us become lean and mean. 

5 Quick Ways to Lose Weight & Not Annoy People

Alright, I will be honest..this is more of a rant on some of my biggest pet peeves. I got to thinking, "If these people weren't being lazy b's than they may lose some weight." Here's a list of five things you can immediately change TODAY that will help you lose weight and make you a more likable individual. 

Let me start by introducing you to the fitness term N.E.A.T - Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenisis. These are non exercise calorie burning activities like walking (non-exercise), standing up, laughing, etc. It's moving outside of a workout. Want to lose weight without going to the gym? Eat well and up your NEAT lifestyle. 

1. Shopping Carts

I was at Fresh & Easy yesterday buying groceries. Unlike most Americans, I can food shop in under 25 minutes. That is because I "shop the perimeter". All the good stuff for you is on the outside. But that is another blog for later. What ticks me off is when I load the groceries in the car and notice all the shopping carts scattered throughout the parking lot. They are everywhere; in parking spots, on an island, in a bush. Take the 48 seconds to walk your lazy ass over to the stations and put the thing back. Bam, extra calories burned and I don't have to worry about chipping paint when pulling out of my spot. 

2. Changing Rooms

Another thing that boils my blood is when you try something on at the department store and when it doesn't fit you throw it in a bin. There are a lot of issues here. The biggest is missing articles of clothing on the store floor. 9 times out of 10 when I am looking for a new pair of pants and they appear to be out out of my size, there are probably 3 pairs sitting in that bin back there. Again, walk back to the section and hang it back up. Boom, more calories burnt. 

3. Elevators

Oh Mylanta, this one really gets to me. On the rare occasion that I do take an elevator, there usually is some lazy bastard that hits 2. When I see buttons 2-4 light up, I want to dope slap the person in front of me in the back of the neck with a wet hand. Ok, if you have a disability or taking the stairs is painful, than that is what an elevator is meant for. But if you're 40 lbs overweight with a newspaper and an energy drink in your hand, TAKE THE STAIRS! Taking the stairs is an awesome way to get a massive amount of cardio in over the course of a week if you work on the higher levels. Again, more calories burned.

4. Parking

Make it stop. Please, please, God please, make it stop. Why do you spend 15 minutes driving around a parking lot looking for the spot closest to the door? You have even gone to the extreme as to trail people leaving to get their spot. You know you look like a serial killer idling down the road following his next victim? How about parking in the last spot, getting some fresh air, enjoying the day God gave you and walk your butt into the store. And to prevent my head from popping off, I am not going to mention when this happens in the parking lot of a gym. 

5. Big people with big dogs

Let me start by saying I LOVE MY DOG. To the point that it's a bit unhealthy. I have a tattoo of his paw for Pete's sake. But I just love dogs in general. I watch the Dog Whisperer, read Cesar Milan's book, and have even eaten dog food (was incredibly drunk). I hate seeing people overweight. It's my job and passion to prevent that and I genuinely get upset when I see big people and big children. So, when I see a big person at the dog park munching on food, sipping on a drink or playing with their iPhone, I cringe. Especially when the dog who is 15 lbs overweight comes waddling and panting. Don't give me, "they're a big breed" crap either. I have a lab and he's a stud. Because I feed him appropriately and get him exercise. So instead of taking your fat dog to the dog park where he usually waddles around sniffing poop and humping things, why don't you take him for a long walk; daily. Much more of a bonding experience between you and man's best friend and the both of you burn calories! Win-win!

Program Design 101

Effective exercise programming is made up of several key elements.  Of course the first question is: Where to begin? Most of us either go into the gym blind or you are stuck in your same routine. For men, it's Chest/Tri day, back/bi, Arms/core and legs if you're lucky. Sometimes you go a little crazy and throw in some super sets. Women, you hit triceps, abs and glutes hoping to solve your problem areas before 45 minutes of low intensity cardio. 

To overcome this ineffective training (please don't get me wrong I am happy you at least train), here is a very basic way to build a program with some rhyme and reason. Please 

The easiest way to begin writing a program is to work backwards.  First, ask yourself how many times a week you want to workout.  Make this realistic and something you will stick to!!!  This will be your Training Frequency.  2 days a week is doable, 3 days is optimal for most people, 4 days a week is usually reserved for athletes or intense programs with a great amount of volume. 

Next, we have to know what we’re doing each day before we go into the gym. This is our Movement Selections.  We view our movement selections as having four main options:

1.)  Upper body push movements (push-up, bench, presses)

2.)  Lower body push movements (squat/lunge variations)

3.)  Upper body pull movements (rows and pull-ups)

4.)  Lower body pull movements (deadlifts, rdls, glute bridges)

Our goal is to stimulate each muscle group and movement pattern 2x within a 7 day period.  You can accomplish this easily by first combining opposing movement selections from the upper and lower body.  So if we use upper body push movements, we combine them with lower body pull movements and vice versa.  In two and three day a week programs, you will also have to include some full body workouts. 

Next, set up your strength blocks (grouping of exercises), which should simply include:

1)   A strength or power movement

2)   The opposing strength movement

3)   A core exercise

4)   A corrective exercise (active recovery)

To this point you have your training frequency, training splits and a blueprint.  Filling in your blueprint with exercises now has meaning to it.

Make sure to stay within your limits; do not choose an exercise or a progression of an exercise that you have not yet earned.  Also be sure to choose exercises that compliment each other.  So if you do an upper body push strength movement, do a corrective exercise for those same muscle groups.  Here is an example:

1.)  Upper Push Movement: Alternating Chest Press

2.)  Core Movement- Rotating Wood Chops

3.)  Corrective- Active Pec Stretch

Once you have filled your strength blocks with appropriate and specific exercises, we need to select the appropriate sets, reps, and rest. To guide you, we put together a basic strength-training continuum: 

Your goal decides where you land on the continuum.  As you can see, maximal strength gains come from heavier weight loads with fewer reps and endurance gains are typically seen on the completely opposite end of the spectrum with a much greater amount of reps. Hypertrophy (muscle growth) usually falls in the middle. 

Lastly is the amount of rest needed. This is up to you. Rule of thumb: higher reps w/ lower loads require less recovery time. Low reps with high loads require more time to have the muscle recover. Key take home with rest: DO NOT SACRIFICE FORM FOR WEIGHT/REPS. Let your body recover and the gains come quicker and safer. 

That is a very simple approach to the way we program.  However, the basics are both safe and effective.  Follow this blueprint and you will see success with your programming for years to come.

Top 3 Reasons Women Should LIft Weights

The concerns are always the same. "I do not want to get bulky," or, "I am just trying to tone up."  All too often you hear women making these statements on their way to lifting a bright colored, 5lb db to do some tricep kick-backs because they carry some extra body fat there. Or they pop on a cardio machine for 45 minutes at a low intensity, while reading a cosmo. That is no different than a hamster on a wheel.

What women fail to realize is that resistance training is the single best program element (if done correctly) that will meet all their fitness needs!!

Hit the weights hard and often ladies, because you can't get bulky. You will also get the tone and definition you are after. Here are the the top 3 reasons why women should resistance train:

1.     You Burn Body Fat

Total body resistance training puts a larger demand on the body than most cardio and allows you to burn calories throughout the day. Adding lean mass also increases metabolism. For every 1lb of lean mass you gain, you can burn 35-55 kcals extra/day while at rest and during normal activity. 

2.    Strength without Bulk

Women have 10-30x less hormones than men, meaning your chances of getting ‘bulky’ is near impossible. Additionally, women begin to lose their strength and roughly .5lb/muscle per year after 18. Get your strength and muscle back!

3.    Fight Osteoporosis

Women have a higher % of osteoporosis than men. Strength training contributes to stronger bone density. Studies show an increase in bone density as high as 13% in 6 months!

Strength training is vital for everyone and the list of its benefits are endless. Women have a larger demand to train because of the lean mass and strength loss factors that take place over the years. We encourage all women to give strength training a shot. Put down the bright colored dumbbells and pick up something heavy!!