Thursday, 20 July 2017
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Learner’s Dictionary defines commitment as 'a promise to do or give something.' Or a promise to be loyal to someone or something— usually + to. For example, Are you willing to make a commitment to a healthy lifestyle? Or the attitude of someone who works very hard to do or support something

  • Some of his teammates said he showed serious commitment to his nutrition & training program.

Nothing tastes as good as being fit feels!

Many people struggle daily with their weight for different reasons. While some may be medical or genetic in origin, many could be just a lack of commitment to living a healthy lifestyle. We have become a society that seeks out immediate gratification. It's amazing how many things one can accomplish online these days without even leaving the comfort of your own home! Is that always a good thing? For some things, maybe. For everything? No way! 

For example, many people enjoy sweets, and I am one of those people. You just finished a nice dinner, and someone offers you dessert. You’ve started a new workout and healthy eating program, and you know that you've consumed your calories for the day. You’re full but... that desert sitting right in front of you looks very good. Those with you don’t share your health goals so they're encouraging you to “live a little.” You start thinking that you can enjoy that dessert right now and work it off at the gym tomorrow.

In most cases that is not true. But back to the topic at hand: You really want to be fit, and that dessert is not on your plan today. So, are you able to say no to that one thing you want right now in order to achieve success with the goal that you really want the most- being fit and healthy?

Are you truly committed to your goal?

To help my clients in this situation, I tell them to remember this statement, “Nothing tastes as good as being fit feels!” You MUST continue to remind yourself to stay committed to your plan! As an added bonus, once you reach your weight-loss goal, you will typically have 300 to 500 more calories to add back to your daily intake!

So in this case, can you keep the short-term commitment that you made to yourself in order to achieve a major long-term goal? It's something you really want. Something you want more than that dessert sitting right in front of you. Sometimes we just struggle to tell our inner child ”No!”

At one time or another in life we all stumble and fall.

That is defective life. What often determines our character is what we do in this situation. Do you make excuses as to why you fell or do you get back up and keep going? Get back up and keep going! Let's say you went out to lunch with some friends or clients. You ”went off your diet” and ate things that you know are not on your plan.

Some people in the situation would say…” Well, I blew it today so I might as well eat what I want for the rest of it.” The thing to do in the situation is to hit the pause button and say yourself, “This day is not over. I can still make it work!”

By tracking your food, you know how many calories you have left for the day. Make the necessary adjustments to hit your goal and do it! You're able to do this because of the commitment that you made to yourself. Sometimes our self-discipline might not be strong enough. In this situation, your commitment will get you back on track! Forget what happened in the past because that cannot be changed. Focus on the road in front of you and make the right decision based on your goals!


“I have failed over and over in my life. And that is why I succeed. “

- Michael Jordan, Hall of Fame basketball player

 

“Mental toughness is spartanism with qualities of sacrifice, self-denial, dedication. It is fearlessness, and it is love.”

-Vince Lombardi, Hall of Fame football coach

 

“Once you learned how to quit it becomes a habit.”

- Vince Lombardi, Hall of Fame football coach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted on 07/20/2017 4:26 PM by Kyle Smithson
Wednesday, 05 July 2017
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Yes, you can eat too much protein...

One of the most popular questions that I often get from new clients is... ” How much protein do I need to be eating each day?” While this is definitely an important number to know, this seems to be everyone's primary focus. People seem to think that they need very large amounts of protein in their diet especially if they've just begun a new exercise program.

Yes, Americans, you're getting more than enough protein...

The typical American diet usually consists of ample amounts of protein. The current dietary recommendation for protein intake for the average active or sedentary individual is 0.8 grams per kilogram per day. If you are physically active your needs might be higher.  Needs are based on many different factors such as body composition, training regimen, and goals. So if this is the recommendation, more must be better, correct? While this might be true of some things, it isn't better when it comes to your dietary protein intake.

Here's the not-so-good news about too much protein...

Since the body can only store a certain amount of amino acids either in the amino acid pool in the liver or as muscle, and lastly used as energy, the remainder of dietary protein eaten above these amounts will be stored as fat.

I once had a conversation with a power lifter who told me that he often ate TWO ROTISSERIE CHICKENS A DAY in order to get the amount of protein that he thought he needed to build muscle. While he did have big strong arms, he also had excess fat around his abdominal area!

An example of what too much protein will do to your body...

Another problem of consuming too much protein occurs when you're trying to limit your calorie intake while still balancing adequate carbohydrate and fat intake. Simply put eating too much protein doesn't leave enough calories for the other two macros. For example, I once had a client who told me that he was eating about 250 g of protein per day. Someone had told him that he needed to eat 1 g of protein per pound of bodyweight. With protein having 4 calories per gram, which meant he was eating 1000 calories per day in just protein alone! 

While an individual's protein needs can based on several factors, the general recommendation for an average individual is approximately 15 to 20% of your total caloric intake. In the above mentioned cient's case he was eating over 50% of his calories as protein! As a result, he was not eating nearly enough carbohydrates and was exhibiting signs of lethargy and fatigue. After talking, I convinced him to greatly decrease his protein intake while increasing his intake of complex carbohydrates. About two days later, he emailed me to let me know that he had so much more energy than before we had talked! 

Are YOU eating the right amount for YOUR goals?

I can help you to do this through proper nutrition by determining how much protein YOU actually need based on many individual factors. Contact us today to book your appointment!

Remember….. “The Right foods in the Right amounts at the Right times.”

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Posted on 07/05/2017 3:08 PM by Kyle Smithson
Thursday, 29 June 2017
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Creating a healthy plate begins with the plate itself. Studies have shown that individuals who use smaller plates tend to eat less at mealtime. I recommend using a 9-inch plate. If your plate is a little larger than 9 inches, Thta's ok. Just make sure to use the center portion of the plate and not allow the food to encroach the outside lip.

Now that we've established the boundaries, let's talk about what we are going to put on it. 

  1. Fill half of your plate with fruits and/or non-starchy vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, squash, zucchini, asparagus, etc. Bake, broil, or steam your veggies without any added fats to help keep them low in calories and full of nutrients. When I put this into practice at dinner, my steamed vegetable medley can be less than 100 calories!
  2. Fill one quarter of your plate with either starchy vegetables like carrots or potatoes or whole grains such as whole-grain rice, quinoa, or couscous.
  3. Fill the last quarter of your plate with a lean protein source. Using this amount of space for your protein should help guide you in the direction of choosing the right portion size, which is 4 to 6 ounces.

Assembling your meal in this manner is referred to as using the "My Plate” method. This model has replaced the food pyramid that many of us grew up with. 

“All things in moderation.” Really!

This is the answer that one of my professors used to give when students would ask… “Can __________ be a part of a healthy diet?” I heard this answer quite often in school and it is stuck with me because it is sound advice.

When clients come to me, many of them often think that I'm going to tell him that they can no longer have the treats and calorically dense foods that they love. For the most part, this is simply not true! Sometimes, I have to be the "food police," but most of the time I am able to help them fit these foods that they like into their diets. It may not be in the quantities that they used to eat or the frequency, but most of the time we can still work them in.

However, sometimes it may come at a price. When someone is on a very low-calorie diet to lose weight, there is less wiggle room to fit these items in their plan. So I tell them they can still include these items, but it may slow down their weight loss progress. More often than not, they choose to reduce the frequency of or eliminate these “treats” in order to accelerate weight loss!

Just remember…

“Nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels!”

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Posted on 06/29/2017 4:00 PM by Kyle Smithson
Monday, 19 June 2017
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When it comes to healthy eating, it is very important to have balanced dietary intake.

There are so many “fad diets” that can be found on the Internet that do not include this principle! Many of them involve restricting or eliminating certain types of foods or food groups. While these types of restrictive diets usually do produce weight loss results, they are not often sustainable for long periods of time. Whenever an individual stops the "diet" and returns to their normal eating habits, they often regain the weight that they lost and sometimes more.

Before beginning any type of fad diet ask yourself the question, "can I eat this way for the rest of my life?" If you find the answer to be "no," that is probably not the best plan for you for long-term success!

For this reason, I help my clients to learn how to create a balance plate that limits calorically dense foods while incorporating nutrient dense foods.

To clarify, nutrient dense foods contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, but they did not contain lots of calories. Calorically dense food, on the other hand, most often contains a lot of energy dense calories but doesn't contain many vitamins, minerals, or other important nutrients.

The best way to lose weight successfully and keep it off is to have a slower but steady plan for loss.

Some examples of unsustainable weight loss...

Shows like the Biggest Loser and Extreme Weight Loss with Chris Powell can be inspiring and motivating to watch; however, I feel that they most often give people unrealistic weight loss expectations.

When watching these types of shows, we see how the contestants on these shows week after week put up remarkable weight losses. On the Biggest Loser, the contestants live on the ranch and are in a very safe environment, which is conducive for weight loss. While on the ranch, they workout for many hours a day, have someone to shop for them to buy healthy foods, and are away from the food temptations that are present in our everyday lives. A lot of times when the contestants leave the ranch and are confronted with normal daily life and temptations they often regain the weight that they lost on a ranch. So quicker is not always better.

The Key to Successful at weight loss... 

It is more important to go slower and have realistic goals of losing no more than 1 to 2 pounds per week. While losing weight is important because it allows the individual to see progress and the fruits of their labor, it is most important in the early stages of weight loss began to create new and healthy habits. It is these types of habits that will enable you to sustain your weight loss indefinitely as long as you continue to practice those habits!

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Posted on 06/19/2017 1:59 PM by Kyle Smithson
Thursday, 15 June 2017
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Just eating 'healthyfoods doesn’t necessarily mean you have a healthy diet. Sure, you want to choose the healthy option as much as possibe. However, those healthy foods need to match your body’s needs in order to get your best performance! It's important to get the correct amount of each macronutrient.

Here's are a few examples: 

  1. Your brain prefers glucose as it’s primary source of energy. Not meeting that need can lead to mental fatigue and irritability! 
  2. If you restrict dietary fat intake too much, your body may not be able to absorb adequate amounts of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.
  3. Fiber is an important part of any healthy diet so the more you eat the better right? Not necessarily! 

Here's the secret: Choosing the right foods at the right times, and in the right amounts can make all the difference!

The right foods

It is important to choose the right food for your diet based on your fitness goals and a balanced healthy diet. Each macronutrient plays an important role in your diet. The amount that you need of each is dependent on several factors such as body composition, physical activity level, training regimen, and overall health and wellness goals.

In the Right Amounts

Are you eating the right amounts of the right foods? While you might think so, there is only one way to know for sure. I would recommend using a food journal or app to keep track of your food intake for starters. It is also very important to use your measuring utensils. Using measuring cups and measuring spoons is really the only way to know exactly how much you are eating.

At the Right times

Is the timing of your nutrition optimal? Timing of your meals and snacks can be more important than you think. Here are a few tips for timing your meals right:

  • Eat about the same time every day. Why? Eating at regular intervals helps to maintain constant blood sugar levels. For me, scheduled eating also helps to prevent me from becoming hungry, which can often lead to overeating.
  • Have a snack before you have an intense workout. You might be thinking 'I'm going to the gym to lose weight, why would I want to have additional calories? No worries- Your pre-workout snack will be part of your daily caloric allotment. This snack is simply to give you adequate energy so that you can increase the intensity of your workout without your blood sugar dropping to an unsafe level.
  • After your workout, it is beneficial to have a recovery snack within 30 to 60 minutes. I recommend the composition of this snack be a combination of protein and carbohydrates for muscle recovery.

 

We are here to help you determine the right foods at the right times for your diet needs. Contact me today to set up a consultation!

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Posted on 06/15/2017 10:02 AM by Kyle Smithson
Friday, 19 May 2017
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Posted on 05/19/2017 3:27 PM by test
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