Healthy Holiday Tips

Top 5 Healthy Holiday Tips

With the holiday season already in full-swing, here are my top 5 tips for minimizing the damage that the holiday season can bring to your exercise and dietary regime:

     1)  Avoid the “what the heck” mind-set: Many people often give themselves permission to eat whatever they want over the entire holiday break. This can result in gaining 5 or more pounds in a week. My advice is to give yourself permission to have a few indulgent meals (often family dinners), but try to still eat healthy as often as you can during the holiday break.

 2) Workout Early! : We all know that the holidays are busy and there are often spur of the moment opportunities fun activities such as gatherings with friends and family, etc. Planning to get your workout in the morning reduces the risk of your exercise getting pushed aside by Holiday activities.

 3)  Eat a Big Breakfast: I must admit that I’ve been guilty of eating light earlier in the day to enjoy more of that big holiday feast. I’ve noticed that this inevitably leads to eating massive amounts of food at dinner due to sitting down to the table with a rabid appetite brought about by low blood sugar. My advice is to instead eat a large wholesome breakfast and continue to eat consistently throughout the day. When you sit down for that Christmas dinner you will still be able to sample all of the tasty items, you will just be more likely to sample them in smaller portions.

 4) Eat Lean Protein and Green Veggies: To use the example of the typical Christmas turkey dinner, try to fill your plate with turkey, brussel sprouts, and any other green vegetable that may be on the table. Limit your consumption of stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, and the like to 1-2 tablespoons each. This will help to limit the amount of fat you might gain from the excess starchy carbohydrates.

5) Plan outdoor activities: Try to plan some fun outdoor activities such as ice skating, tobogganing, a snow ball fight, etc. If you having a meal as a family, consider going out for a walk as a family before you sit down together.

Other tips:

Be very cautious with eggnog:

·         1 cup of eggnog contains a whopping 340 calories and 19 grams of fat.

·          Add an ounce of rum and you are at 400 calories for the one drink.

·         Consider skipping eggnog all together, or choosing a lighter eggnog which can spare you over 100 calories per cup

Limit your desert intake:

·         1 small slice (140g) of pumpkin pie contains 310 calories

·         Add a serving of whipped cream and your desert comes in at over 400 calories

·         Regardless of what the desert item is, try to limit yourself to one small serving

Look up healthy recipes online:

·         Regardless of what you are preparing, whether it be stuffing, cheesecake, or fruitcake, there is always a healthier way to prepare it

·       There are millions of healthy recipes online, just make sure to choose recipes that have been given favourable feedback in the comments section of the recipe

Bottom Line:

We all want to indulge and have some fun over the holidays, and so we should. Just make sure of being mindful that you are not indulging “just because”. Have fun, stay active, and eat healthy when you can!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Kristian Leach

www.innerimagept.com

www.krisfit.ca

Lessons Learned From Rick

Lessons Learned From Rick

As most of you know by now, on July 15^th of this year, The Riverside Club lost a valued friend and member. Rick (Ricky) Martin lost his courageous battle with brain cancer. He left behind his beloved wife Cahn (Candice) and a host of other friends, young and old alike.

When I originally wrote this little note about Rick, I wasn’t exactly sure that I would share it with anyone. Having spent a lot of time with Rick during his last 7 weeks of life at the Sarcee Hospice, I think that writing this note was more of a cathartic exercise for myself. After some thought, I decided to share this note in the hopes that we can all find some value in the lessons that I learned from Rick.

Having listened to the endless lineup of people who requested to speak at his funeral, it’s clear that Rick is a man who left his mark on the world. Here are 7 of my favourite lessons that I learned from Ricky:

1. Be a Sponge – As anyone who new Rick could likely attest, he was a big “talker”. The interesting thing about Rick was, he never really spoke too much about himself, but rather, asked questions about the person whom he was talking to. Not only did he put the focus of the conversation on the person he was talking to, he also had a tendency to actually absorb and remember what that person had said. There were several testaments to his memory at his funeral; whether it be remembering birthday’s or phone numbers, or names of spouses/ children/ siblings, Rick listened, and he remembered. All too often we can be guilty of listening to someone speak while we are actually just waiting for our own turn to speak. Rick was a sponge, and genuinely listened to and took-in what the other person was saying.

2. Pump People's Tires – Perhaps Rick’s most famous catch phrase was “you da man!”. He loved to pay people compliments and make other people feel good about themselves. I saw him do this when he was working out at the gym. He’d tell people if they looked like they were getting stronger, or losing weight. If someone in the gym impressed him, he’d march right on over and tell them without hesitation. In many cases, I’m sure that those little compliments helped to make someone’s day. He also had an affinity for giving people nicknames that he had created just for them, from “Go-Go Gomez”, to “The Doc”, to “The Good Sheppard”, Rick had nicknames for people that had meaning to him, and in turn, made the person whom he nicknamed feel special.

3. Make A Stranger Feel Welcome – Rick had something that I liked to call “Newbie Radar”. Whenever there was a new member at the gym, especially a member that looked a little lost or tentative, Rick would approach them. He would introduce them to not only himself, but also, any member or trainer that happened to be close by. He had this skill of welcoming people to the gym that I have been striving to emulate.

4. Connect with Humor – I think that the first time I met Rick was in the men’s change room at the gym. He had just finished a workout and made a joke about how sore his “ass” was. I instantly knew that we would become good friends. Half of the stories told at Rick’s funeral had people laughing so hard that they were close to tears. Rick was a hard working man with a good profession, but he never missed an opportunity to share a joke or a good laugh. Even during his last days at the hospice; when he had basically lost the ability to speak, he still found a way to make people laugh. There were several moments in his final weeks were Rick had his wife and myself laughing so hard that we had tears in our eyes.

5. Fear Nobody – Rick had an aura of fearlessness about him. He had the ability to approach anybody and start a conversation. No hesitation, no lack of confidence. I think his ability to do this was fueled by the fact that Rick genuinely didn’t judge people. He approached all people in the same light and engaged accordingly.

6. Love with your Whole Heart – For the first few years that I knew Rick, we primarily engaged in “manly conversations”. We spoke about movies, sports, and other things that were a bit “PG-13”. I remember one day Rick came into the gym looking a bit flustered, so I asked him if everything was ok. He told me that he felt like a real “asshole” because he was short with his wife. He was unloading some paving stones from his car and his wife, Cahn, was urging him to stop carrying them because she was worried that he would hurt his back. In turn, a disagreement ensued. Rick told me that he felt bad, and then said, “I just love her so much”. This caught me off-guard, as it was a break from our typical line of conversations. Rick wasn’t afraid to tell anybody how much he loved his wife, or how she was his princess. Once Rick got diagnosed, his focus seemed to be chiefly concerned with his wife, and making sure she was ok. His love for his wife made him selfless, right up until the end.

7. Use your own experiences to change lives – As mentioned earlier, about half of the stories told at Rick’s funeral had people laughing so hard they were in tears. The other half of the stories shred were such moving testaments to Rick that they also had people in tears. Rick had mentored countless people through struggles with addiction and alcohol, and, in their own words, had literally “saved” their lives. I remember chatting with one of Rick’s close friends at the hospice on Rick’s final day, July 15^th. His friend told me that Rick is a classic case of “don’t judge a book by it’s cover”. He explained: “Rick may come across as a short, humorous, East Coaster who likes to joke around, but the man has a huge heart, and has helped to change and save many people’s lives”.

Thanks for taking the time to read this note about Rick. I must admit that I miss Rick everyday, but feel very fortunate to have learned some lessons from him which will hopefully help me to be a better person.

This is a picture that Rick had made for a brain-injured teenage boy whom he had met during his time at the Foothills Hospital. Rick claimed this is what he looked like with his shirt off J

Nutrition “Case Study” #1:

Have you ever said to yourself, “I’ve tried EVERYTHING possible to lose weight and NOTHING works!”? Do you believe that you can’t lose weight because of menopause, a slow metabolism, adrenal fatigue, or all three? If you answered yes to any of these questions, I’m here to respectfully tell you that you are most likely 100% wrong. You can lose weight. I’m sure of it!

For anyone that knows me reasonably well, this may seem like a strong, “in-your-face” stance to take, but I have your best interests at heart.  I have competed in “weight-class” sports for over 20 years, and have been working as a personal trainer for 12 years. I have yet to see a single person who is not capable of losing a significant amount of weight. Below I will go over a quick explanation of how I coach my nutrition clients, followed by a “case study” of two clients whom I am currently in the process of coaching.

Before I get into the meat and potatoes of this article I’d like to preface by explaining two different stream’s of Nutrition Coaching that I implement with my clients:

1) Food Log Analysis and Weekly Coaching – This process involves my clients tracking their food intake by writing it in a journal. I review the journal weekly and make suggested adjustments in order to help them reach their weight loss/gain goal as efficiently as possible. There are no specific foods that are off limits and there are also no specific “must eat” foods that I require clients to eat. This type of coaching is most suitable for a beginner to intermediate level client (a client with either limited dietary knowledge, a significant amount of weight to lose, or both).

2) Flexible Macronutrient Dieting – This process involves me sending my client’s weekly guidelines for the amount of protein/ carbohydrates/ fat  that they are to consume on a daily basis. Weekly adjustments are made to numeric guidelines.  As with the method above, this method does not have any “must eat”, or “cannot eat” foods. Everything is on the table (pun intended).

Case Study:

Kevin and Rosanna are husband and wife nutrition clients of mine. They have been members at The Riverside Club for years and anyone who knows them can attest to how frequently and intensely they workout.

They both began a Flexible Macronutrient Diet with me 5 ½ weeks ago. Kevin’s goals were to lose 20lb’s and have that 6-pack of abdominals start to show through. Rosanna’s goals were to lose 14 lbs and feel leaner and tighter like a tiger.

Previously, on his own, Kevin had been trying carbohydrate cycling (alternating days of low, high, and moderate carbohydrate intake). Rosanna had been eating a diet consisting of very healthy organic and natural foods. Rosanna was also very frustrated (as hell) as she felt that menopause had brought her weight loss to an absolute stand-still. She had resigned herself to accepting that she would not be able to lose weight until the symptoms of menopause had passed.

Our Process:

 Since Kevin and Rosanna had similar weight-loss goals, we adopted the same process for each of them, consisting of 6 days of balanced macronutrient (protein vs. carbs vs. fat) intake, with one extra high carbohydrate day also known as a “cheat day”. We adopted this process for the first 3.5 weeks to establish baselines and to get used to the dieting process.

·    Since then, we have spent the last 2 weeks doing personalized carbohydrate cycling. This involves alternating moderate and higher carbohydrate days. At no point in this process have we (or will we) prescribe a “no-carb” or “don’t eat carbs in the evening” approach. In fact, Kevin and Rosanna have been encouraged to eat a majority of their carbohydrates – ½ to 2/3- in the evening.

·   With 3 ½ weeks left to go in this 8 week process, we will continue to manipulate our carbohydrate cycles and add a little bit more short duration HIIT (interval training) sessions to hit our goals.

After 5 ½ weeks of following my macronutrient guidelines, here are their results:

Kevin:

•   13lbs lost
•  2% decrease in overall Body-Fat Percentage

Rosanna

•  10lbs lost
•  4% decrease in overall Body-Fat Percentage

Prior to writing this article, I asked Kevin and Rosanna a few questions and asked for some feedback about their flexible dieting experience with me.

Below are their answers:

What have you found most challenging about this experience?

·         “It has been challenging to eat all of the food necessary to hit our daily targets.”

What has been most surprising?

·     “We thought that we were eating healthy before, but were surprised to realize that we weren’t eating in such a way to lose weight. Our portion sizes were off.”

What have you learned thus far from this process?

•    “Appropriate portions and macronutrient ratios for weight loss.”
•   “Education – more consumer awareness as it pertains to buying certain types of food.”
•   “How to better “eye-ball” the actual quantity of food you’re eating.”

What advice would you have to someone interested in following this coaching program?

•   “Don’t try and do this on your own, get help!”
•   “Make sure this is what you want and, if so, commit to it 100%.”
•   “Set aside time for your food preparation or else you will be destined to cheat/fail.”

Final Thoughts (from me):  The best advice that I can give anyone who feels that they have exhausted all weight-loss options is this: don’t give up! Arrange to meet with a fitness professional who can accurately analyze your food intake and tell you exactly what you need to do to lose weight. It’s not fair to put in all of the hard work, and not reap the rewards.

If I can help you in any way, drop me a line!

Kristian

innerimagept@gmail.com

www.innerimagept.com

Top Ten Nutrition Myths (Part 2)

Eggs are good, eggs are bad, eggs are good... Well, which is it?

This seems to be a subject that has been debated back-and-forth for years. Finally, we seem to be at a point where the overall consensus in the medical/ nutrition community is that eggs (ESPECIALLY the yolks) are VERY GOOD for you. 

Eggs got a bad reputation for the amount of cholesterol they contain.However, studies have shown that for the majority of people, dietary intake has very little impact on levels of bad (LDL) cholesterol in the blood. In fact, studies have also shown that eggs raise our levels of good cholesterol (HDL), and don't raise our risk or heart disease. 

Within the egg, half of the protein is contained in the white and half is contained in the yolk. All of the fat is contained within the yolk, as are a majority of the high quality nutrients such as your B Vitamins.

If you are being mindful of your calories, consider combining some eggs whites with a whole egg as a scramble...1/2 cup of egg whites scrambled with 1 whole egg provides 20g of high quality protein and 6 grams of high quality fat.

So...whatever you do, don't throw out the yolk! It's wasteful and just plain silly!

I think that most of us know by now that women SHOULD lift weights. Perhaps they should be even more focused on lifting weights than men should (especially as they age). Women are more likely to suffer from osteoporosis, but lifting weights can actually increase a woman’s bone density, even as she ages. The notion that a woman will get too “buff” or “bulky” from weight training is also completely untrue. Unless you are eating a huge surplus of calories, taking a little bit of the old “Vitamin S”, AND utilizing a high volume/ hypertrophy-based program, you will not bulk-up! So…fugget aboudit!

Last point on this topic is this: Women need not just focus on body weight exercises or integrated movements such as a reverse lunge into a step-up , into a hip-hop abs shimmy , then finished with a Jane Fonda leg lift. This notion that women should do “girly” workouts while men do “manly” workouts is silly, and quite frankly, it hurts my feelings :) If you want to tone up your arms, upper-back, glutes, and legs, don’t be afraid to do some bench presses, squats, and deadlifts with reasonably heavy loads. This is how you truly recruit enough muscle fiber to change your body composition by adding lean mass, which will ultimately increase your metabolism. 

The cool thing is, while women are usually at a genetic disadvantage (to men) when it comes to exercises such as chin-ups and the bench press, I have seen some very lean and mean women put men to shame in the squats and deadlifts… 

About 12-15 years ago, the BOSU ball entered the mainstream fitness world in a big way. While working at a big franchise gym in the city, I saw what almost seemed to be a urinating contest to see who could come up with the most creative or challenging exercises that involved the bosu ball, stability ball, or even, a combination of both. I questioned whether or not I was missing something by having clients focus on back squats, push-ups, and planks. With the creation of these unique movements also came the argument that these exercises were more “functional” than your conventional “old school” lifts. I define the term FUNCTIONAL FITNESS as training in a way that best increases your ability to perform daily tasks at work, home, and in sport. So… if we look at the movement pictured above, the term “functional" doesn’t really apply. That is, unless, you often kneel on a pillow with one knee in the air while hanging picture frames overhead. If that’s part of your daily routine, then this is the exercise for you!

If you want to change your body composition or get better at sport, loading up your compound exercises will always take the cake. If you want to be better at lifting your child overhead or carrying your groceries up the stairs to your apartment, keep your feet on the floor and do an overhead press or grab some heavy dumbbells and do a farmers walk.

When should you use the BOSU? The BOSU ball is not completely obsolete, and, to be fair, there are many other modalities that I could have “picked on” to make my point. In Summary, the BOSU certainly has a place in the world of injury rehabilitation, and EMG studies have also shown that a BOSU ball crunch recruits more rectus abdominis fibers (ab muscles) than a standard crunch. It can also help to decrease the likelihood of ankle sprains in athletes who have previously suffered a sprain. On the flip-side (get it? Like flipping over the BOSU ball on the other side, Ha!) one study actually showed that BOSU ball training decreased athletic performance in College Soccer athletes.

Squat, Deadlift, Rotate, Pull, Push, and you will get better at life!

Many people make the shift to eating Gluten- Free and/or Organic and often (perhaps not even consciously) give themselves a license to eat more food, because of the belief that it is healthier for them.

In many instances, the food may actually be healthier than what you were eating before, however, it may also be equally (if not more) dense in calories. If you start making some "super smothies" without measuring the quantities of chia, flax seed, coconut oil, acaiiiiiiieeeeeee berries, and the lot, you just might find you that your pants will start to fit a little tighter.

Also, when it pertains to making the decision to go Gluten-Free, be careful not to get caught up in the "hype". The reality is that less than 1% of the population are actually Celiac (disease which makes one intolerant to digesting gluten). Determining whether or not, you are "gluten intolerant" is a highly subjective exercise which often leads people to completely eliminate gluten from their diet when it may not actually be the culprit of their weight issues and or digestive problems. My two pieces of advice: If you want to try and eat organic and locally sourced food, go for it! Just make sure to be aware of how many calories you are putting into your body each day. Second piece of advice: Before you go on an all or nothing gluten-free diet, first try "cleaning up your diet" and cutting out a bit of crapola here and there. You might find some simple shifts like this will allow you to still eat some gluten while also still feeling and looking good!

This is the final weight loss myth in my ten part series. If you would like to be emailed a document with the top ten and other helpful tips, exercises, and videos, click on the link in my bio.

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is based off of a formula which was developed by Belgian astronomer Adolphe Quetelet in the mid to late 1800's. The major issue with this test as a measure of one's health is that it does not take into account 3 crucial elements of body composition: bone mass, fat mass, and muscle mass. You could have two people of the same age, height, and weight who score the same on the BMI while having two drastically different body compositions in terms of fat mass vs. muscle mass. 

The mesomorph body-type that's highlighted in red in the picture (big bones and big muscles) often scores as obese on the BMI when they are some of the fittest/ healthiest people on the planet. With all of the advances made in medicine, I would love to see us take a step back from the BMI and a step forward towards measuring one's body composition. A 7 point Jackson-Pollock caliper (pinch) test could be done with reasonable accuracy in 4 minutes. I know some people may think this is a bit embarrassing, but seriously, think about all the other exams that our doctor or nurse has performed on us. 

If you're curious, and if you have the resources, I'd strongly suggest getting a body-fat test done. This will give you a clearer picture of your body composition, and also, of your improvements to that composition over time. If you're in the Calgary area, drop me a line and I will pinch you!

Thanks for reading!

Kristian Leach

innerimagept@gmail.com

Get Motivated!

We’ve all run into that “rut” where we just can’t seem to get motivated to go to the gym. Before you decide to give up, or a take a prolonged break, I suggest you give one or more of the five tips below a shot. You might find that a few simple shifts in your training can help get your mind re-energized and excited to train again!

5 Tips:

1) Change your Music - Load up some new music and playlists (ie.  The Spotify app has some great "energy" and workout playlists) to keep the workout fun.

2) Change your workout program every 1-2 weeks. The simplest way to do this would be to change your rep scheme...ie. spend 1 week doing 8-12 reps per set, the next week doing 12-18 reps per set, and the next week doing 18-25 reps per set).....obviously there are SO many ways to change your routine, but changing your rep scheme week by week will have a huge impact.

3) Add 1-2 new exercises each week, but no more. You can find some great exercises online by simply googling things like "dumbell squat variations", "push-up variations", etc.

4) Journal every workout and write everything down (ie. sets, reps, weight lifted). Try to better your performance of the previous workout and circle "personal bests" in your journal.

5) Try doing some shorter metabolic workouts (High Intensity, Short Duration)

An example would be to do 3-5 rounds of the following as fast as you can for time (click on the exercise for a video demonstration)

1) DumbellGoblet Squat x10 
2) BodyweightRows x 10 
3) KettleBell Swings x 10 
4) Push-ups (or variations) x10 
5) Stability Front Plank (FWD and BACK) x 10

If you’d like to receive free weekly exercise and nutrition tips along with exercise demonstrations, click below: NEWSLETTER 

Thanks for reading!
Kristian Leach

Weight Loss Myths, Part 1

Top Ten Weight Loss Myths Part 1:

When following a weight loss plan, one can often be bombarded with seemingly contradictory advice. If you have experienced this before, then you know how frustrating it can be when trying to figure out exactly what advice to follow. Below I will discuss 5 of the more common weight loss myths that still prevail in the fitness industry today. If you’d like to be sent Part 2 of this article, click here: NEWSLETTER and enter your email address.

If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear from you, so feel free drop me a line at innerimagept@gmail.com

Thanks for reading!

Kristian Leach

We've all heard the saying "If you eat carbs in the evening you will turn into a big giant Carbo-Wolf". Actually, I just made that up, but, this whole "no carbohydrates in the evening" myth is absolute nonsense. It has lead to some people to become afraid to eat carbohydrates in the evening, without having a shred of scientific evidence to back-up that fear. If you are at a caloric deficit (you expended more calories than you consumed) at the end of the day, you will lose weight. Research has shown that if you eat a set number of carbohydrates in a day, you will not lose more body-fat if you consume the carbohydrates earlier in the day versus later in the day, versus spread out throughout the day. Carbohydrates in the evening can actually help aid sleep by elevating our serotonin (feel-good neurotransmitter). A good night’s sleep can help decrease your cortisol (stress hormone) levels, which can actually help you lose body-fat. Bottom-line: be mindful of how many grams of carbs you are consuming in a day, but don't stress over eating them in the evening!

Several recent studies have shown that fasted cardio (cardio done on an empty stomach) and non-fasted cardio done at the same intensity for the same duration of time burn a relatively equal amount of fat and calories. There is no greater “fat burning” benefit to doing fasted cardio. One study also showed that protein breakdown doubled for individuals in the fasted cardio group. This means that the fasted cardio group was more likely to experience muscle catabolism (muscle loss)… Not cool! If you do know someone who appears to have experienced successful weight loss with their fasted cardiovascular activity; their success is most likely due to a consistent diet that puts them in a caloric deficit. Bottom line: make sure to eat prior to exercising and make sure to give yourself enough time to digest the pre-exercise meal or snack.

A 2004 study conducted by the University of Vermont found that 96% of people have a Resting Metabolic Rate that falls within 200-300 calories of the calculated normal rate for their bodyweight and age. In other words, 96% percent of people have a relatively “normal” metabolism. Before one makes the argument that their metabolism is slow, they should first spend a week or more tracking their daily caloric intake using an online app such as myfitnesspal. This is a great tool that will give you some solid feedback as to whether or not you are consuming more or less calories than your body requires to maintain your current bodyweight. If you do decide to track your calories, be prepared to weigh and measure your foods each day, as eye-balling can lead to a false calorie total. This can be a bit tedious, but it’s the only way to be sure of your exact daily caloric consumption. 

Not only do they not work, they may be doing more harm than good!

* Just as a clarifying point, I am discussing the weight loss potential of detoxes, and not the potential to detoxify (that is a probably a whole other article in itself) *

Diet detoxes actually do end up resulting in a lot of short term weight loss. Even as much as 5-10 lbs over a 7-14 day period. This is not due to a miracle potion however, but simple math. If you only consume 800-1000 calories per day of lemon water, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper drinks, all while chugging down some herbal laxatives, then of course you will lose weight (most of it water weight). One could lose a similar amount of weight eating 5 regular-sized MacDonald's hamburgers (1000 calories in total) per day, while likely preserving more muscle tissue than one would doing a diet detox/cleanse. I' m certainly not suggesting you do that either!

The research has shown that people who try these rapid weight loss cleanses end up losing hard-earned muscle tissue and re-gaining even more of the weight (after the fact) than they originally lost during the cleanse. I've seen so many people go through this cycle time and time again.

So...When it comes to sustainable and healthy weight loss, slow and steady wins the race EVERY SINGLE TIME. Instead of wasting your muscle and $59.99 on a miracle detox, try spending $1.25 on a notebook and begin tracking your food intake for a little while. It sounds boring and tedious, but it works.

Try making gradual, but not drastic, improvements to your dietary intake, week-by-week. The simple act of tracking your food intake may lead you to realize you are consuming more calories than you had actually thought, or eating too much of this food, not enough of this food etc.

Resistance training based programs lead to greater short and long-term weight loss when compared to programs that focus more on longer duration (30 min. or more) steady-state cardiovascular activity.

In fact, two independent studies found that long periods of cardio actually lead to weight gain by causing participants to overeat. Thus the picture of the guy eating pizza while running

A program focused on short intense bursts of cardio (i.e. Intervals, HIIT) combined with progressive resistance training is most effective for achieving both short and long-term weight loss.

Within the resistance training program try to focus on perfecting the “bang-for-your-buck” compound exercises such as squats, deadlifts, pushes, pulls, lunges, etc.

Beyond all that fancy exercise talk, the bottom line still boils down to being mindful of your daily caloric intake (do I sound like a broken record yet?? ;) A person has to create a caloric deficit of 3500 calories to lose one pound of body-fat. If a 150lb person walked at a brisk pace (3.5 mph) on a flat surface, it would take them about 18.5 hours to lose one pound of body-fat! Pretty crazy stuff, hey?

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for Part 2!

Kristian.