Read Your Label

Read Your Label-

Learning how to correctly read a nutrition label is a critical step towards lifelong health and fitness. When you take the time to read labels on food you start to gain a better understanding of what you are putting into your body.

Now there are a wide range of pieces of information on a food label. You have total number of calories, macronutrient breakdowns including carbs, protein, and fat content. You have vitamin and mineral breakdowns. You also have the actual ingredient lists. All this information combines to give you a good idea of what you have going into your body. Depending on your fitness program this information is valuable data.

As you start, looking at labels is a conscious action. You are trying to master the content of your food. With time, you develop favorite brands and know what to expect.

Still, things can go wrong. And that's when good habits can save your bacon. I was out earlier this week shopping for ingredients for a new recipe. One of the things require was soy yogurt. Now I've been working hard on learning how to improve my cooking overall. One thing this means is I'm supposed to follow the recipe. If I don't, and then I don't like what I make I can't tell if it's a case of me not making it properly. (Which is a highly likely event) On the other hand, it could be a case of missing something that provides a key taste component. So I have to make something 3 times before I decide it's a wash.

Anyway, so back to the soy yogurt. I needed plain soy yogurt. I peruse the shelves of my local groceteria and find my faux dairy product. At twice the price of normal yogurt. Now I'm not a penny pincher, but I am trying to be conscious of my spending these days. So I start scanning the other yogurt products to see if there's a better low cost option. All I've got is regular dairy plain yogurt. Looks like it's a strike out. So I mutter and grab the soy. Now it's soy and it's plain. No brainer right? Healthy right? Out of sheer habit I flip the container around.

Calorie count is 140 calories. Which catches my attention. I know what I should be seeing for a "healthy" option and it's closer to 80-90. 140 calories is a red flag. I check fat content- 3.5 grams. That only accounts for around 30 calories. Down I scan to carbs- where my eyes catch the offender. Sitting in my plain yogurt is 12 grams of sugar.

If you are familiar with dairy yogurt you know that plain means just that. Plain. Nothing added. Especially no sugar added. Now I'm not the sugar police. Far from it. I enjoy sugar. I just want to know when I'm getting it. I prefer to spend my sugar budget on things I enjoy. Like candy corn.

Did I mention plain means just that? PLAIN. My brother used to order his cheeseburgers plain. He'd specify PLAIN. Just cheese, meat, and bun. He did this because more often than not McDonald's thought plain meant he wanted ketchup and mustard too. More than once his burger went back, or he'd dig out the mustard and ketchup parts. His kindly obligating sibling would be kind enough to eat the pickles for him. The ritual of watching him check his cheeseburger for offending condiments still produces giggles.

At this point in time, I'm channeling John. I start looking for mustard and ketchup in my yogurt. I find cornstarch, tricalcium phosphate, and natural flavors. Now again, these are not unhealthy things per say. BUT- I have this thing about my yogurt containing minimal ingredients. Ideally ones I can pronounce too. Anytime I see something saying, "natural" flavor added I'm not happy. This tells me that my product in it's original form does not taste like something I wish to eat.

So I could spend $2 on soy yogurt that was hitting my "this food lies" buttons, or go for dairy yogurt that contained- drumroll please- milk and acidophilus cultures for 80 cents.

Three guesses, and the first two don't count.

Again, I'm not anti-dairy replacement products. At this moment I have almond milk in my fridge that contains a couple interesting ingredients to keep it shelf stable. It's also got the magical "natural flavor" tag. But my almond milk made no pretense of being plain. It also doesn't have 12 grams of cane sugar sitting in it.

Get in the habit of flipping to check your label. Don't assume something is good for you. Look at it, understand what's in it, and make an informed choice. Remember, the power rests with you.

Thinking

If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.--George S. Patton

Consider this- the "average" American thinks they can't lose weight and keep it off. Are you thinking they way they are? Deep down, do you believe that it's possible to make lasting change? Are you one of the people who is truly thinking, and not just walking lockstep with "everyone"?

There's a time to walk with the crowd. Then there's a time to walk out on your own. Think for yourself. Take yourself forward. Dream big.

Learning to Be Okay

Learning to Be Okay-

As a trainer, a considerable amount of time is spent pushing people past the limits they impose on themselves. Often times the limits have been set so low, it's a challenge to help these individuals realize what they can do if they push that little bit harder. For people who have spent a lifetime doubting their skills or abilities, pushing to be extra-ordinary is hard. It's also an incredible rush. Achieving significant goals in fitness for the first time ever is an incredible achievement.

Driving for a goal is a classic example of hitting a high point. It's a singular event, and a place where you by definition can't stay for any length of time. At some point, you have to either reset that high point as your normal, or drop back a bit to a slightly more comfortable normal. You can't balance on that point indefinitely. If you try, eventually you will fall off, which usually results in some bumps and bruises as you roll down the hill.

If I had to pick a spot that trips up both experienced folks and newcomers, this would be it. Too often you hit that high point and flounder around trying to stay there. You can't. Period. It's a pointy place, it's not comfortable, and it's by definition your best effort. You can't stay there. Either your best has to redefine, or you have to downshift.

Here's the thing, at some point in time, every single one of us is going to hit a ceiling. Not a plateau, a ceiling. You will hit a point where you cannot push your performance to another place. Aging doesn't stop. Every one of us will progressively lose strength and agility. Look at professional athletes. Eventually they can't play at the same level. Eyes start to fail, they lose half a step, and the body just doesn't bounce back as rapidly. The better you get at your job, the higher you promote, the fewer slots there are to move into. So how do you deal with the fact you will eventually hit a ceiling?

You make a decision to be okay with it. Being okay with something doesn't mean settling. It means you honor just how good you are. Your average is so far beyond other folks best that it's scary. It means you've come as close to mastery in your area as is humanly possible. Embrace that, rejoice in it, and give credit where credit is due.

Your okay is bloody amazing.

Set your reminders so you know if you start sliding down the hill. You may decide that you like this pace of life. You may decide that you need a new challenge. So go find something totally different. Find something new that inspires and challenges you.

You are allowed to be okay.

The First Step

(I participated in the EAS Body for Life Challenge in 2006. As part of that process, I was keeping an online blog. I've been reviewing some of those blogs recently, and find they still hold relevance 3 years later. So periodically I'll put them up here. They are unedited, so there may be some odd references. The deeper lessons hold across the board.)

I think it's very easy for people who are successful in Body for Life to underestimate just how much strength of character it took to make the change.

Matt Whitt just made a comment this morning that struck me.

"That first step off the couch is the extremely hard, and it takes courage, and will power to take that step. Everything else is easy, even fun."

I tihnk that may be one of the most powerful and true statements I've ever seen about Body for Life. This program is about hitting your dreams. It's also very much about physical appearance. I mean let's face it guys, we all want to look like the amazing after shots we see. The health benefits are very important- but the most visible element of the program is the physique transformation. So people looking from the outside see these changes and automatically have to protect themselves.

Protect themselves? What do I mean?

Simple- they are scared to death that they "aren't good enough, strong enough, worthy enough" to get those results. When you are dealing with people who have significant emotional issues that impede their ability to make forward progress, health professionals have learned to temper their expectations. By setting lower expectations it's easier for their patients to actually hit a progress mark and keep moving forward. Now, that patient comes in with a copy of BFL and asks their doctor if they can do this, any sane self respecting doctor is going to say it's impossible/ very, very hard. Why? Because if they set the expectation for that patient that they will look like Donna Szabo in 12 weeks, if the patient does not make it, a person with this quitter oriented mindset is going to say, "this is a load of bunk and none of it works."

That's an excellent way to TOTALLY derail a person with self confidence and health issues.

So people protect themselves. They say the pictures are faked, they say it's impossible, they say you have to use steroids. It's all about self preservation. My friend Bethany is going through her second challenge, her first official one. She wants to lose her mommy tummy. While I was home, she asked me if I thought that was a reasonable goal. Because her friend who's a personal trainer said it was unreasonable to get to below 20% bodyfat.

I listened, smiled, and told her the truth. I told her getting to below 20% bodyfat is hard. It takes serious work and rock solid eating. BUT! I knew for a fact it was doable, and that she was in the right physical condition to make it to that point. Last but not least I told her that I knew of two people in the current challenge finalists who'd done it. To do it, she will have to dig incredibly deep. She nodded, said, so I can do this?"

Yes. If you want it enough, and WORK at it.

This is one of the hardest things to do. It's not just losing weight. It's TOTALLY CHANGING EVERYTHING. You are rebuilding yourself. That is not easy.

The Navy SEALS have a saying, "The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday". I find that so very true of Body for Life.

Entitlement 101

The other night at the MTV Video Awards, we were treated to a rather spectacular example of the "me me" generation. Rapper Kanye West hopped up onto the stage during Taylor Swift's acceptance speech. He took the mike from her and proceeded to say that Beyonce Knowles should have won the award. Typical Hollywood you say? Sure, until you factor in the fact that Swift is 17 and as of today it doesn't look like she was privy to the joke. Later in the evening Knowles invited Swift back on stage to finish her acceptance speech.

Today the internet is abuzz with people denouncing West, praising Knowles for being classy, and supporting Taylor. There are also a few bits going around about the lack of civil discourse. Let's be clear on something. Upstaging someone and making inappropriate comments to their face isn't about civil discourse. It's about basic manners and understanding right time and right place.

It's about entitlement. It's about the belief that it's okay to say or do whatever you want, whenever you want and bugger the consequences. This belief translates over into the world of health and fitness. Too often people seem to think they are entitled to workout on their terms, eat whatever they want, and lose weight.

Unlike society, your body is regulated by several physical laws. Including the laws of Thermodynamics. In short, calories in must equal or be less than calories out in order to lose weight or maintain weight. You can't argue out of that formula. The bottom line is that losing weight requires you to make decisions and sacrifices. You have to decide to change. You give up eating cookies and cake every day. You give up drinking have your daily calories in Starbucks coffee drinks. You give up hanging out at the bar with your friends.

You are not entitled to both unhealthy behaviors AND a healthy body. It's one or the other. Actions have consequences, good and bad. Right now you have a decision to make. Either way, there will be consequences to your action. Either way, you are responsible.

Keeping Faith

Keeping Faith

It's got to be incredibly frustrating some days to be starting Body for Life for the first time. Here you are, trying to figure out which way is up and you are surrounded by people telling you, be patient, no don't do that, yes I know it's hard, hang in there. You seem to be battling for every ounce you lose, and you know something is wrong.

Yet around you people keep saying, "have faith".

Faith is always a tricky thing. Faith by its nature requires a high degree of trust. You are being asked to put your trust in the process. It's worked for thousands, and it can work for you. You are asked to not only to put faith into the program, but to work hard. You are constantly challenged by those around you. When things don't go right, you start to question the process, the program, and even your own sanity.

Week 8 rolls around and things still aren't where you want them to be. You are really questioning things now. You feel let down, and start thinking that things won't work out.

Take a look at where you are. Right now. For maybe the first time in your life, you have really dedicated yourself to making you a priority. You are learning what it means to love YOU for the person you are. You are learning to trust yourself. The stumbles you have along the way are part of that learning process.

In the ancient Greek myths, the story of Orpheus tells the tale of a man who goes into the depths of the Underworld to negotiate with Hades for the release of his wife. He plays a beautiful song of loss and pain, and Hades is moved. He agrees to return Orpheus's wife on one condition. He may not look back until they both reach the surface.

As Orpheus makes his trek back to the surface, the doubts begin to surface. He can't hear his love behind him. Each step finds him questioning the word of Hades. As the daylight draws closer, those doubts and fears drown out the quieter voices counseling faith. He looks back- and his love slips backward into the darkness.

You will question. You will stumble. You will falter. This is life. Things aren't perfect, ever. The key is keep faith and do not look back. Always look forward.

Thoughts on the fitness industry-

Thoughts on the fitness industry-

One of the greatest challenges for those of us in the fitness profession is getting folks to actually follow the advice we give. Between years of misinformation, partially accurate information, and the medial tossing out fitness soundbites there is a ton of poor information to cull through.

This is exacerbated because "experts" forget a key point. What we know isn't common knowledge. Sure it's common for us. If you walk into a group of high end fitness folks the odds are good we will be discussing trends in functional fitness, the spiffy new pair of Vibrium Five Finger shoes someone got, and how going vegan is starting to shift into a hot trend. Talking about the basics of nutrition and exercise- why? Everyone knows that. We are so busy talking about the latest and greatest that we forget a couple important things.

People do not know how to get into shape. They don't know how to live healthy lives. They just don't. Over the past 20 years our school systems have eliminated PE and Health classes. If you don't learn at school how to eat right, where do you learn? Your parents? Well if they don't eat right, odds are good you won't. More and more, there are no models who show us what eat right and exercise really means.

So people start looking to experts. They go out and buy books. They research online. They look to the news media. The thing is, they have no background and can't separate the signal from the noise. They don't realize that the study saying working out alone won't help you lose weight isn't new. It's been out for a couple years and is common knowledge for fitness pros. All they see is "exercise doesn't help you lose weight" and they wonder "why am I doing this?" They don't see the article discussing the importance of combining your exercise with a correct diet. They miss out on the very important cardiac health benefits. They also miss out on the value of being able to actually do things. It's a good thing to be able to actually chase your kids around the playground gang.

As fitness leaders, it's vital to help cut through the noise and provide quality information to those who need it. That starts with a return to teaching basics.