The Best Exercise For Back Pain

“I can’t exercise and lose weight because of my back pain!” 

“I could exercise if my back pain would go away!”

Do you have these same excuses?  Back pain is very common and millions of people suffer with horrible back pain that limits their ability to exercise.  Lack of exercise will obviously lead to obesity and a multitude of illnesses like hypertension, diabetes, depression and many more.  Many people wonder what are the best exercises to help with back pain, or what exercises they can do safely while suffering with back pain.  After years of researching and treating thousands of patients with acute and chronic back pain I have compiled a list of the best exercises for back pain.

BEST STRETCHES FOR BACK PAIN

It is very important to stretch before and after any exercise regimen and for a back pain sufferer it is more important than the person without back pain. 

During an acute episode of back pain your muscles can become very tight and spastic.  It is very important to stretch these muscles prior to an exercise regimen so they will relax and subsequently reduce back pain.  Further, it is important to utilize modalities like heat in this phase, because heat will reduce spasm and allow a better stretch and subsequently a better effort with your exercise regimen.

If you are a chronic back pain sufferer, then your muscles can also suffer with spasms but to a lesser extent than the person with an acute episode.  Typically with chronic back pain the muscles are weak, which lead to stress on the tendons and joints, which will lead to more back pain.  Therefore, the importance of stretching is very crucial to all patients with back pain.  The pictures below reveal the 

best stretches for patients with back pain.

Upper Back Stretch

Stand with your feet at a natural stance.  Put your hands in front of you and clasp the fingers.  Then push your hands forward and you will be able to feel a stretch in your upper back across the shoulders.  Hold for 10 seconds and repeat.

Lower Back Stretch
Lie on your back and clasp your hands around your legs like the picture shows.  Then pull your knees closer to your chest to feel the stretch in your low back.  Hold for 10 seconds and repeat.

Back Hyperextension Stretch
Lie flat on the floor with your elbows close to your body.  Push your torso up and rest on your elbows.  Hold for 10 seconds and repeat.

Rotational Stretch
Lie flat on the floor with your knees bent and your arms extended to the side.  Rotate your knees to one side while maintaining your back flat on the mat.  You will feel the stretch in your back.  Hold the rotation to one side for 10 seconds and then rotate to the other side and hold for 10 seconds.

Cat Stretch
Get down on your hands and knees with your back straight.  Then curve your back upwards by pushing your spine up.  Feel the stretch and hold for 10 seconds and then lower your back down to a straight position and repeat.

BEST EXERCISE FOR BACK PAIN

After the proper stretching routine the muscles will be ready to participate in your exercise regimen.  The following regimen is what I consider to be the best exercise for back pain.

First and foremost start out with some light cardiovascular exercise for 5-10 minutes for a warm up.  I recommend walking (treadmill or outside) or an elliptical machine.  If you are walking either on a treadmill or outside try to do this on the most level surface as possible.  If there is an excessive incline or decline then that can cause extra stress on the back.  If you are doing an elliptical, then warm up on one of the lowest settings on the machine because you are looking for a warm up and not your total workout.

Once you have accomplished your warm up, then it is time for your exercises.  I recommend using lighter weights first.  Therefore, buy some lighter weight dumbbells or if you are at a gym then get the lighter dumbbells.   The following exercise routine will be a full body circuit routine.

Wall slide squats. 

Stand up against a wall with your dumbbells in hand and put your feet out in front of the wall about 12-16 inches or more depending on your height.  Slide down the wall till your legs are bent at a 90-degree angle at the knee and then slide back up the wall.  Perform about 10-12 reps of this exercise 3-4 times.

Lunges.

You can do this with or without dumbbells.  With hands on hips, or holding dumbbells at your side, take a large step forward and your body will naturally go into a squat if the step (or lunge) is large enough.  So make sure you take the biggest step you are capable of taking without causing an increase in back pain.  Take two steps forward so you have a lunge with the right leg and then the left leg.  Turn 180-degrees and take two steps back to your starting position.  Repeat the sequence about 5 times for a total of 20 lunges.  Do this 3 times total.

Swiss Ball Abdominal Exercises

Lye down on the floor and rest your calves on a Swiss ball/exercise ball with your hands on your hips.  Lift one leg off of the ball while keeping the other on the ball and this will contract your abdominals.  Then lower the leg back to the ball and raise the opposite leg.  Perform about 15-20 reps 3-4 times.

Once done with these exercises, then go back to your cardiovascular exercise as above for a 5-10 minute cool down and then repeat your stretches.

This is the best exercise routine for back pain and should be done at least 3 days per week.  Once your back pain improves and you are able to perform these stretches and exercises easily, then you can increase your weights and branch out to more exercises, as your pain will allow.   Lastly, try swimming once you improve, as swimming is a great exercise for the back and can burn a lot of calories.

For what it’s worth,

Dr. B

Check Out The Following Links For Great Exercise Routines: 

Visual Impact For Men and Visual Impact For Women 

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Men can learn to grow muscle in the right places and get that muscular Hollywood look like actors such as Taylor Lautner, Cam Gigandet, Brad Pitt, Will Smith, Dwayne Johnson (now he has slimmed down), Hugh Jackman, etc...  Hollywood Look For Men

Women can learn to tone the muscle they have and lose fat to get the Hollywood look like actresses such as Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz, etc...  Hollywood Look For Women

Your Guide To Losing The Last 5 Pounds

If you are like many people who start a workout regimen, then you know all to well about the plateau effect.  This is the main limitation in losing the last five pounds of you goal weight.  It is a cruel thing to happen because you have worked so hard and yet not able to reach your goal.  It happens to everyone at some point in their workout life, but don't be to dismayed as you can overcome this obstacle and lose the last 5 pounds.  It is a difficult road to get to the goal weight, but if you have been diligent in your efforts so far, then you can get even more focused on losing those last five pounds.

The first way to really accomplish this is to ask yourself what is so special about those last 5 pounds?  If you are a boxer or wrestler and need to make the weight then that is different than the person who is trying to lose five pounds to fit into their skinny jeans or look good at the beach.  The reason for knowing your purpose will help you realize what are the consequences of succeeding or failing.  As you can see the above scenarios are quite different and have different outcomes if they succeed or fail in their goal weight.  Therefore, you need to realize your purpose so you can get your dedication in check.

Most people fall into two categories:

         The first category is the person who has been exercising and dieting for weeks and would like to finally start losing those last five pounds to reach their goal weight. 

         The second category is the person who doesn't really exercise or diet but just needs to lose those last five pounds to fit into their clothes a little better. 


Find out which category you are in and follow the recommendations below.

Let's tackle the first category person and losing their last five pounds.  If you are in this category, then you have inevitably hit a plateau in your weight loss efforts and just are not losing those last stubborn five pounds.  The first step to accomplish this is to forget everything you have already done.  Just try to wipe it out of your mind, because if you keep focusing on what you have already done, then you will lose sight of what you have to do to move forward.  Remember your body has the beauty of adapting to all of your efforts and when it adapts to the point where your workouts and diets don't cause them to change then you have hit your plateau.  Also, if you keep focusing on the fact that you have sacrificed so much and just cannot lose those last five pounds and get too discouraged to make the changes needed.

Now that you have forgotten everything, you can start from scratch.  Weigh yourself to get your starting weight and realize that you have to give yourself a deficit of 3500 calories per week to lose a pound a week.  If you want to lose 2 pounds per week then that it is a 7000 calorie deficit for the week.  I do not recommend trying to lose more than 2 pounds per week but some will lose more than 2 pounds even if they follow this advice perfectly.

Now that you know where your caloric deficit should be, you need to pick your time frame.  If it is in a week, then you can try but you just may not accomplish the goal of losing those last 5 pounds, especially in a week.  I would give yourself at least 2-3 weeks to accomplish the goal.  If you lose it gradually by keeping your diet in check then it will not feel like dieting and will be more of a lifestyle change.  When your changes become automatic and feel normal to you then you have the recipe for weight control for the rest of your life.  You will then start losing those last five pounds rather quickly.

Dietary changes are just a matter of tracking calories in and calories out.  Try to keep track of your daily caloric intake for a few days to get a ballpark idea of how many calories you are actually consuming.  Then you will have an idea of how many calories per week you are eating that maintains your weight at your current state.  Once you have this number just look at the formula above to calculate your caloric need to lose the 1-2 pounds per week.

One of the easiest ways to cut some calories is to cut out all simple sugars.  As a matter of fact, I really recommend cutting out all carbohydrates at this point and eat mainly vegetables and lean proteins.  I would not even recommend steaks as there is slightly more fat in them compared to lean chicken, fish and turkey.  by eating only vegetables and lean protein you are limiting your carbohydrates and your body will  burn the remaining fat on your body for the energy and you will begin losing weight.  Just measure your amounts of food and stick to tracking your calories within your limits above.  Don't forget that you may retain water given your sodium intake so be aware of that little factor because water has weight and can keep you from your final number.  Remember to eat smaller meals every 3-4 hours instead of 2-3 large meals per day as this will keep the metabolism elevated.

Now on to the exercise regimen.  If you are already exercising then the easiest thing to do is change your exercise regimen completely.  By changing your exercise regimen your body will be forced to adapt, which will make it work harder and burn more calories.  For instance, one week do nothing but cardio and mix the cardio activity from either long sustained cardio like a run to short burst cardio like sprinting.  Listen to your body but try and do at least 3-5 days per week of exercise at this point.  Then the next week do nothing but lift weights with either heavy weights and low reps or lighter weights and higher reps.  Keep your body guessing and before you know it losing weight will be inevitable.


If you fall into the second category, which is the person who doesn't exercise or diet and just wants to lose five pounds.  This scenario is a little easier, because when you are starting an exercise regimen you can lose weight quickly, because just a slight change in diet or activity will give you the caloric reduction to accomplish weight loss.  The program for this person is relatively easier than the above regimen.  Just follow the instructions below.

First of all make a slight change in your diet that will pay off quickly.  Cut out sugar!  That's it, just cut out sugar like in your coffee or tea.  Then cut back on simple carbohydrates.  Simple carbohydrates are things such as pasta, potatoes, rice and white bread.  If you are going to eat carbohydrates then eat complex carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, whole wheat pasta, wild rice and wheat bread.  Whole wheat food takes the body longer to break down and you will burn calories to just digest this food.  It will also make you fuller quicker so you will consume less food and be able to stick to correct portions.  In addition, eat lots of green vegetables and lean meats as they too will take the body longer to break down and also keep you fuller longer.  Stick to correct portion sizes and try to eat small meals every 3-4 hours instead of 2 or 3 large meals per day.

In regards to the exercise regimen, just do something.  Kind of simple for this person.  That's right, just get off the couch and do something.  Go for a walk, run, play tennis, golf, hiking, etc...  Just do something that will burn a few calories as this will help decrease your total caloric intake for the day.  Losing calories equals losing weight.  Keep track of your calories in and calories out and remember that a 3500 calorie deficit is a pound of weight loss.

In conclusion, just remember to find out why you want and/or need to lose those last five pounds.  This will keep your dedication in check.  Start tracking the calories you eat now so you now how many you will have to decrease to get to the magic 3500 calorie number.  Make the dietary changes and the exercise changes as outlined above and you will lose the last five pounds quickly.

Try your best and both men and women will lose those last five pounds quickly.


For what it's worth,
Dr. B 

The Best Upper Arm Exercises

Throughout the centuries men have always wanted huge arms to impress people and women have always wanted lean and toned arms without the flab.  Everyone seems to struggle with this at one time or another in their workout life.  It should not be that difficult but there is more to it than just lifting weights for upper arm exercises.  So here is my take on this concept and what every man and woman can do to help themselves achieve their best looking arms.  The concept is a two step approach which consists of exercises and diet management.
Well I believe the first thing you need to accomplish is the actual arm exercise routine, but your goals will dictate your workout.  The two obvious goals are to either get huge defined arms or lean and toned arms.  The approach is vastly different and below is a typical workout regimen to help for either goal.

UPPER ARM EXERCISES TO GET LEAN AND TONED ARMS: 

If you have flabby arms with a lot of fat and skin then the workouts you need to accomplish are two-fold.  The first part of your exercise regimen will have to start with a cardiovascular routine.  I recommend a routine that is a high intensity interval training.  For example, if you are working out on the elliptical then try to adjust your intensity every 2-3 minutes from a low to high level or a high to low level.  This will allow your body to keep guessing which way you are going with the intervals and then it has to work harder to get the workout done.  Burning off the fat will enhance your upper arm exercises and their outcome.  Further, you should adjust your cardio from one exercise to another, such as a elliptical to treadmill to biking, etc...

Next, you need to workout the muscles of the upper arm to get the results you desire.  The above cardiovascular routine will help burn fat off the arms and then the weight exercises will increase the strength and size of the arms.  This result will lead to lean and toned arms with less flab and more definition.

The upper arm exercises I recommend to begin with are as follows:

BICEP EXERCISES:
This is the muscle on the top of the upper arm.

Each exercise is for 10-12 reps per set for 3 sets.  However, the Three Part Bicep Curl, which is 18-24 reps for 3 sets.

1. Alternating Dumbbell Supination Curls.  Begin with a dumbbell weight you can handle and hold it with your palms facing behind you.  As you curl the weight up rotate your arm to where your palms are facing you.  Pause at the top and give an extra squeeze with the bicep.  Then slowly lower the weight back to where your palms are facing behind you and repeat.  You can curl each dumbbell at the same time or alternate arms, it's your choice.

2. Isolated Dumbbell Curls.  If you have a weight lifting bench then put it at an incline and take a weight you can handle effectively.  Bring yourself to the top of the inclined weight bench and stick the top of the weight bench in your arm pit.  You may have to bring a stool to the weight bench so you can sit on the stool with your arm over the weight bench.  This will allow your arm to lower onto the weight bench fully.  Then without taking your upper arm off of the bench, curl the weight up and as noted above give an extra squeeze and pause at the top of the curl then slowly lower the weight and repeat.

3. Three Part Bicep Curl.  Begin with a lighter weight than what you would normally use.  Have the dumbbells at your side with the palms facing outward.  Curl the weight up halfway and then lower it back to the starting position at least 6-8 times.  Then start with the weight halfway curled up with your hands sticking out in front of you.  Now curl up from the halfway starting position up to the top and then lower back only to the halfway point and repeat at least 6-8 times.  Finally you can then curl from the bottom to the top 6-8 times for a total of 18-24 reps.

TRICEP EXERCISES:
This is the muscle at the back of the upper arm.

Each exercise is for 10-12 reps per set & perform 3 sets per exercise.

1.  Closed Grip Bench Press.  For this exercise you start with either dumbbells or a barbell with the proper amount of weight for you to use.  Keep your hands as close to each other as possible and perform a bench press workout emphasizing on the tricep extension.

2.  Tricep Extensions with Dumbbells.  For this exercise start in a bent over position and pick a weight that you can handle.  Keep your arm from shoulder to elbow locked in against your side and then bend your elbow towards your head and then extend to a full position.

3.  Overhead Extensions.  For this exercise pick a weight that you can handle.  In a standing position raise the dumbbell overhead with your arm completely extended.  Then bend at the elbow and lower the weight behind your head and then extend it back up to the starting position.

Perform the above exercise routine at least twice per week mixed in with the cardio routine.

Now for the next workout, which is to obtain the goal of getting huge arms.  This workout is typically for the man who wants larger muscles in the upper arms.  This is a a size and mass gaining routine.

UPPER ARM EXERCISES TO GET HUGE ARMS:

For these exercises you should perform 5 sets in a stepwise fashion of starting with lighter weights and progressing to heavier weights.  Each set will work the arms muscle fibers differently to gain size, strength and mass.

BICEP EXERCISES:

1. Barbell or Dumbbell Curls. 

2. Alternating Dumbbell Supination Curls

3. Preacher Dumbbell or Barbell Curls

4. Hammer Curls.  Pick your weight and hold the dumbbell in your hand so your arm from elbow to dumbbell looks like a hammer.  Your fist should be knuckles to the outside and fingers to the inside.

TRICEP EXERCISES:

1. Closed Grip Bench Press

2. Bent over Tricep Extensions

3. Overhead Tricep Extensions

4. Lying Down Tricep Extnesions.  Lay down on a bench and hold the dumbbells straight up to the ceiling.  Then lower them to your forehead and then extend at the elbows to a full extension for one rep.

The most important part of this workout is to drink or eat a light snack about an hour before the workout with fast acting carbohydrates.  This will allow the energy you need to finish the exercises.

Once your workout is over you need to drink a post-workout protein shake with protein and carbohydrates.  This will give the muscles the nutrients they need to grow. 

Further, don't forget to rest as your upper arm muscles will grow when you rest.


DIETARY MANAGEMENT:

You should have a healthy diet with lean meats, vegetables and complex carbohydrates.  Look at portion sizes as they should be the size of your fist or palm of your hand.  You should eat at least every 3 hours to keep your metabolism elevated to help with burning fat calories.  Your intake of protein is the most crucial as you should consume at least 1gram of protein per pound of body weight.  The rest of your caloric intake should mainly be with green vegetables and complex carbohydrates. 

This should be a good start for your upper arm exercises to either help with getting lean and toned or huge upper arms that most men desire to carry around town.  There is a dietary start, a cardio exercise routine and the most important a weight exercise routine.  Start today and get the upper arms you want.

For what it's worth,

Dr. B.

For more information on diet and exercise that can lead to great results check out the Visual Impact For Men program or Visual Impact For Women

The Best Way To Increase Muscle And Lose Fat - Part Two

There are many people who want to increase muscle and lose fat.  Sometimes it is located on your waist and other times it is located on your thighs.  Sometimes it is just everywhere.  This article is the second article in the series on increasing muscle and losing fat.  The first article dealt with the dietary aspects of this goal and this article will focus on the workout aspect of achieving fat loss and increasing muscle.  There also is a psychological component to this and we may actually even do a third article on this depending on the response.  So let's get to it...

There are a number of different approaches to a workout.  Should you do mainly cardiovascular training?  Should you do mainly weight lifting?  Should you do a combination of the two and what is the right ratio?  What about heart rate?  What about finding the time to do the workout and what is the best time to do your workout?  Many questions with many different answers.  The first thing you should do is get an accurate account of how much fat you have to lose and how much muscle you wish to gain.  Therefore, weigh yourself but more importantly get some body weight calipers and measure how much fat and muscle you have on your body.

What type of workout will be the first question we will answer as that will open up all of the avenues of workouts.  If you are trying to lose fat and gain muscle, then your workout should incorporate some cardio and weight lifting.  How much to do depends on a lot of factors.  Are you typically a "big boned" person, or someone who is really overweight?  If so then you may want to rely a little more on cardio and also have your weight lifting to be done in a circuit fashion to tone muscle but also keep your heart rate up enough to get a cardio benefit.

An example of this workout would be to do at least 3 days per week of dedicated cardiovascular training for 30 minutes in duration.  The intensity of the workout should be in an interval fashion.  This means that every 2-3 minute intervals the intensity should change from either high to low or low to high.  I am a believer to keep this changing with every workout and to not always increase the same amount at the same time as your body will adapt quickly.  For example, don't always start on level 5 and increase by 3 levels every 3 minutes and then decrease by the same 3 intervals every 3 minutes.  Keep it fresh and change it often by as many intervals as you like, just keep it on an interval basis.  Your heart rate will adjust to the proper range with the intensity changes.  Every now and then you can put in a long range cardio like biking or running a few miles.  This will not be on an interval basis but it will trick your body and keep you from getting bored or used to the same workout over and over.

Furthermore, your weight lifting should be on a circuit course.  For example weight lift 3 days per week and perform a full body circuit workout to hit all of the major muscle groups.  Here is an example:

Chest Press or  Push Ups

Dumbell Rowe or Pull Ups

Shoulder Press

Bicep Curls

Tricep Extensions

Dumbell Squats

Calf Raises

I recommend doing all of the exercises back to back without rest and with a weight to perform between 10-12 reps with each exercise.  After going through the circuit give yourself a 3 minute rest and drink water.  Then repeat the circuit 2 more times.  Then you are done.  Don't forget to increase your intensity with each workout session.  Further, don't forget to increase your weights if you need to do that to increase your intensity.

If you are not an overly obese or big boned person but need to lose about 10-20 pounds, then you can do the above workout or here is another workout that may fit your needs a little more.

I would perform the cardiovascular workout as noted above and of course keep it fresh and keep it at 3 days per week.

As far as the weight lifting portion goes you need to ask yourself how much muscle do you want to gain and how much fat is there for you to lose.  You will get this answer from the initial recommendation of learning your percent body fat and percent of muscle.  You should lift three days per week alternating with the cardio days.  If you want to increase your muscle content significantly then you need to learn to lift with heavier weights with low reps mixed with lighter weights and more reps.  Increase intensity with every workout by increasing weights or changing the exercises slightly.

An example:

Week 1-2.  Lighter weights with higher reps

Day One- Push days-Each exercise should be 3-5 sets with 10-12 reps with each set.

Chest Press

Tricep Extensions

Shoulder Flyes

Day Two-Pull Days- Each exercise should be 3-5 sets with 10-12 reps with each set.

Bentover Barbell Rowes

Bicep Curls

Shoulder Shrugs

Day Three- Legs-Each exercise should be 3-5 sets with 10-12 reps with each set.

Squats

Leg Extensions

Leg Curls

Calf Raises

Week 3-4.  Heavier weights with lower reps

I would do the same exercises but now increase the weight where you can only do 3-5 reps with each set and then do 3 sets with each exercise.

After the 4th week I would alternate lighter weight one week with heavier weights the next week.  Also, at this time, you can change the exercises (substitute chest flyes for chest press) to find a different exercise that will work the same muscle group.  Both changes will help the burn to lose fat and by increasing the intensity and increasing the weights frequently your body will have to adapt and make changes and that will lead to more fat loss. 

Finally, monitor your dietary intake of protein and carbohydrates (look at part one of the article series). You will always need to drink a post workout protein shake so your muscles can take up the protein quickly after a workout and begin the repair process. Don't forget to keep a log of your workouts and weights so you know how to adjust your workouts each week.  This will allow you to see your progress on paper.  Use your calipers to monitor your fat loss and muscle increase.  Get your rest and eat proper food for adequate muscle repair.

The first article dealt with the dietary aspect to increase muscle and lose fat and now you have the beginning workout plan for people of different fitness levels to help you lose fat from your thighs or anywhere else you desire.  It will also kick start your increase in muscle.  Put it use and start changing your life for the better today.

For what it's worth,

Dr. B

For more information on this workout and other workouts you can check out Visual Impact to help with your efforts and achieve the Hollywood Look most people desire.

The Best Way To Increase Muscle and Lose Fat - Part One

If you are like many of us, then you must also struggle with either losing fat, gaining muscle, or a little bit of both.  There are a number of reasons why you are struggling with this and hopefully this article will give you a starting point to help you understand this and achieve your fitness goals.  The problem can be divided into three different reasons: Diet, Workout and your Psychological outlook on your goals.  This is the first article on this topic and it will deal mainly with the dietary aspects of gaining muscle and losing fat.  The next few posts will deal with the workout and the psychological aspects of gaining muscle and losing fat.

There are a number of different thoughts about diets for weight loss.  Just look at all of the fad diets on the market.  Some of these diets have some sound nutrition and dietary principles and others are just crazy.  You have to figure out which diet is good and which is bad. 
A good diet is very obvious, one that is full of fruits and vegetables, lean meat and complex carbohydrates.  To gain or retain the muscle you desire your diet has to be at its optimum and you need to have adequate protein intake.  I must specify lean protein.  You could eat a lot of fatty beef, but the fat will just do harm to the arteries and blood pressure however, it's good to have a nice steak when your desires are high.  I would choose sirloin cuts or tenderloin cuts as those seem to be the best lean protein in regards to steaks.  However, I am a firm believer that you need to alternate your sources of proteins with fish, chicken, turkey, etc...  You can even go exotic and try buffalo or ostrich, both of these are great protein sources with very little fat.

As far as fruits and vegetables, you must just eat as many of the green leafy vegetables as you can as that will help the digestive system especially with the increase in protein.  They will definitely help your digestive system stay regular.  Furthermore, the nutrients in the fruits and vegetables are beneficial to all aspects of cellular life and some experts believe they can help with cancer prevention.  Therefore, try to eat a fruit or vegetable with just about every meal. 

Carbohydrates are a tough issue with many people.  There are so many choices with carbohydrates that anyone can get confused rather quickly and suffer with carbohydrate overload.  So let's breakdown the carbohydrates into their two forms.  Simple carbohydrates and Complex carbohydrates.  Simple carbohydrates are basically simple sugars.  This is the typical white sugar at the dinner table and is needed for quick energy for the body.  The problem with simple sugars is that they are easily digestible and if you do not use them rather quickly by burning calories they get stored rather quickly in the body.  These sugars are not desirable unless you are going to consume them right before a workout.  In that scenario they will be used quickly for fuel and therefore allow a better workout because of the boost in energy.  Checkout Gatorade and you can see why it is an energy drink for athletes during a game or with exercise.  However, it should not be a post-workout drink, because you do not need the energy after the exercise but before the exercise or during the exercise.  Sugar is also in a lot of processed foods for flavor and in baking for the sweetness.  As you may notice, diets high in processed food and high in sweets will tend to lead to a lot of weight gain.  This is true because the calories you would be consuming would need to be used up quickly or stored as fat.  Since you cannot readily exercise all day long while you are consuming this type of carbohydrate it will be stored for later, typically as fat.  These carbohydrates are sugar, white bread, white rice, white pasta, etc...

Complex carbohydrates are the most recommended carbohydrates for weight loss and workouts because your body actually BURNS CALORIES to digest these carbohydrates.  These are not simple carbohydrates and therefore are complex and have to be broken down into simple sugars for energy.  As you may have deduced if you take a complex carbohydrate and slowly digest it over time and therefore slowly release the simple sugar in your body, then you will utilize the broken down simple sugaar over time and lead to a steady release of energy for use and reduce the likelihood of storing sugar and subsequently fat.  Also, that slow release of energy will keep your energy levels at a steady rate and decrease the incidence of burnout throughout the day.  These carbohydrates are the typical non-white carbohydrates such as whole wheat bread, sweet potatoes, brown rice, etc...

Finally, everyone has to put these dietary tips to work for them in their own way.  Your body makeup and how you utilize food is different from the next person and therefore everyone has to individualize their diet to utilize the right amount of protein, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables to achieve their weight loss goals.  Some people are carbohydrate sensitive and store a lot of weight with very little carbohydrates, while others can eat a lot of carbohydrates and it doesn't ever seem to impact their waistline.  I recommend to consume about 0.5 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight with as many vegetables as you can stand.  In regards to fruit and carbohydrates, this is mainly individualized due to the sensitivity factor of your body.  Experiment with these to find the right breakdown for your goals.  Keep in mind that fruit has a significant amount of simple sugars in them as that is what makes them sweet and therefore are categorized as simple sugars.

There you have it the first part in the series on the best way to increase muscle and lose fat.  Keep checking back for the next part in the series.

For what it's worth,
Dr. B

Interview About ABS!

I found this interview and thought it would help some of us on our quest for the perfect six pack of abs.  I hope you like the information.

If you're interested in discovering some areas where you may be going wrong in your abs training and your attempts at losing stomach fat, I have an interview for you below that you'll want to read.
In it, Men's Health Magazine writer Craig Ballantyne, grills Abs-Expert Mike Geary, author of the internationally popular book, The Truth about Six Pack Abs, on the topic of abs training and the biggest myths and mistakes he sees in this field.
Also, be sure to check out Mike's site at:
Truth About Abs
Here's a copy of the first half of the interview below. In this part of the interview today, we'll just deal with training aspects.
In a couple days, I'll send out the rest of the interview, which Craig and Mike covered the nutrition aspects we need to consider to lose stomach fat and get those hidden abs to show. Enjoy!


CB: Okay Mike, so where does the average man or woman go wrong when it comes to training abs?
MG: Most people are probably going to be surprised with this answer. In their quest for 'six pack abs', the biggest mistake I see people making is wasting WAY too much of their time training their abs directly... pumping away with all kinds of different abs-specific exercises.
I'm sure you know what I'm referring to. The person is trying so hard to get those abs to show, that they're spending almost all of their time in the gym with hundreds of reps of various crunches, leg raises, twisting exercises, etc. Meanwhile, all of that wasted time directly training the abs could have been better spent on a properly designed full body workout program that would elicit a much better metabolic response and increase the fat-burning hormone levels in their body as well.
After all, losing the stomach fat that is covering the abs is the MOST important aspect for most people to finally be able to make their abs visible. Unfortunately, pumping away with hundreds of crunches and leg raises does NOT cause much of a metabolic or fat burning hormonal response.
This is the main focus of my Truth about Six Pack Abs book... full body training programs and proper nutrition to strip off that stubborn belly fat and reveal the six pack that's hiding underneath!
Of course it wouldn't be an abs book if I didn't focus on ab development too, but I make sure firstly that the most important concepts for lasting body fat reduction are understood.

CB: Do you see any gender differences in mistakes they make? And more importantly, do you see any gender differences in the response to various types of ab training?
MG: To be honest, I don't really see any need for men or women to train differently. Bottom line... the best exercises are the best exercises regardless of gender.
However, in regards to mistakes I see between genders... Yes, I tend to see women more often are deathly afraid to use weight training with anything but really light weights. That is a shame, because THE most effective way to gain control over your body fat for life, is to maximize your lean muscle that your body carries, as well as working that muscle hard through intense resistance exercise regularly.
It's important for women to realize that regular strength training using heavier resistance will NOT "bulk them up" (as long as caloric intake is controlled), but rather is one of the key secrets for losing body fat and staying lean year-round. As a matter of fact, some of the leanest females that I've trained over the years are the ones that aren't afraid to work hard with the weights.
I also notice that most women (and a lot of guys too) spend way too much time with slow cardio exercise. This is simply not necessary, and the way I combine high intensity resistance training into full body routines provides enough of a "cardio" workout in itself usually. We'll get back to this in a minute though.

CB: What about ol' school sit-ups? Do you use these? Are they good, bad, or does it "depend"?
MG: Sit-ups are a controversial topic. I don't think they're good or bad per se, but rather "in between". I didn't include them in my program. I simply don't feel they are necessary, and I think there are much more effective abs exercises to focus on. Personally, I almost never do sit-ups except occasionally for a little variety every now and then.

CB: Give us a weekly sample ab training program. How many days per week? What are a couple of the best exercises you'd pick? How many sets? Reps? Rest?
MG: Well, first I'd like to point out that the full body movements that make up the majority of my programs indirectly work the abs and the entire "core" area to a fairly decent extent. However, I do include abs-specific exercises into the routines generally about twice per week. The "abs-specific" portion of the workouts generally only take about 5 minutes at most with very little rest between exercises.
Once people are past the beginning phase of gaining some initial ab strength, I try to get them away from the exercises that are too easy, where someone can do 50 or 100 reps, as is frequently common with standard crunches. Instead, I like to focus on higher resistance exercises that actually stimulate the muscle fibers to a much greater degree.
One example of a higher resistance abs exercise is hanging leg raises with a proper "pelvic curl up". It's funny but usually someone that has been wasting so much time with hundreds of reps of crunches can usually only do a few solid reps when they first attempt some of these higher resistance exercises.
We also make sure not to neglect some rotational movements, as well as some work for the deeper muscles like the transversus abdominis.

CB: What do you use for burning fat, intervals or slow cardio? Or both? Any gender differences here? Or differences between fitness levels (beginner vs. advanced)?
MG: In most cases, my answer is definitely intervals... or as I like to call it "variable intensity training". In general, I think slow steady pace cardio is a waste of time, especially if the goal is lasting fat loss.
I think people need to get away from this thinking about "fat burning zones" and calories burned during the actual workout, and look at the bigger picture of what you're doing in your workout to stimulate the greatest metabolic response in your body... and the best metabolic and hormonal response is achieved through variable intensity training and strength training, not slow steady-pace cardio.
Now I will say that if someone is really deconditioned and can't handle higher intensity exercise routines just yet, this still doesn't mean that they can't simply use lower intensity routines, but still use it in a "variable intensity" fashion, by alternating between higher and lower exertion levels throughout the workout.
That wraps up our training portion of the interview. For more info about whether the Truth about Six Pack Abs Program is right for you, be sure to check out the following site:
Truth About ABS

Sincerely,
Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
PS - feel free to forward this email to any friends or family that you think would enjoy these training tips.

Weight Loss For Women

" I need to lose 10 pounds!"

"I would like to look great in my bathing suit this year!"

"If only I could fit into my skinny jeans and clothes"

Does this sound familiar?  This is the typical thing I hear throughout the day.  However, the above statements are goals and not really plans on how to accomplish those goals.  The plan to accomplish these goals are the typical sticking points in everyone's diets.  I see this with women and their diets more often than men because they want to lose the weight but not gain any muscle.  Most are afraid of getting big muscles and not looking feminine.  So, let's get to the bottom of this and try to put a plan together that everyone can follow, especially the woman trying to lose those 10 pounds.

First thing to change is always the diet.  The diet is the main building block of any fitness or health related changes.  Everything you eat has consequences to your health, fitness level and look.  Before beginning with a diet change try to take a look back on your diet and figure out what you are eating throughout the day.  Is it processed?  Is it mainly sugar?  How much protein are you eating?  How many vegetables?
Once you can see where you started from, then you can realize what simple things you can change that will make a big difference.  For example, you have to try and limit the amount of simple sugars and simple carbohydrates in your diet.  Simple sugars are obvious, as they are the sugar in drinks and anything you eat that is full of sugar.  By doing this one simple tip, most people will drop a few pounds quickly.  Try to use alternatives like Stevia or Splenda, but if they don't taste the same then try and do without if you can.  Furthermore, try to increase your protein intake as that will be the building block of muscle and you will burn calories to digest the protein.  Protein also makes you fuller quicker so you typically eat less at that meal.  Eat every three hours or so because that will keep your metabolism elevated.  I am not suggesting eating a huge meal every three hours, but a small meal composed of protein and either vegetables or a small complex carbohydrate (such as sweet potatoes, brown rice, etc..).  Serving size should be simple as it should be the size of your fist or the palm of your hand.  Simple enough?

Workouts.  Try to have a mix of cardiovascular exercise and weight training.  Yes, I said weight training as all quality weight loss programs has a form of weight training.  Women should not worry about getting huge muscles, because it is not in their genetics.  It is extremely hard for women to pack on enough muscle to make them look like a bodybuilder.  Even the women bodybuilders typically have to take supplements to get the huge muscular results that you see.

The weight training workout should fluctuate between low reps with heavier weights and high reps with lower reps.  This will allow proper stimulation of the muscle to allow strength and growth.  By exercising the muscle through weight training you build a more efficient muscle that will burn more calories throughout the day.  Furthermore, lifting weights will also provide a cardiovascular workout provided it is done in a circuit training fashion with little rest breaks between sets.  Just keep the workouts enjoyable and fresh so you don't get too bored.

The cardiovascular workout should be hard enough to build up a sweat and should be at least 30 minutes in length.  I do not recommend doing cardio while watching a movie or TV as most people slow down their pace so they can pay attention to the television.  If that is the only way of getting your cardio in to where it is enjoyable then watch the television.  It is more important to do something then not do anything at all.  Just try and keep up the pace to burn more calories.

The frequency of your workouts should be at least two days per week of weight lifting.  One day with upper body and another day for the lower body.  Instead of the upper and lower body days you can do a full body circuit training workout twice per week for your weight lifting workout. In regards to your cardio training 2-3 days per week is appropriate.  Just remember to keep all of your workouts fresh and entertaining.  Try different workout programs and regimens to keep it new and exciting.


Finally, just follow the three simple steps above (diet, weights and cardio) and you will start to drop 1-2 pounds per week.  This will happen rather quickly once you start and 1-2 pounds per week is the recommended healthiest weight loss. 

For what it's worth,
Dr. B

Typical Workout For Weight Loss

I get asked this on forums and in person all the time.  What is the best workout to start a new exercise regimen?  How much cardio?  How much weight lifting?  Well here is the best scenario that I can give you to jump start your workout efforts.

I believe that the first thing you need to work on is your diet.  I will get to the workouts, but if your diet is horrible, then your workout efforts are useless.  If you do not eat the right foods at the right time,  then your recovery from your workouts will lag behind and your weight loss efforts will suffer also.  You need adequate protein intake throughout the day, especially after a workout.  Also, you need the right kind of carbohydrates at the right time.  Check out the many articles written on this topic at HealthyWeightLossASAP.

Cardiovascular Training.  I believe that this should be done formally 2-3 days per week and then throughout the week with general outside activities, like playing with kids, tennis, golf, etc...  Furthermore, I recommend you do it either first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, or right after a weight lifting workout.  By doing it in the morning you don't have many calories in your system and therefore you will utilize the fat on your body for the energy needed for the exercise.  If you do your cardiovascular after your weight workout, then it will lead to the same outcome as above, because most of the calories in your system will be used for the effort of your weight workout and then you will utilize the fat on your body for your fat burning cardio efforts.

Weight lifting is a different story.  When you are doing weight training it is always a benefit to warm up with some light cardio to get the body ready for the workout.  It is also recommended to stretch prior to and after lifting to get your muscles ready for the workout.  When you start your weight lifting efforts for the first time, I recommend doing 3 days per week of weights with a day of cardio between each weight lifting day.  Two of those days should be upper body and then one day of lower body.  Then the next week you need to increase lower body to two days per week and upper body one day per week.  Then alternate weeks so the upper and lower body get the same amount of time working out.  In regards to the amount of weight and number of reps I like to recommend alternating between low reps and heavy weights with high reps and lighter reps.  By alternating between these two types of workouts your muscles will continuously adapt to accomplish the workout.  The heavier weight workout will increase strength and fiber size and the lighter weight with higher reps will increase the volume of muscle cells and lead to bigger muscles while trimming fat from the body.  Don't forget that weight lifting burns calories also and can lead to fat loss also.

Finally, before your weight workout it is good to eat a small amount of carbs or drink an energy drink to get you the energy you need for your workout.  Prior to cardio it is recommended not to eat anything so you can burn the fat on your body for energy.  After your workout, you need to drink a recovery drink with lots of protein and some carbohydrates.  This will replenish your carb stores in your muscle and the protein will give the body the right building blocks for your muscles to grow.  Keep track of your efforts by utilizing a journal and then check the journal with each workout and increase or decrease your weights to allow continuous muscle stimulation so it has to adapt to grow.  Remember to get your rest as your muscles grow when you rest and sleep.  Stick to it daily and take it one day at a time.

For what it's worth,
Dr. B

Lose Body Fat The Right Way

Have you ever just wanted to lose body fat?  I mean real body fat and not lose the muscle that you have been fortunate to pack on with your previous workouts?  Well, let me explain how you can lose fat the right way and not lose muscle mass. 

First thing is you have to make an accurate assessment of how overweight you are.  There are many different ways you can do this, but there are many bad ways also.  The first thing you should do is throw away the scale.  The scale gives you a number that really doesn't tell you too much in regards to your overall health.  It can be distorted depending on whether or not you are starving yourself or if you are bloated or constipated.  It does not give you the accurate number you need to begin your true fat loss.  I recommend going to the store and buying a nice set of body fat calipers.  When you buy the calipers they will come with a guide on how to use them and a chart to give yourself an accurate measure of your body fat.  There are newer scales on the market that will not only weigh you, but also use impedance to get a number for your body fat percentage.  They are fairly accurate, but the best way in my opinion are the calipers.  Go out and get yours when you are serious about your weight loss.

Second thing is you have to figure out your caloric needs.  Your caloric needs will be dependent on whether or not you exercised for the day.  It also depends on your daily activity; are you sitting, standing or walking throughout the day.  Your activity level will dictate how many calories you need to maintain your body weight.  For example, if you weigh 200 pounds and your activity throughout the day is mainly sedentary, then your calories will be different for the person who weighs 180 pounds with an active lifestyle.  Therefore, you need an accurate assessment of your body fat percentage and more importantly you need to have an honest assessment of where your activity level throughout the day.  

Third, you need to figure out your exercise regimen and make your diet regimen coincide with your exercise program.  Therefore, you will provide the muscles the right nutrients at the right time to build muscle and limit breakdown.  By eating the right foods at the right time will ignite your metabolism and muscle growth.  For instance, if you are weight lifting you want to consume a nice protein shake after your workout that contains carbohydrates and protein.  If you are on a cardiovascular day, then you typically want to wait at least an hour after your workout before eating.  This will allow your body to burn fat instead of calories that you recently consumed.

Finally, you need to put all three things together to accomplish your weight loss goals.  You need to get an accurate assessment of where you are today and where you want to be in the future.  Then, you need to set goals and customize your workouts, diet and activity level to work together so you can achieve your goals in a rather quick fashion. 

I hope this helps your efforts!

For what it's worth,
Dr. B

Eating To Lose Weight

It is interesting to me that so many people go on diets and then just starve themselves into oblivion.  Once they have starved themselves significantly they then end up getting sick of their diet and then quit the diet rather quickly.  Once they hate their diet then the wheels are set in motion to quit.  Furthermore, by starving themselves they will lose muscle mass, which is the furnace they need to burn calories.  So now you may ask how does eating throughout the day help you lose weight?  Let me explain...

The method for this is really simple and can be broken down into three key components.  Now there are really more than three components, but for beginners sake these three areas will carry you through any weight loss you are trying to achieve.

1.) Doing the right workouts.  It is true, you have to realize that the kind of workouts you do make a difference.  The basic philosophy is that you need to train your muscles to grow and burn calories to lose fat.  You really need to make sure you do 2-3 sessions per week of cardio for fat burning.  Also, you need to realize that you need at least one full body weightlifting workout per week.  You can divide this up however you want to adjust to your workout schedule, but remember to lift all body parts with equal time.  In other words, don't always do two days a week of upper body and one day per week of lower body.  You can vary the reps and the weights to achieve different results.

2.) Eating the right foods.  This is very important.  Remember the term "empty calories".  Empty calories do not apply to the basis of this article.  You cannot eat empty calories all day long and expect to lose weight.  Empty calories are processed foods with NO nutritional value.  Typically it is potato chips and snack foods that are not nutritious.  Empty calories also come in beverages and these are typically sodas and other drinks that have sugar calories and provide no real nutritional value.  You need to eat a lot of vegetables and lean meats or proteins if you are a vegetarian.  You want to keep the carbohydrates that come from sugars to a minimum and you want to eat complex carbohydrates like sweet potatoes and whole wheat breads.   Try to eliminate all sugar and all white carbohydrates.

3.) Eating the right foods at the right time.  This is another important part of the equation.  You need to try and eat a lean protein and a small carbohydrate or vegetable at least every three hours or so.  This will keep your body burning the calories you consume to rebuild the muscle that you worked in your workouts.  By doing this your body burns calories to digest the food and then burns calories to repair the muscle.  Thereby two different avenues for fat burning and weight loss.

Finally, you can now see how a proper plan with your workouts, your diet and the timing of your diet can lead to a lean fat burning machine.  Once your metabolism increases then you just keep up the routine until you drop the desired weight you are hoping to lose.  Of course you may need to tweak it a little here and there to keep the workouts and diet new and fresh.

For what it's worth,
Dr. B

Resting For Fat Loss?

Do you have friends that seem to have a great figure ALL the time? You are around them all the time and know they only workout 3-4 days per week but have more muscle and less fat than everyone else. There are explanations and solutions for this so don't get discouraged that it will never happen to you, because we can change it one pound at a time.

First of all, there is a genetic thing that can play a role. That's right your genetic content plays a role and can determine your body style. What is a body style? Your body style refers to whether or not you are typically skinny (ectomorph), big (endomorph), or in shape (mesomorph). These three styles reflect your typical body shape and your ability to lose or gain muscle.
An ectomorph is a person who is skinny no matter what. It is very difficult for them to gain significant muscle mass and they are always thin and skinny. The endomorph is your typical "big boned" person. They are big and always have been. They are typically blocky looking and cannot lose weight. They have a lot of muscle underneath their fat, but cannot get rid of the fat to show the muscle. Finally the mesomorph is a person who is always in shape. This is the person that no matter what they do they can look in shape or get in shape quickly. This is the friend that seems to always look the most in shape when you go to the beach, etc... The friend that you love to hate, secretly. Once you know your body style, then you have a better idea where to focus most of your efforts for your weight loss goals. The ectomorph needs lots of calories and weight training to bulk up. The endomorph needs lots of high intensity training to burn fat. The high intensity training can be cardio, weights or a combination of both. The mesomorph can do a combination of anything as they will always get in shape quickly no matter what.

So what does that have to do with resting for fat burning? No matter what your exercise regimen or your body style, your body needs to repair itself. It does this in an autopilot way that can burn fat in the process. However, you have to nudge it a little for it to work at it's peak. How do you nudge it? First of all, do your exercise to breakdown muscle/train the muscle. Then, feed the muscles the right breakdown of proteins, carbohydrates and fats at the right time and your body will burn calories to digest the food and then burn calories repairing the muscles you trained. It does this all while you are resting. Pretty nice, huh.

So keep checking out the blog because all the information you need to achieve your healthy weight loss is right here! Don't forget to check out the Metabolic Cooking Page and the other posts on the blog to help with your efforts.

For what it's worth,
Dr. B

Is There A Great TIme For Cardio?

I get asked this all the time.  There are many theories and thoughts on this and I don’t believe that there really is a correct answer.  Therefore, I will go over some of the ideas and thoughts on this topic so you can choose the right cardio for you.

First of all most experts believe in early morning cardio and I tend to agree with this thought, if you are a morning person.  If you are not a morning person, then don’t beat yourself up over the fact that you just cannot get up early enough to get your cardio done.  I have really met a lot of people who worry about this and just cannot fit it into their schedule.  Are these people doomed to a life of obesity, of course not?  The theory on this is the fact that you are on a fast from your sleep and then when you do your cardio you are more apt to burn the fat on your body when you workout.  This fact is true and if you can fit it into your schedule then do it.  I think if you go on an early morning run/walk you just might enjoy seeing the day begin right before your eyes.  It can be a truly wonderful experience.  For this cardio, I recommend a long low intensity cardio, such as a long run or walk at a steady pace.

However, if you cannot do the early morning cardio, then you do have an alternative.  You can do your cardio after a weight workout.  You can achieve the same benefit because the weight workout will deplete your energy stores.  Therefore, when you do your cardio you will most likely burn the fat on your body for your energy.  However, you must be careful not to over exercise as your body will then breakdown muscle and you definitely do not want that to happen.  I recommend a high intensity short interval cardio for this scenario.  For example, if you are on the elliptical, then go on a higher level with a high level of intensity for about two minutes.  After the two minutes reduce your level for about 2 minutes and alternate back and forth until your energy stores are depleted.  Also, if you need to do a cardio and are not doing a weight workout, then I would recommend the high intensity workout as described above.   Research seems to favor this as the bigger fat burning cardio as compared to the long slow cardio described above.

There you go, two different ways of doing cardio so you can find the one that works the best for you.  Furthermore, I recommend you alternate between the two types of cardio throughout the week, as that will keep your body guessing and allow a more efficient way to burn fat.  More importantly just pick the cardio that fits your life and enjoy it.

For what it’s worth,

Dr. B

Cheat Meals Or Cheat Days To Lose Body Fat?

This may sound like a crazy idea, but it’s true.  There’s a lot of research behind cheat meals and how to lose pounds and body fat.  You can find articles everywhere on this subject.  So, let’s educate you on this topic.

What is a Cheat Day or Cheat Meal? 

A cheat day is a day where you don’t diet at all and you give in to your desires of food and beverage.  I have met a lot of people who swear to the cheat days as the best way to lose body fat.  However, I think that the cheat DAY may be a little too much.  I think that taking an entire day to eat whatever you want may jeopardize your total caloric intake for the week and thus lead to a standstill in weight loss, or worse yet, an increase in weight.  The theory behind the cheat day is to trick your body into thinking that it is not in starvation mode but in a feast mode and thereby tricking your body to increase metabolism to burn off fat.  This can and does work to an extent.  Your metabolism can definitely be tricked in this regard, however, you still may consume a huge amount of calories in that one day to jeopardize your entire weight loss efforts for the week.  However, it does provide an advantage to the dieter because it tricks you into feeling as if you are not dieting and you are able to eat what you want. 

This works, as I have done this before, but I have also hit a plateau quickly by doing this.  I felt great the day I ate whatever I wanted, however, it also made me feel pretty bad by the end of the day.  I felt bloated and I could not wait to get back on my diet as the excess food just made me ill as my body was used to eating healthy and working out.  Therefore, it was a positive because it made me feel excited to go back to eating right and exercising.  However, there were times I realized that my calorie intake for the week was in jeopardy due to the amount of calories I consumed in just that one day.  So, yes it can trick YOU and your feelings more than it tricks your metabolism.  You just have to be careful.

Contrary to a cheat day, I like to use cheat meals. 

These are anywhere between 2-3 meals per week that you feel comfortable eating anything you like, but at one time.  The result will be a quickly bloated person who is satisfied that they ate what they wanted and therefore did not feel as if they were stuck on a diet.  Cheat meals can be saved for nights out with friends or special occasions.  During that one meal you don’t consume enough calories to jeopardize your weeklong weight loss efforts and you still are tricking your metabolism because your body never knows what day you are going to consume the extra calories.  It is the same idea as above but a different way to go about increasing metabolism.

So there you have it, cheat meals and cheat days can trick your metabolism.  I prefer to have a few cheat meals throughout the week rather than a cheat day, but if you do it smart and don’t jeopardize your entire weeklong weight loss efforts they both will work for you.

For what it’s worth,

Dr. B

Burn Fat By Increasing Protein?

This is fundamentally true and I will explain how this happens!!

Now there are a lot of reasons why people burn fat, but one of the biggest ways to jump start your metabolism is to increase your protein intake.  If you do this and your metabolism is increased then you will burn more calories.  How can this be, you might ask?  Let me explain.  If you increase your protein intake, then you increase the ability of your body to build muscle.  This is due to the fact that protein is the building block of muscle.  So why do you want more muscle, you might ask?  Well the more muscle you have will in turn increase the ability of your body to burn fat.  Therefore when you exercise you have more muscles involved and they need more calories to do the exercise and if you stick to the calories you need in your diet then your body will turn to the fat for energy.  Consequently, you burn more fat.  Nice idea, huh.

You might think that any protein will do and for a beginning dieter this is true.  As the sudden change in lifestyle for a beginner will cause a drop in pounds quickly.  However, after you have been exercising for awhile you may develop a plateau effect and therefore stop burning fat.  At that point, you need to change your protein to very lean cuts of meat.  Yes, that means less steak and more chicken and fish.
Furthermore, you may be wondering how much protein you should eat?  There are many different ideas about this, but I stick to the 0.5gm to 1gm of protein per pound of body weight per day.  I know it seems like a lot, but trust me if you calculate this amount of protein and then fill the rest of your caloric need with vegetables and low glycemic carbs (that is the non-white carbs, see my earlier post) you will BURN BABY BURN!!
The next thing you need to do is calculate the amount of calories you need per day depending on your lifestyle and activity level and whether or not you are going to exercise.  I can try to duplicate the calorie counters, and someday I may try to on my blog, but the best one I have seen and used is through Livestrong.com, it is free so check it out.  No endorsement here either, by the way.

Finally, just stick to your game plan of diet and exercise.  Equip yourself with the knowledge you need to lose the weight you want as fast as you can.  Remember healthy weight loss is 1-2 lbs per week.  Let this blog help you in all the ways possible with exercise tips, workouts, diets, etc... Check out my review of metabolic cooking at http://www.healthyweightlossasap.com/p/metabolic-cooking.html for more ideas on what foods you can pair up to kick in your fat burning furnace for Healthy Weight Loss ASAP.

For what it's worth,
Dr. B

The first step to take for weight loss

I have seen and reviewed many different workout programs over the years.  I have participated in just about every one on the market.  I even made up a few of my own.  They all can lead to weight loss, but the best thing to jump start your weight loss is focusing in on your diet.  Now diet isn't the only thing, but it really is the biggest contributing factor for your weight loss.  So here is the best first step to take...

First, cut out sugar!!  Yes, I said sugar.  Sugar is a very simple chemical that when broken down is great for energy especially if you eat it right before you go workout.  Look at the energy boosting shakes.  SUGAR and CAFFEINE sprinkled with some herbal supplements.
Just cut out the sugar in your coffee, sugar in your desserts. sugar on your cereal, etc... Try splenda or stevia and they can be just as good.  Just get used to living without it unless you are having it right before a workout or exercise regimen.

Next, cut out white Carbohydrates.  If you don't know what they are then look at labels.  Yes, I said labels.  I cannot believe how many people never read the labels on the things they buy.  Check the carbohdrate portions in your meals.  But to get back to the point, cut out the white carbohydrates.  These are foods like potatoes (by the way I Love French Fries), but it is better to eat  a sweet potato then a white good old Russet.  Cut out White bread and eat whole wheat bread instead.  Basic point is if it is a white carbohydrate then cut it out of your diet.

Finally, I would say is look at your portions.  Your portion should not be any bigger than your fist.  Simple enough right.  Don't measure and weigh just remember your fist.  If it is a piece of chicken that is flat then use the rule of thumb to make it  the palm of your hand.  Keep an eye on the portions and for a bonus the portions are listed ON THE LABELS!!  So read the labels.

One last thing I forgot to mention is try to consume smaller portions throughout the day as it is better for your metabolism to eat a small portion of something every 3 hours then to sit down three times per day and eat a lot of food.  By eating more frequent you will be better able to stick to the portion control as you will not want to consume a huge meal.

For what it's worth,
Dr. B

Get Off Your Couch Workout

The other day I was sitting around and thinking about working out.  Just thinking.  After a short period of time being lazy (yes we are all allowed this) I realized that unless I get off the couch it's not going to happen.  Therefore, I got off the couch and hit the workout.  As I was planning my workout I realized that I seem to do the best workouts on the fly.  Let me explain.  For years I have always put together a workout regimen like; weights on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Cardio on Tuesday and Thursday.  Golf on Saturday and Rest on Sunday.   However, after I began thinking about it, prior to my workout, I noticed that my best workouts have been the ones that I JUST DID.  Therefore, I call it the Get Off Your Couch Workout.

It's pretty simple, just get off your couch and do SOMETHING!  Go for a walk, Powerlift, Elliptical, Treadmill, etc....   The key to the workout is build up a sweat at a good healthy heart rate for fat burning and before you know it your done.   It will be more fun then sticking to a sheet of paper with exercises printed on them.  My workout the other day was a push-up, pull-up and dumbell workout with elliptical at the end and it was the BOMB! 

Here is an example:
Proper warmup (ALWAYS)

Three sets of each exercise listed below but with Chest->Back->Bicep->Tricep for the three sets for each body part and then 2 sets of full body workout with Power Clean then elliptical to burn some fat and cool down.

Push-ups with feet on a physioball  (arms at a normal width, then wide width, then close to one another)
Pull-ups (wide grip, then closed grip, then underhand grip)
Bicep Curls (alternating dumbell curl, then non-alternating dumbell curl, then crouching curls)
Tricep Extensions (one arm overhead, then both arms overhead, then lying extensions)
Finally for two sets I did dumbell overhead power cleans.
Then I did elliptical for 20 minutes.

Great workout and it only took me 45 minutes with adequate rest breaks.
Don't forget the protein shake after your workouts as that helps re-energize the muscles.

Till Later, Dr. B

1 Simple Modification To Lower Body Fat

1 Simple Modification To Lower Body Fat

by: Mike Westerdal

I'm going to cut right to the chase and get to the point. Eat more veggies than starchy foods for your carbohydrate source.

Here's why:

The end result of all carbohydrates broken down by the body is glucose, also called blood sugar. So whether it's a spoon of sugar, a piece of bread, or some broccoli, the body breaks each down to use as its main fuel source, blood sugar. The difference between some of these carbohydrates is the rate in which the body metabolizes them, or breaks them down, to use as blood sugar. There are simple carbohydrates like fruit, syrup, and sugar and there are complex carbohydrates like bread, pasta, potatoes, and oatmeal. The difference between simple and complex carbohydrates is the speed at which the body breaks them down to utilize as glucose.

Simple carbohydrates like table sugar and fruit are converted more rapidly for a quick energy boost. Complex carbohydrates take longer to break down and offer a more sustained supply of energy for the body.

Complex carbohydrates should be your main choice for energy for that precise reason, they offer more of a sustained energy supply. Simple carbohydrates create a quick boost of energy followed by a rapid decline, almost like a "crash."

Complex carbohydrates mainly come from either starchy foods like rice, pasta, and bread, or by vegetables like broccoli, peas, and green beans. The biggest reason to switch from a diet full of starchy carbohydrates like bread, pasta, and rice to a diet with more fibrous, leafy ones like vegetables is the calories involved.

I have a friend named Shawn LeBrun who is a personal trainer in Maine and when he was getting ready for his bodybuilding show in which he lost almost 50 pounds in 10 weeks, he replaced his starchy carbohydrates with more vegetables and fibrous carbohydrates.

I have never had to lose that much weight that fast but can vouch this works.

Fat-Loss Veggies

This one simple modification accounted for a significant drop in calories that was soon followed by a significant drop in body fat. Just like it's wise to moderate fats because they are very calorie dense, starchy carbohydrates like bread and pasta are more calorie dense than fibrous, leafy ones like vegetables.

What we want to do is eat a lot of food that makes us full but without over-doing it with the calories.

For effective, permanent fat loss, I feel it's important to choose foods that offer high volume but low calories. This way you do not feel deprived because you're still eating a lot of food but you're not getting a lot of calories in return. Vegetables offer this luxury. You can eat a lot in volume, but do not get a lot of calories in return, unless they are deep fried or drowned in butter (not recommended). This high volume, low calorie luxury doesn't exist with starchy carbohydrates. A small serving of starchy carbs like pasta, bread, and rice is still high in calories.

For example, a 1/4-cup of rice has approximately 150 calories. A 1/2-cup of oatmeal has about the same amount of calories. However, you can eat an entire box package of broccoli and have fewer calories than what you consumed with the 1/4 cup of rice. Or almost an entire bag of raw baby carrots.

I know what you're thinking, "I love my bread and I'm not getting rid of it". I absolutely agree, do not get rid of your breads, pasta, rice, and oatmeal. But moderate it and reduce the amount of each serving. Instead, supplement the smaller serving with more vegetables.

Your body absolutely needs carbohydrates. Carbs are the body's main source of glucose. Your brain cannot function without glucose, in fact, you'd die without blood sugar.

To start eliminating excess calories from the diet, start to moderate and limit the amount of starchy carbs like bread, pasta, rice, oatmeal, bagels, and instead eat more vegetables like broccoli, carrots, green beans, spinach. lettuce, peas, and so on.

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