I wasn't always the hunk of man meat that you see before you. When I first got into the fitness world, started taking Kinesiology classes, and got serious about health I weighed around 220 with a body fat percentage of around 30.
I was 66 pound of fat.
Over the past 5 years I've trained, sometimes in the wrong ways and through injuries, and my body has changed to where I'm around 195 pounds and 13 percent body fat. Now I know what you're thinking, "5 years? It took you that long?" And my answer is yes, it did. Because the changes I've made with my body and my health and fitness are now permanent. I'm not about to yo yo back up to 220, or dive into the 170's. I have planed out my life to where I enjoy what I do and what I eat, and I enjoy my body.
I'm not a body builder, and never want to be one. And that's the point, looking at the over sized male models, or the anorexic female bodies makes you think that anyone who falls short of that look has an eating problem, or isn't committed enough in the gym.
I'm here to tell you that you are going to change your body, for the better. But, and it's a big but, it's going to take a lifestyle change to do it. There is no quick fix. No magic pill or drink. Just good food and hard work.
Be thankful that you have a working body and food to eat. Go make the most of the movement that you have been blessed with and see the joy in the hard work.
Happy Thanksgiving
-K
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
It's all in the Timing
When I was in high school there was a short play I loved called "Sure thing" by David Ives. It starts off with a young woman in a coffee shop being approached by a young man who asks to sit with her. The young man keeps making mistakes, or the conversation doesn't go his way ("Excuse me, is this seat taken?" he begins, "yes" she replies) one of them will ring a bell and the conversation will jump back a few lines ("Excuse me, is this seat taken" he asks after the bell, "No, but I'm expecting someone" she says). They battle through him getting a seat, her dislike of Falkner, both dismissing portions of the other until they finally leave the shop together.
I feel like this is America's relationship with health. Ringing the bell whenever we hear something we don't like until we find something that goes along with what we're already doing. A cookie diet is much easier than actually buying good food. People want to change the way they look and feel without changing anything about how they live.
Last week I challenged you to start a morning ritual; something you could do every morning to set the tone of your day.
I would put money on having less than 5 people actually doing it.
I would even say that the likelihood of one person keeping up a ritual for a full year is around one in one hundred. Despite how sad that is I expected it. Making lasting change is really hard.
On that note if you tried the ritual and missed a couple of days, don't give up yet, truck it out for a while and see how your body feels.
This week I am going to teach you how to survive Thanksgiving without 5 extra pounds, a food coma, or type 2 diabetes.
It's really simple too: Eat every three hours. That's it.
If you've been following me for a while you'll know I don't like tips and tricks, because the only way to make sustainable change is to make a lifestyle change. Eating every three hours isn't just a strategy so that you can eat a crap load of turkey and stuffing over a period of time, it's a lifestyle change that you should incorporate into your daily life.
Here are the facts:
1. Eating every three hours keeps your metabolism running so you burn more calories
2. Your insulin levels will be more even; spiking insulin levels contributes to fat gain
3. You'll feel more satisfied
4. You won't binge
5. You'll have more energy
6. You'll tend to make better food choices
Say you eat crap at one of your 5-6 feedings in a day, it's not as detrimental to your diet because you have more meals to "fix" your diet (I hate saying fix, but it's much easier than going into another conversation). Someone eating only 3 meals a day has 3 chances to make good food choices, you have 6. 1/3 is %33.33 (repeating of course), 1/6 is %16.66, so eating a crappy meal only brings you down to a B for the day instead of a D (think back to high school). Big difference.
Try to evenly divide your calories, so that if you eat 2000 calories a day eat around 330 calories a meal. That will make it so that you will have constant energy throughout the day.
It's super easy, and will change the way you think about food.
Enjoy your thanksgiving
-K
P.S. If anyone actually starts the cookie diet I will punch you in your face, that is no lie
I feel like this is America's relationship with health. Ringing the bell whenever we hear something we don't like until we find something that goes along with what we're already doing. A cookie diet is much easier than actually buying good food. People want to change the way they look and feel without changing anything about how they live.
Last week I challenged you to start a morning ritual; something you could do every morning to set the tone of your day.
I would put money on having less than 5 people actually doing it.
I would even say that the likelihood of one person keeping up a ritual for a full year is around one in one hundred. Despite how sad that is I expected it. Making lasting change is really hard.
On that note if you tried the ritual and missed a couple of days, don't give up yet, truck it out for a while and see how your body feels.
This week I am going to teach you how to survive Thanksgiving without 5 extra pounds, a food coma, or type 2 diabetes.
It's really simple too: Eat every three hours. That's it.
If you've been following me for a while you'll know I don't like tips and tricks, because the only way to make sustainable change is to make a lifestyle change. Eating every three hours isn't just a strategy so that you can eat a crap load of turkey and stuffing over a period of time, it's a lifestyle change that you should incorporate into your daily life.
Here are the facts:
1. Eating every three hours keeps your metabolism running so you burn more calories
2. Your insulin levels will be more even; spiking insulin levels contributes to fat gain
3. You'll feel more satisfied
4. You won't binge
5. You'll have more energy
6. You'll tend to make better food choices
Say you eat crap at one of your 5-6 feedings in a day, it's not as detrimental to your diet because you have more meals to "fix" your diet (I hate saying fix, but it's much easier than going into another conversation). Someone eating only 3 meals a day has 3 chances to make good food choices, you have 6. 1/3 is %33.33 (repeating of course), 1/6 is %16.66, so eating a crappy meal only brings you down to a B for the day instead of a D (think back to high school). Big difference.
Try to evenly divide your calories, so that if you eat 2000 calories a day eat around 330 calories a meal. That will make it so that you will have constant energy throughout the day.
It's super easy, and will change the way you think about food.
Enjoy your thanksgiving
-K
P.S. If anyone actually starts the cookie diet I will punch you in your face, that is no lie
Monday, November 10, 2008
Morning Ritual
I hate waking up. It is honestly the worst time of day.
One thing I know is that if I don't get my ass out of bed when I planned, everything is shot. Energy is down, I'm mentally foggy, and I know I won't sleep as well the next night.
I told you that over the next few weeks I'm going to be giving you a survival guide to get you through the holidays without adding 10 pounds of fat. These are not "tips," go here for my thoughts on that, they are lifestyle choices that will lead you through not only the holidays but into a healthy life.
First and foremost have a morning ritual. One that you will not break on trips, weekends, or even Christmas. A morning ritual is going to consist of a few things (these are mandates I'm giving you, not dictionary definitions).
1. liquid
2. physical activity
3. food
Here's my morning ritual:
The first thing I do every single morning (after peeing) is drinking a cup of cold water. This is for 2 reasons, 1. I've just had 8 hours of dehydration 2. it pumps up my metabolism for the day by around 10 percent.
While I'm drinking that water I put on a pot of water to boil for green tea (this is relatively new, it used to be coffee). This is also a time when I decide if I'll eat oat meal, if so I can put on more water and kill 2 birds.
After I finish my glass of water I'll go through a quick 5 exercise set of Sun Salutes, Single Leg stretch, Obliques, Double Leg Stretch, and Scissors (Pilates mixed with Yoga), to get all the blood that's been chilling in my organs and veins pumping through my body again.
Finally I'll eat breakfast, ranging from eggs and toast to bagel and cream cheese with salmon to a protein shake.
Some times the exact content of the ritual is changed (ie coffee instead of tea, breakfast choices, etc), but the order is always the same.
I highly encourage you to develop your own ritual that you begin as early as tomorrow morning. Develop this habit now and when temptation comes to skip breakfast for a muffin or bowl of ice cream I'm sure that the rigidity of the ritual will help keep you in line.
I meant to get this out a lot earlier, but this weeks been busy with work and school, so to make it up to you: the most useless piece of equipment ever created
Keep fit
-Kian
PS. Not sure if you know or care but Westmont College has been hit hard by a fire in the Montecito hills and needs pray and monetary support.
One thing I know is that if I don't get my ass out of bed when I planned, everything is shot. Energy is down, I'm mentally foggy, and I know I won't sleep as well the next night.
I told you that over the next few weeks I'm going to be giving you a survival guide to get you through the holidays without adding 10 pounds of fat. These are not "tips," go here for my thoughts on that, they are lifestyle choices that will lead you through not only the holidays but into a healthy life.
First and foremost have a morning ritual. One that you will not break on trips, weekends, or even Christmas. A morning ritual is going to consist of a few things (these are mandates I'm giving you, not dictionary definitions).
1. liquid
2. physical activity
3. food
Here's my morning ritual:
The first thing I do every single morning (after peeing) is drinking a cup of cold water. This is for 2 reasons, 1. I've just had 8 hours of dehydration 2. it pumps up my metabolism for the day by around 10 percent.
While I'm drinking that water I put on a pot of water to boil for green tea (this is relatively new, it used to be coffee). This is also a time when I decide if I'll eat oat meal, if so I can put on more water and kill 2 birds.
After I finish my glass of water I'll go through a quick 5 exercise set of Sun Salutes, Single Leg stretch, Obliques, Double Leg Stretch, and Scissors (Pilates mixed with Yoga), to get all the blood that's been chilling in my organs and veins pumping through my body again.
Finally I'll eat breakfast, ranging from eggs and toast to bagel and cream cheese with salmon to a protein shake.
Some times the exact content of the ritual is changed (ie coffee instead of tea, breakfast choices, etc), but the order is always the same.
I highly encourage you to develop your own ritual that you begin as early as tomorrow morning. Develop this habit now and when temptation comes to skip breakfast for a muffin or bowl of ice cream I'm sure that the rigidity of the ritual will help keep you in line.
I meant to get this out a lot earlier, but this weeks been busy with work and school, so to make it up to you: the most useless piece of equipment ever created
Keep fit
-Kian
PS. Not sure if you know or care but Westmont College has been hit hard by a fire in the Montecito hills and needs pray and monetary support.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Excited to add 10 pounds of fat?
It's true. From what I get from recent surveys and studies most people will gain about 5 pounds during the holiday season. That combined with inactivity and muscle atrophy you can expect a weight shift of about 5 pounds of lean body mass to fat with another 5 pounds on top of that to reach a whopping 10 pound weight shift in about 3 months.
If you do a google search most other websites won't take into account the body fat shift, which is really where you're going to get nailed on body composition. I mean 5 lbs of body fat look a hellofalot worse than 5 lbs of muscle
Let's take me for example. I weigh about 195 with a Body Fat percentage around 12. Meaning I have 23lbs of body fat and 172 pounds of lean body mass. If I was an average person I would end up around 200 lbs with 33lbs of body fat and 167lbs of lean body mass from over eating and inactivity. That ups my body fat percentage up to 16%.
That's sick
Over the next week or so I'm going to give you a few lifestyle strategies you can implement from Thanksgiving through New years and will lead you into summer.
Weigh yourself and have your body fat taken (most gyms will do it for free if you're a member), and once the holidays end retake those measurements, and I can guarantee if you keep doing what you are doing you'll see a similar shift in body composition. Pay attention over the next week or so and I can help you avoid the unwanted shift.
Stay Strong
-Kian
PS. for those of you who think I'm telegraphing my next post with some soft of shitty deprivation methodology you'll be surprised.
If you do a google search most other websites won't take into account the body fat shift, which is really where you're going to get nailed on body composition. I mean 5 lbs of body fat look a hellofalot worse than 5 lbs of muscle
Let's take me for example. I weigh about 195 with a Body Fat percentage around 12. Meaning I have 23lbs of body fat and 172 pounds of lean body mass. If I was an average person I would end up around 200 lbs with 33lbs of body fat and 167lbs of lean body mass from over eating and inactivity. That ups my body fat percentage up to 16%.
That's sick
Over the next week or so I'm going to give you a few lifestyle strategies you can implement from Thanksgiving through New years and will lead you into summer.
Weigh yourself and have your body fat taken (most gyms will do it for free if you're a member), and once the holidays end retake those measurements, and I can guarantee if you keep doing what you are doing you'll see a similar shift in body composition. Pay attention over the next week or so and I can help you avoid the unwanted shift.
Stay Strong
-Kian
PS. for those of you who think I'm telegraphing my next post with some soft of shitty deprivation methodology you'll be surprised.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Top Tips and Tricks
If you talk to any personal trainer you'll hear them offer up their best tips and tricks for you to use in the gym. "Drink at least your body weight times two in liters in water", or, "only eat protein after 2pm". I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.
It's now my turn to put out my top tip, and that is not a typo, tip is right. I'm so confident in what I have learned working in the fitness industry that I can narrow down all the tips and tricks info into one little sentence. Ready?
Tips and Tricks don't work
That's it. You can take all the advice from as many people as you want, and get all the new diet and training books, meet with a trainer who could write a novel with the letters behind his name, but if you don't take those tips and tricks and implement them into a lasting life style change then you are just spinning your wheels.
As far as I'm concerned the 70's and 80's brought on the whole miracle diet craze; the stage was set for weight watchers, Jenny Craig, Atkins, and countless other diet systems to sink their teeth into America's fragile ego. That model has been perfected in the fitness world and applied to training. Experienced personal trainers are scared shitless at boring their clients by giving them exercises they need to reach their goals instead of the top 5 best flab busting exercises from Men's Heath or Muscle and fitness (as a side note I actually read and respect Men's Health because they actually cite sources that are repitible and have qualified professionals give advice, not drugged out genetic freaks).
Gyms are owned by those magazines. I can't tell you how many times I've asked people about their training and they'll ask me what I think about the routine (which is a whole new nest of problems. I'll tip my hand and say routine is the anti result) they got from a magazine. In all honesty the periodization isn't half bad and the reps and sets are decent, but they are missing a key part of training. The guys using the workout have no clue how to do any of the exercises.
The tips and tricks that most people get from magazines or insecure trainers don't prepare them for the harsh reality that they just don't know how to do the exercise. Sure a trainer's job is to motivate, to give diet and exercise advice, and to act as a armchair psychiatrist, but first and foremost a trainer's job is to teach their client how to do the exercise properly. They are teachers and you my friend are the learner.
I know you were hoping for a nice list of things that you can pretend to incorporate into your life then forget about ten minutes later but still feel pretty damn good about yourself for trying, but the cold hard truth is that Yoda was right.
Eat your pride and take some lessons on how to do things correctly, isn't that what business and life is all about? I mean hell I know I don't know how to lay the foundation of a house, but it's a crap load cheaper to do it myself. Who cares if ten weeks down the line the whole project fails and I'm worse off then I was before, at least I didn't have to hire some cocky contractor to do it right.
If you do need to inundate your self with more tips here are the top results I found in google:
Abs tips (Gasp rules for a six pack I need to know??)
Etiquette tips (Actually some useful informaiton)
Top ten Rules for fat loss (We are obsessed with fat loss...)
I could post more but you can google it yourself.
In all honesty I will eventually post some fitness tips of my own, but you have got to understand that the tips anyone gives out are lifestyle changes not quick fixes.
Enjoy your Sunday
-Kian
It's now my turn to put out my top tip, and that is not a typo, tip is right. I'm so confident in what I have learned working in the fitness industry that I can narrow down all the tips and tricks info into one little sentence. Ready?
Tips and Tricks don't work
That's it. You can take all the advice from as many people as you want, and get all the new diet and training books, meet with a trainer who could write a novel with the letters behind his name, but if you don't take those tips and tricks and implement them into a lasting life style change then you are just spinning your wheels.
As far as I'm concerned the 70's and 80's brought on the whole miracle diet craze; the stage was set for weight watchers, Jenny Craig, Atkins, and countless other diet systems to sink their teeth into America's fragile ego. That model has been perfected in the fitness world and applied to training. Experienced personal trainers are scared shitless at boring their clients by giving them exercises they need to reach their goals instead of the top 5 best flab busting exercises from Men's Heath or Muscle and fitness (as a side note I actually read and respect Men's Health because they actually cite sources that are repitible and have qualified professionals give advice, not drugged out genetic freaks).
Gyms are owned by those magazines. I can't tell you how many times I've asked people about their training and they'll ask me what I think about the routine (which is a whole new nest of problems. I'll tip my hand and say routine is the anti result) they got from a magazine. In all honesty the periodization isn't half bad and the reps and sets are decent, but they are missing a key part of training. The guys using the workout have no clue how to do any of the exercises.
The tips and tricks that most people get from magazines or insecure trainers don't prepare them for the harsh reality that they just don't know how to do the exercise. Sure a trainer's job is to motivate, to give diet and exercise advice, and to act as a armchair psychiatrist, but first and foremost a trainer's job is to teach their client how to do the exercise properly. They are teachers and you my friend are the learner.
I know you were hoping for a nice list of things that you can pretend to incorporate into your life then forget about ten minutes later but still feel pretty damn good about yourself for trying, but the cold hard truth is that Yoda was right.
Eat your pride and take some lessons on how to do things correctly, isn't that what business and life is all about? I mean hell I know I don't know how to lay the foundation of a house, but it's a crap load cheaper to do it myself. Who cares if ten weeks down the line the whole project fails and I'm worse off then I was before, at least I didn't have to hire some cocky contractor to do it right.
If you do need to inundate your self with more tips here are the top results I found in google:
Abs tips (Gasp rules for a six pack I need to know??)
Etiquette tips (Actually some useful informaiton)
Top ten Rules for fat loss (We are obsessed with fat loss...)
I could post more but you can google it yourself.
In all honesty I will eventually post some fitness tips of my own, but you have got to understand that the tips anyone gives out are lifestyle changes not quick fixes.
Enjoy your Sunday
-Kian
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