If you missed it Amelitraining has moved to it's own domain, right now only http://www.amelitraining.com/blog is up, but the whole site should be going soon
-Kian
P.S. There's a new post up too
Friday, December 26, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Soy's dirty little secrets, episode 1: a Protein's menace
Soy.
An innocent little green bean esc legume with the popularity of Paris Hilton.
Due to the lovers quarrel many people have with soy, and because of the variety of misinformation out there about soy I'll be writing about some of the facts, myths, and legends about the legume.
First used in China almost 3000 years ago as a sacred plant, but surprisingly didn't make it as a main food crop until the discovery of Tofu (they made it into a paste and voila, Tofu). As a side note, the Chinese didn't eat soy until they started fermenting it into Tofu, nato, etc.
As a cheap crop to grow it became popular for farmers in the US and it's heavily subsidized by the government which is part of the reason it's in everything. Soy didn't really become popular as a heath food until the late 1970's with the introduction of soymilk by vitasoy (a company based in Hong Kong). Since then it's been toted as a health food in the US, great for weight trainers, gainers and losers a like, organic funkies, and corporate junkies. Soy's become a king.
(Note: due to the complex nature of the material some of the crap I'm going to write is going to be simplified, so if you want to know more I'll leave you some sources at the end of the series).
So that's the question, is soy the king of the heath food world?
Let's look at one of the claims that the proponents of soy tout as a major health benefit: soy has protein. And not just any protein, but a complete protein that contains all of the essential amino acids. That is true.
While that's true why not delve a little bit deeper. Complete protein, sure that's great, but there's also another part of the protein equation.
Trypsin.
Trypsin is an enzyme in your stomach that helps digest proteins. Once trypsin does its magic the proteins are ready to be absorbed and used in the body, if trypsin doesn't work those amino acid chains are too large for the body to use and they'll be passed on as waste. So trypsin and protein are a dream team for protein.
What does trypsin have to do with soy? Well soy's first dirty little secret is that it contains trypsin inhibitors (here)... Think about that for a second. A. Soy has protein B. Trypsin digests protein C. Soy contains trypsin inhibitors. So A + B + C = poor protein digestion.
What!!!
That's right, I'm telling you that when you eat soy you don't actually digest all of the protein contained in the legume.
Let me say that another way: You don't digest soy's protein well.
One more time for the slow ones: Soy's protein doesn't get to your system.
How about one step further, if you eat soy and meat proteins together you're not going to digest the proteins in the meat as well either.
Soy 0 Kian 1
Next time we'll talk about how soy can girlify you
Go well
-Kian
P.S. You might guess I'm not a very big fan of Soy, that's pretty true, but there are times when I think you can eat it guilt free.
An innocent little green bean esc legume with the popularity of Paris Hilton.
Due to the lovers quarrel many people have with soy, and because of the variety of misinformation out there about soy I'll be writing about some of the facts, myths, and legends about the legume.
First used in China almost 3000 years ago as a sacred plant, but surprisingly didn't make it as a main food crop until the discovery of Tofu (they made it into a paste and voila, Tofu). As a side note, the Chinese didn't eat soy until they started fermenting it into Tofu, nato, etc.
As a cheap crop to grow it became popular for farmers in the US and it's heavily subsidized by the government which is part of the reason it's in everything. Soy didn't really become popular as a heath food until the late 1970's with the introduction of soymilk by vitasoy (a company based in Hong Kong). Since then it's been toted as a health food in the US, great for weight trainers, gainers and losers a like, organic funkies, and corporate junkies. Soy's become a king.
(Note: due to the complex nature of the material some of the crap I'm going to write is going to be simplified, so if you want to know more I'll leave you some sources at the end of the series).
So that's the question, is soy the king of the heath food world?
Let's look at one of the claims that the proponents of soy tout as a major health benefit: soy has protein. And not just any protein, but a complete protein that contains all of the essential amino acids. That is true.
While that's true why not delve a little bit deeper. Complete protein, sure that's great, but there's also another part of the protein equation.
Trypsin.
Trypsin is an enzyme in your stomach that helps digest proteins. Once trypsin does its magic the proteins are ready to be absorbed and used in the body, if trypsin doesn't work those amino acid chains are too large for the body to use and they'll be passed on as waste. So trypsin and protein are a dream team for protein.
What does trypsin have to do with soy? Well soy's first dirty little secret is that it contains trypsin inhibitors (here)... Think about that for a second. A. Soy has protein B. Trypsin digests protein C. Soy contains trypsin inhibitors. So A + B + C = poor protein digestion.
What!!!
That's right, I'm telling you that when you eat soy you don't actually digest all of the protein contained in the legume.
Let me say that another way: You don't digest soy's protein well.
One more time for the slow ones: Soy's protein doesn't get to your system.
How about one step further, if you eat soy and meat proteins together you're not going to digest the proteins in the meat as well either.
Soy 0 Kian 1
Next time we'll talk about how soy can girlify you
Go well
-Kian
P.S. You might guess I'm not a very big fan of Soy, that's pretty true, but there are times when I think you can eat it guilt free.
What do you hate?
Tyler and I are doing some research, I'd like to know what you dislike about gyms, and what makes a good gym in your opinion.
Cheers
xoxo
K
Cheers
xoxo
K
Thursday, December 4, 2008
I Have the Power!
Heman. Captain Planet. Iron man. Chip N Dale. Corey and Sean.
All quintessential participants in my up bringing.
The point that each character made was less important than the simple fact that goals are easier to reach together than they are on your own. That's why the biggest loser participants see such great results, they have a group of people that are like minded and, despite the competition, encourage one another towards greatness.
I teach a 6am Wednesday bootcamp class at my gym. There are 4 core members to the class who pretty much show up regardless of how much sleep they're missing, how their body feels etc, because they know that if they miss they are going to get reamed by the other 3. The rest of the class is slowly catching on to their relationship, and instead of being scared away they want in.
People want to be held accountable for their actions, they want a group to achieve with. That's why playing on an athletic team means so much to so many people, a common goal.
If you're stuck, board, or lazy about reaching your goals I encourage you to find a group of like minded people and help kick each others asses into high gear.
Be strong
-K
All quintessential participants in my up bringing.
The point that each character made was less important than the simple fact that goals are easier to reach together than they are on your own. That's why the biggest loser participants see such great results, they have a group of people that are like minded and, despite the competition, encourage one another towards greatness.
I teach a 6am Wednesday bootcamp class at my gym. There are 4 core members to the class who pretty much show up regardless of how much sleep they're missing, how their body feels etc, because they know that if they miss they are going to get reamed by the other 3. The rest of the class is slowly catching on to their relationship, and instead of being scared away they want in.
People want to be held accountable for their actions, they want a group to achieve with. That's why playing on an athletic team means so much to so many people, a common goal.
If you're stuck, board, or lazy about reaching your goals I encourage you to find a group of like minded people and help kick each others asses into high gear.
Be strong
-K
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
The Journey
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
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
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.
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