When to exercise: morning

Morning is my personal favorite time of the day to exercise.  Some studies seem to indicate that it helps jump start your metabolism resulting in quicker fat loss. It certainly will wake you up. But perhaps the best reason to exercise in the morning is to get it done and out of the way for the day. Life has a way of interrupting our plans. If you exercise first thing, the chances of life getting in the way are greatly diminished. Yes it’s hard to wake up early, but 5 minutes into your Insanity: Asylum workout and you won’t be feeling sleepy, at all. And if you need something to snap you out of the sleepies when the alarm is blaring, Energy and Endurance Pre-Workout Formula will do the trick. It’s the supplement I look forward to the most as it wakes me up and energizes me in minutes… no coffee for this guy.

When to exercise – morning pros: ensures it gets completed; jump starts your day; promotes fat loss

When to exercise – morning cons: have to get up earlier (which may require going to bed earlier) and can’t jam to music too loudly or Jr. will wake up

When to exercise: noon

For a lot of people, lunch time is the perfect time to workout. It breaks up their day. Kids are in school so there are fewer distractions. If at work, doing this during your lunch-break will spare you from a potentially calorific meal and save you some bucks as well. Plus a lot of people start getting sleepy around lunch or shortly after because their coffee is wearing off or they’ve had a poor breakfast and are feeling the effects of it. Working out can re-energize you and set the tone for the rest of your day. But if your work doesn’t have a gym, this can be problematic if you’re doing more than a walk. Or if you’re at home, it can be a major disruption in the middle of the day with all the other things you have to do.

When to exercise – noon pros: can re-energize your day; give you a break mentally from your work; can spare you unnecessary calories and expenditures with a lunch out

When to exercise – noon cons: limited facilities; can become a disruption in the flow of the day

When to exercise: night

For those with limited availability in the morning or lunch, evening or nighttime becomes the best time for them. If you’re at the point where you enjoy exercise, it can give you something to look forward to. There’s less of the remaining days’ events to distract you from giving it your all. If you workout after dinner, the gym is likely to be rather empty. And some studies seem to indicate it’s easier to build muscle. But for many people, exercise will make it a lot harder to go to sleep later. And if the day was a busy one, your energy levels won’t be very good (unless you take some of the aforementioned Energy and Endurance Pre-Workout Formula). And if you go right after work, the gym will be swamped (one more reason I prefer working out at home). But the biggest con is that chances are high that you will skip it because something is getting in the way, be it a PTO meeting, an impromptu dinner out with friends, or you’re just too tired.

When to exercise – night pros: gym might be less crowded; your mind might be more clear; gives you something to look forward to

When to exercise – night cons: gym could be super-busy; energy might be low; could be hard to sleep later; the chance of skipping increases tenfold

When to exercise: conclusion

So, with all the pros and cons, what is one to do? The answer: you have to do what works for you! When to exercise? The time that best works for your schedule so that you’ll do it regularly. This might seem like a cop-out answer, but it’s the truth. Don’t fall victim to analysis to paralysis and over-emphasize hitting the optimal metabolism booster or trying to hit the gym at its absolute emptiest. The most important thing when deciding when to exercise is to pick a time that will work for you consistently. That time might only work for three months and then you have to change it. I get that… there are seasons of life. But if you don’t make it a priority and schedule it at a specific time each day, the chances of getting it in willy nilly are, well, nilly. Not worth the risk.

Don’t leave your exercise to chance!

You’ve been challenged… now GO!

I have a couple of favors to ask:

1) If you like the articles, pictures, and videos that I work hard to post, PLEASE help me out by sharing them.  Click any of the share links below to spread the love.  It really helps me get the word out and expand Team GO!

2) Also, as always, remember that the way I benefit from being your coach is that I earn a commission from any Beachbody products you purchase, as long as you buy them through my site (www.gymoptional.com) or by logging in to www.teambeachbody.com to do your shopping (if you buy from the regular Beachbody site I get no credit). It helps with the amount of time I spend answering all your questions, writing for this website, and helping you out. If I’m not your coach, you can open a free account through this link. Or if you have a coach but they’re not helping you, email me and I’ll send instructions on how to make a change. Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!

The post When to exercise: morning, noon, or night? appeared first on Gym Optional.

Fitness for Less Rule #1: Eat real food

Sure, processed foods are cheap, but they aren’t satisfying because they are void of many of the nutrients found in whole foods. So rather than spending $12 on frozen dinners to feed the family, you could buy chicken breasts, fresh broccoli, and whole grain rice—all for under $10. And you would have leftovers to boot. Annual Savings: $700+

Fitness for Less Rule #2: Investigate work and insurance wellness programs

Office wellness programs are a growing trend. These plans incentivize employees with prizes, discounts on goods, reduced insurance premiums, and of course, bragging rights. Insurance carriers love them because healthier policyholders mean fewer claims. And employers love them because healthier employees mean fewer sick days and better productivity. Annual Savings: $300+

Fitness for Less Rule #3: Avoid habit foods

How many foods do you eat out of habit rather than necessity? And of those foods, how many could you switch to a healthier version, without the name brand? I’m talking to all the daily $4 Starbucks latte drinkers out there. Or maybe you’re a $1.99 “soda and muffin on the way into work” kind of person. If you traded in that high-calorie coffee or muffin for some office coffee and a banana or a high quality meal replacement drink like Shakeology, you’d put money in your pocket and still keep the pep in your step. Annual Savings: $400-$1,000

Fitness for Less Rule #4: Quit the gym

The average monthly gym membership costs about $42, and the typical member visits his or her gym less than twice a week. (See www.ihrsa.org website for these and more related statistics) Thinking of it in daily terms, it’s not unreasonable to suggest that roughly $30 of the typical $42 membership fee is being wasted. Furthermore, gyms are notoriously bad at actually producing results. Members who get positive outcomes often pay for extra services such as classes, trainers, or various health assessments. Instead, skip the gym and head to the park or community center for some exercise. Ride your bike to work. Or consider “active” hobbies such as gardening, which can burn 250 calories an hour or more. Annual Savings: $500+

Putting these suggestions into practice will be hard at first, but the payoff will be worth it. Getting healthier as you get wealthier—that’s what I call having a sound mind and body.

NOTE: In my day job, I’m the Operations Director for Sound Mind Investing, America’s Best-Selling Christian Financial Newsletter. The above post was adapted from the March 2013 article I wrote entitled, “Boost Your Savings While Getting Healthy”

I have a couple of favors to ask:

1) If you like the articles, pictures, and videos that I work hard to post, PLEASE help me out by sharing them.  Click any of the share links below to spread the love.  It really helps me get the word out and expand Team GO!

2) Also, as always, remember that the way I benefit from being your coach is that I earn a commission from any Beachbody products you purchase, as long as you buy them through my site (www.gymoptional.com) or by logging in to www.teambeachbody.com to do your shopping (if you buy from the regular Beachbody site I get no credit). It helps with the amount of time I spend answering all your questions, writing for this website, and helping you out. If I’m not your coach, you can open a free account through this link. Or if you have a coach but they’re not helping you, email me and I’ll send instructions on how to make a change. Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!

The post Fitness for less: boost your savings while getting fit appeared first on Gym Optional.

Before deciding, “Should I weigh myself?”

Before deciding “Should I weigh myself?” it’s important to understand that trimming down should be about shedding fat, NOT about losing weight. There are two key differences.

1. Fat matters, weight does not. Repeat after me: “Fat matters, weight does not.” When you are measuring total weight rather than body fat percentage, gaining muscle (which is a good thing, even though it weighs more than fat) will move the bathroom scale in the wrong direction in your mind. But say you’ve reached your goal figure, clothes now fit the way you’ve always wanted, you have a renewed confidence, and energy is at an all-time high… does it really matter if the scale says you weigh 12 pounds more than you thought you would to have such a figure? No, it doesn’t. IT IS COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT. I know this is a hard one, especially for ladies who tend to focus on the scale. But the sooner you reorient your thinking, the sooner you’ll start making real and long-lasting changes that will move you closer and closer to your goal.
2. When is losing ever a good thing? Typically it means that either another team won or you can’t find something that is important to you. I can’t remember ever losing a belonging and being happy about it. So why then characterize a fitness goal as wanting to “lose weight” unless you’re hoping to get it back. This is a subtle but important distinction. Reorient your thinking and aim to “shed fat” instead. You don’t want to give yourself any recourse to go back to your former self, be it physical (for example, get rid of your old clothes that now don’t fit) or in this case, emotional/psychological. Adopting a mindset of permanence is essential in establishing lifestyle changes.

Okay, now that you’re up to speed, you can look at the pros and cons of whether you should weigh yourself.

Should I weigh myself? Pros.

Sometimes, the mirror is a hard way to track your weight loss progress. Depending on the lighting, what we’ve eaten that day, or what kind of mood we’re in, the mirror may suggest no progress when in fact there has been some (or vice versa). However, weighing yourself can be a good objective way to track your overall weight. And if your scale measures body fat, all the better. Pro: objective

Weighing yourself is easy. Step on the scale and look down. Do this every morning, first thing, either naked or in your undergarments. Make a note of it and make comparisons over time. Pro: easy

Assuming your scale shows body fat percentage, using it gives you a great baseline for progress. Sometimes our repetitions in the gym or mileage on the road don’t appear to be changing much. But if you have a baseline from your scale to measure some body compensation changes, it’s yet another metric you can use as an indicator if you’re plan is working. Pro: baseline indicator

Should I weigh myself? Cons.

If you’re the kind to get easily discouraged, weighing yourself might be a mistake. Your weight (and body fat composition) fluctuate daily. If seeing the scale go up one morning is likely going to send you into a downward spiral for the rest of your day, the answer to “Should I weigh myself?” is “No.” Con: could discourage easily

Even with a scale as nice as the Withings Wi-Fi Scale, body fat percentage will not be super precise. Scales use bioelectrical impedance to measure water in your body, which is then used to measure fat, and by deduction, muscle. What this means is that if you’re over-hydrated or dehydrated, your body fat will be reported lower or higher. So while it will still give you a baseline (if you’re always using the same scale at the same time of day wearing the same thing) it won’t be super precise. This technology has improved over the years, but it’s not as reliable as body calipers or underwater weighing. Con: imprecise

If you don’t own the fact that body fat matters and weight does not, weighing yourself is simply not helpful (unless you’re looking to do a mass gainer like Body Beast, and even still, you’d want to know body fat percentage). You will be attempting to measure an irrelevant number that may or may not be providing an indicator of progress. Con: not helpful with the wrong mindset

Should I weigh myself? Conclusion.

Ultimately, how you answer the question “Should I weigh myself?” is one only you can answer. Personally, I am a huge fan of it. It gives me daily accountability. It’s yet another metric I can use in combination with heart rate monitoring, repetitions and weights lifted, mileage ran, time spent exercising, blood pressure monitoring, and more, that will help give me a good overall picture of my fitness level. But then again, I’m not easily discouraged and I own the fact that fat matters and weight does not. My suggestion for you would be to take an honest look at yourself and tally the pros and cons for your situation. If it’s a tool that will help you, great. If not, don’t worry about it… far too many people do.

After you’ve made a decision, stick with it, be consistent, and follow your plan. No matter how good your tools are, they don’t get the results. Following your plan consistently does.

You’ve been challenged… now GO!

SIDENOTE: Should I weigh myself? If “yes,” use this scale!

If you decide you’re in favor of weighing yourself, I can’t recommend the Withings Wi-Fi Scale (seen at left) highly enough. If Apple made a scale, this would be it. It measures weight, body fat, and BMI, and records them, for multiple users, without you having to tell it who is who. It records the data over wi-fi so you can chart it over time (see my charts from the Ultimate Rest Review). There’s also a free app for your smartphone so you can look them up when away from a computer. Furthermore, if you really want to up the accountability, you can have it automatically share your numbers with Facebook and Twitter, your doctor, even other fitness apps. It is to scales what PB2 is to peanut butter… it’s the future.

The post Should I weigh myself? Yes… and no. appeared first on Gym Optional.

Carbs 101

Before we go further, let me remind you what a carbohydrate is. It’s one of the three macronutrients in your food, fats and protein being the other two. Your body uses each macronutrient for different reasons. Carbs are primarily used by your body for energy. Carbohydrates come in essentially two forms: simple carbs (think sugar) and complex carbs (think starches). Simple carbs are real easy for your body to breakdown and use right away for energy. Things like sugars from fruits, juices, sodas, candy, and products with refined ingredients in them. Complex carbs are carbohydrates that take your body longer to breakdown and therefore, your body uses them more for the long haul. Things like whole grain breads, wild long-grain rice, whole grain pastas, and sweet potatoes. Some products kinda fall in a gray area, like pasta, white rice, and white bread. They provide a little bit of both kinds of energy, but without the nutritional benefits which have been stripped away in refining process.

Again, both kinds of carbs are used for energy, it’s just that some provide short bursts right away (this is why when little kids eat sugary snacks, they quickly start bouncing off the walls) and others last longer and have a little bit of a delayed effect (like runners carbo-loading before a marathon).

Are carbs the enemy?

Ever since Atkins, South Beach, and The Zone low-carb diets went mainstream, carbs have been getting a very bad rap. But the truth is they’re our source of fuel and therefore provide a very important function for us. The problem is that we don’t often use them correctly. We take in WAY more than we need and have excess “fuel” that gets used to make fat. Our ratios are all wrong. A normal dinner shouldn’t be a salad with croutons, a plate of spaghetti, and two servings of white garlic bread.  What we need is some nice grilled chicken on a cup of spaghetti noodles, covered in sauteed peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, and fresh herbs, served with a bright, colorful salad (sans croutons) and no bread.

Why does carb cycling work?

When you’re doing an intense program like P90X, Insanity Asylum, or TurboFire, you’re using an energy source called glycogen, which is stored in your muscles and liver. When you completely run out of glycogen, you “bonk.” You’ll feel this when you’ve really hit the wall, low blood sugar, shakiness, that sort of thing. You need the carbs to help restore your lost glycogen. But take in too many carbs and you’re encouraging your body to store the fat it has instead of converting it to a usable form of energy.

Enter carb cycling.

When you restrict your carbs, you’re encouraging you body to use what fat it has for energy. But restrict it for too long and you’ll have a hard time replacing the glycogen you’ve used in your workouts. So your workouts will really suffer- less weight lifted, shorter cardio sessions, tiring more quickly, fewer calories burned. But by only restricting them for a short period of time (like 3 days or so) your body will start metabolizing your fat for energy. And then reintroducing carbs for a day will help ensure that your glycogen tank never runs dry. Then you repeat this process.

Carb cycling: off days

As a rule of thumb, try to eliminate all sugars (including fruits), starchy vegetables (potatoes and corn for instance), breads, pastas, cereals, and rices. If you focus on avoiding these six things, you’ll avoid a good 80% or more of the culprits. Try to stay off of them for three days, though you may have to play around with that number a little. Three days may be too long if you’re trying to add a lot of muscle (doing a program like Body Beast for example). With programs where you’re trying to tone or to shed fat, you may find you can go four days or so without carbs.

Carb cycling: on days

On the days you’re having carbs, feel free to enjoy them, just don’t go crazy, especially on the sugars. For the carbs you are eating, try to focus on high-quality carbs (like sweet potatoes, long-grain or brown rice, whole grain breads, etc) and steer clear of the highly processed ones (like crackers, chips, white breads, etc). And remember, this isn’t carbo-loading. You’re not trying to focus on an especially high amount of carbs like a marathoner might. You’re just allowing yourself to have some at every meal. And finally, the carb cycling on day should be just that, a day. I try to time my carb cycling on a day with my weekly cheat meal and that seems to work quite well. In fact, I did some carb cycling for a good chunk of my time when I got my P90X2 results.

Carb cycling duration

Unlike some eating plans, like the “Fat Shredder” plan in P90X, there’s really not a limit to how long you should do this. With the “Fat Shredder” carbs are restricted for up to six weeks. But with carb cycling, because you’re reintroducing them every third or fourth day, as long as you’re getting results (aka shedding fat) and your workout numbers are improving, you’re golden. Again, you may have to play around with it a little, but generally, three days off and one day on will work for most people.

Carb cycling conclusion

What I have found, along with many other athletes, is that carb cycling is a realistic approach to eating. It gives you the energy you need to get the results you want while not restricting fun food so much that you’re constantly feeling deprived. So if you’re looking for a solution that will address your energy demands, as well as your palates, carb cycling could be the answer.

You’ve been challenged… now GO!

The post Carb Cycling: what is carb cycling and does it work? appeared first on Gym Optional.

“If a draft horse can pull between one to three tons, what would you expect two draft horses to be able to pull?”

After posing the question, he’ll give the audience time to do some math and whisper their best guesses to one another. Finally breaking the silence, he’ll proceed.

“A single draft horse can pull between one to three tons but two draft horses, in tandem, can pull somewhere in the vicinity of 12 to 14 tons.” And of course the audience is shocked, amazed, and bewildered.

Are these numbers true? I couldn’t tell you. Despite being from Kentucky (the horse capital of the world) and despite my backyard neighbor having two of his own, I know very little about horses. I know that apparently it’s in girls’ DNA to love horses. I know that a horse’s lips can do things that Mick Jagger’s could only dream of. And I know that I have a Martin Short sized allergic reaction to them.

Fitness Accountability

I see this all the time with fitness. Fitness accountability can be such a powerful tool for people, but it’s often ignored. People who go it alone fail more often than they succeed. But having accountability with fitness can change everything. When one person is down, the other person picks them up. They will push each other harder and farther. They will miss fewer workouts and they will eat cleaner. Fitness accountability is the part three of the success equation:

Exercise + Nutrition + Accountability = Success

Fitness Accountability Options

There are two ways I help provide fitness accountability. The first way is through my free fitness coaching. I offer free fitness coaching to anyone willing to open a free account on my Beachbody team and agree to the following three things:

1. Don’t settle
2. Don’t give up
3. Don’t make excuses

If you’re willing to take on this kind of fitness accountability, I will coach you until you’ve reached your goals (and beyond if you so desire).

The second way I offer fitness accountability is through a Beachbody Challenge Group.  A challenge group is a 90 day commitment to exercise + nutrition + accountability.   It is a closed Facebook group of people (6-8) going through the same program (exercise), replacing one meal a day with Shakeology  (nutrition),  and regular check ins on FB (accountability). You’ll also get a fitness accountability double whammy because I’ll be holding you accountable as well.

If you’re not interested in free fitness coaching or a Challenge Group, at the very least consider finding a workout buddy. You might be surprised at how often their accountability will help with your fitness.

In summary, if you can reach your goals by going alone, more power to you. But if you need some fitness accountability, more power to us!

You’ve been challenged… now GO!

The post Fitness accountability. What horses can teach us about teamwork. appeared first on Gym Optional.

How Smoothie Wizard Works

From the list of ingredients simply select the ones you have on hand and like magic, Smoothie Wizard will give you some recipes you can make. As more recipes are added to the database, the more ingredients will be listed. But more on that in a minute. Next step is selecting a filter. At the bottom of the page, there are three filter options to help you either narrow or broaden the number of recipes returned. Your filter choices are ALL, ONLY, and SOME. Depending on the number of ingredients you’ve selected, you will want to play around with the filters to get the desired number of smoothie recipes. After that, click “Search” and you’ll get a list of recipe options. But the fun is just getting started.

Rate a Recipe

Click on a recipe and you’ll get not only the ingredients, not only the directions, but an opportunity to rate the smoothie. It will record your rating, as well as give you the reader community rating. The more the community uses it, the more powerful Smoothie Wizard gets. But wait, there’s more!

Submit a Smoothie

If you return to the to the main page and scroll to the bottom, you’ll see a “Submit a Smoothie” form. That’s right, you have the ability to add to the recipe inventory, essentially enabling Smoothie Wizard to become one of the greatest forces on the face of the earth! And if you find favor with Smoothie Wizard, he may even name the smoothie after you. However, submit one with “eye of newt” and you will bannished for life.

So What is the Cost?

Here’s maybe the best part. Smoothie Wizard is free. All he asks is that if you’re considering buying a Vitamix, you would buy one through him. Or if you’re interested in buying Shakeology, you would buy it through him. He has bills too, you know. But even if you never buy a Vitamix or Shakeology, you can still use Smoothie Wizard… he’s a generous soul and ultimately cares more about your health than his purse wallet. So delay no longer! Give Smoothie Wizard a whirl and let the magic begin.

The post Introducing Smoothie Wizard. The magic of eating healthy! appeared first on Gym Optional.

Here’s The Ultimate Reset Week 1 Review in case you missed it, as well as The Ultimate Reset Week 2 Review.

Week 3 on The Ultimate Reset

Day 1: It’s Monday and also the start of Week 3 of The Ultimate Reset. I lost 9 pounds in the first week and another 4 pounds in the second week. Week 3 is the Restore Phase in which we’ll further cut back grains, add even more produce, and take the Revitalize supplement which should “restore healthy bacteria to a freshly scrubbed digestive tract.” The best part about Revitalize could be that it’s in pill form. No more nasty Detox chug fest.

Todays meals were fruit for breakfast and for dinner, sweet potato, veggies and quinoa. But the Asian Cabbage Salad for lunch was the surprise hit of the day, for both me and our 15 month-old, Silas. Don’t believe me? Check out the video.

Day 3:

The bad news was in preparation for tomorrow, I had to cook Thanksgiving dinner for my family. A dinner with all the ‘fixins. A dinner after which there’d be leftovers for miles. A dinner that comes but once a year. I’m ready to go Jack Bauer on this cleanse.

Day 4: It’s a good thing Thanksgiving is more than just about the food. Surprisingly, the actual meal wasn’t so hard to bypass. It was the temptation of a nibble here and a nibble there, getting more for people, and, well… the smell didn’t help. But we stood strong and feel empowered for it. And as a small reward, even though we weren’t scheduled for it, we did indulge in a roasted root vegetable medley and it was quite good. It gave us a taste of that fall, earthiness that’s especially yummy this time of year.

Day 5: Woah! I didn’t see this coming. This whole Reset I’ve been looking forward to the avocado-cucumber soup. I love me some avocado cause a) they’re delicious b) they’re great for you and 3) they harken Mexican food, of which there are few people who have a greater passion for than myself. You doubt me? Read this. And this. And you might as well read this too. Anyway, the soup was bad… really bad. If I were an avocado, I’d be humiliated to die that kind of death. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t quite beet bad, but a terrible disappointment to say the least. Good thing this is the home stretch because if this was Day 1, the program would go promptly back in the box and driven immediately to the Post Office to return to Beachbody for my Money-Back Guarantee. I may have even paid extra for two-day shipping to expedite the whole process as my palette’s Mexican sensibilities were so offended.

Day 6: You ever stay up so late that you start getting slap-happy? That’s me and Kim today, all day, but with less happy and more angry. If I didn’t feel so good, it’d be all angry.

Day 7: Today is the day! Our fortitude has paid off. We have concluded our journey as of dinner tonight, which was a nice vegetable stir-fry, a meal that’s become a personal favorite of mine during these three weeks. Again, I had trouble taking a nap and that’s got me thinking this energy could be here to stay. Perhaps starting exercise tomorrow will change that… it will be interesting to find out. Regardless, I’m so glad I did this and can’t wait to see the final results.

The Ultimate Reset Results: Week 3

Greater energy is now the norm. My digestion is picture perfect (NOTE TO SELF: Avoid using the term “picture perfect” in future descriptions on bowel movements). And my weigh-in this morning showed that I lost 3.5 more pounds. This means I’ve lost over 16 pounds in three weeks! And the closest I came to exercise was when I broke into a sweat from my beet-eating flashbacks.

The Ultimate Reset Week 3 Conclusion

Week 3 was harder than Week 1 but easier than Week 2. I hit the wall with 3 days left… like mile 20 in a marathon. But the nice thing was, the struggles were rarely from hunger and more often than not, I enjoyed the food. I mostly hit the wall cause I was tired of the routine. I was ready to get in the holiday spirit, but instead I had to put one foot in front of the other. And while I never truly considered quitting, cheating with a big ‘ol cookie did cross my mind. But I knew I would be disappointed in myself if I had. I’ve heard it said that an ounce of regret weighs more than a pound of pain and I believe that to be true. So I pressed on.

I pressed on with the promise of accomplishment around the corner, with being able to start a new exercise program (Body Beast here I come!), with knowing that I was resetting more than just my biological systems, but also my emotional ones…. outlook, excitement, and confidence. And that’s arguably the ultimate reward.

The Ultimate Reset Final Conclusion will be coming in a few weeks. In it I’ll summarize all our key takeaways from this process and how we plan on incorporating them into our lives on a permanent basis. In the meantime, if you’d like to learn more about The Ultimate Reset CLICK HERE or CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE ULTIMATE RESET.

The post The Ultimate Reset Review: Week 3 appeared first on Gym Optional.

Here’s my Ultimate Reset Week 1 Review in case you missed it.

Week 2 on The Ultimate Reset

Day 1: Today kicked off Week 2 of The Ultimate Reset. I lost 9 pounds in the first week and am excited, though a little nervous about Week 2. For starters, the next 14 days will be Vegan. It can be a challenge to get in enough protein on a vegan diet for my body and I don’t want to walk around feeling hungry constantly.
That wasn’t in issue with Week 1, but I had some chicken, fish, and some dairy throughout the week.

Week 2 on The Ultimate Reset also is the Release Phase, which requires the Detox supplement 3x daily. And while it’s not as funky as the Alkalinizer supplement, it’s not something I will be looking forward to.

On the plus side, most breakfasts consist of generous amounts of low-glycemic fruit. Plus there are new recipes that sound promising.

So today went off without a hitch, save for the flavor of the Detox, which I’ll never really enjoy.

Day 2: As with yesterday, today was another solid day, with the exception of a non-fruit breakfast: miso soup, avocado, and chickpeas. But redeeming the breakfast soup was the dinner soup: sweet potato and roasted red pepper bisque. Energy wise things are going well. And other than the taste, there have been no ill-effects of the Detox supplement. Detoxes can often lead to frequent bathroom trips, but The Ultimate Reset claims that it’s a “gentle detox,” which so far has been the case.

Day 3: Today was pretty much the opposite of the past two. I wasn’t excited at all, primarily because it was date night and we typically enjoy a nice, relaxing dinner out. Instead we were stuck with quinoa lentil pilaf and steamed broccoli. Now for the most part, I like these things. BUT NOT ON DATE NIGHT! And I let my frustration carry throughout my day. Furthermore, the thought that we were only 1/2 through this thing started to bum me out. Regardless, I’ll do better tomorrow.

Day 4: Or maybe I won’t. I thought today would be better, but it wasn’t much better really. While I’m digging the fruit breakfasts, I’m starting to tire of all the salads. But one to always find the silver lining, we’re officially past the halfway mark!

Day 5: My attitude was much better today. Not sure if it’s because my favorite basketball team plays tonight, or if it’s because I’m off work today. Regardless, I let that good attitude carry over to my diet and ate everything with a much happier heart. And that’s no small task given our dinner from hell: Mediterranean roasted beets, coconut collard greens, and quinoa. The only thing that got me through it was the pace at which I sucked it down. Momentum baby! Too much thinking about it and your dead meat. PSA: Beets will make your urine a funny reddish. Do not be alarmed, it’s not blood. Well, it could be but probably not. Hard to say really. The beets could be masking the blood. And they taste so awful that it would make sense if your insides started to turn on each other in an act of defiance towards their master, resulting in all out war zone. Nevermind… it probably is blood.

Day 6: By now, I’ve mastered the art of the Detox chug, so I’ve got that going for me today. However, food wasn’t my favorite: chickpeas, spinach, and avocado don’t exactly scream breakfast of champions. And I learned that there is something worse than roasted beets… cold, leftover roasted beets in my salad. Dinner was good though: kabocha squash with garlic tahini filling and steamed vegetables. Considering today’s menu and the fact that I don’t get my weekly treat, my attitude was quite remarkable… or I’m in a state of hilarious denial. Eight days left! NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOooooooooo.

Day 7: Really good day today. Food was solid, including our kabocha squash soup (yep, you use your leftovers often times to make meals for the next day) and edamame and roasted corn succotash dinner. Energy was again a non-issue. I had zero energy issues during my solo trip to the zoo with the kids (with Silas on my back no less). Unlike last week, I managed a short-nap (though still couldn’t do my usual 2 hour+ Sunday snooze fest). Plus it concluded the use of the Detox, which, true to their word, never did result in constant potty breaks.

The Ultimate Reset Results: Week 2

I continued to have more energy, only needing green tea one time for a little pick-me-up. My digestion stayed great. And, I lost 4 more pounds! This means I’ve lost 13 pounds in just two weeks… without even exercising.

The Ultimate Reset Week 2 Conclusion

This week was much harder than last week. While I rarely felt hungry, I missed some good ole fashioned animal proteins. And more than that, I missed dinner out with my wife.

I also miss exercise. While it’s great to get these kind of results with no exercise, I miss getting my heart rate up and sweating a ton. I got great results from P90X2 by combining clean eating AND smart exercise. I’m really missing the second half of that equation.

But one thing I don’t miss, beets. In fact, I will never, ever miss beets. Ever.

I’m coming to really appreciate how this process is making me examine my relationship with food. I tell my kids all the time that every meal doesn’t have to be our favorite… and if it does, we need to assess our priorities. Food is a gift that can be enjoyed, but when it becomes a daily focus, there is some serious introspection to do. We need to think of food as fuel first and foremost, and The Ultimate Reset is helping me do just that.

Ultimate Reset Week 3, here I come!

If you’d like to learn more about The Ultimate Reset CLICK HERE or CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE ULTIMATE RESET.

The post The Ultimate Reset Review: Week 2 appeared first on Gym Optional.

Week 1 on The Ultimate Reset

Day 1: The Ultimate Reset started today, and I have to say, it wasn’t so bad. The food was great (eggs/spinach/toast for breakfast, salad for lunch, salmon/potatoes/asparagus for dinner), nice and fresh… really, how it should always be. Drank plenty of distilled water. And the supplements are easy to take, with perhaps the exception of the Alkalinizer, which had some funkiness to it. The hardest part was the lack of caffeine. Felt slightly tired most of the day and am fading fast tonight. But all and all, a good first day, which should be expected given how we’re just getting going.

Day 2: Another decent day for The Ultimate Reset. Food was solid (got to have a bean & rice taco at dinner with a healthy side of guacamole). The Alkalinizer hasn’t grown on me any though. Yuck. Otherwise the supplements are simple. But the timing of the supplements has proven difficult to get in a much needed snack. I’ll have to work on that. Been sleepy a bit but hopefully that will improve.

Day 3: No real complaints on the taste of the food: good flavors and great variety. In fact, we had homemade nori wraps! I liked them so much I purchased this awesome Sushi Made Easy device to help simplify the process, which leads me to my next point: the food prep is quite an endeavor. For the uninitiated, it’s like Culinary Boot Camp. But there’s merit in that I believe, as it makes us more in tune to what we’re putting in our bodies as we move away from buying factory foods.

Still a little sleepy during the day and have been fighting some mild headaches since yesterday. The Ultimate Reset guidebook said this is normal, but to not take anything for it. So I haven’t. My guess is it’s the lack of caffeine. Oh what I’d give for some ibuprofen!

Day 4: The headaches have gone away, but the sleepiness hasn’t. I haven’t been getting the good rest I was expecting and I think it’s due to the high water consumption. The Ultimate Reset suggests taking your body weight, divide it in half, and that number in ounces is how much distilled water you should have. I think I’ve done more than that, which is permissible assuming you don’t mind two to four trips to the potty in the middle of the night. I do mind so I’m cutting back.

Day 5: One of the harder things for me about this cleanse is not having anything to drink with my meals. You are not supposed to drink anything 30 minutes before or after a meal but sometimes, it’s really helpful to have a glass of something to wash down that dry whole-grain toast. But I press on.

Day 6: Today started with an unusual breakfast of baked tempeh with avocado and kale. Not a typical breakfast and frankly, not something I’d want to eat again really. It wasn’t bad, but not how I want to start my day. The root medley and zucchini cashew soup dinner on the other hand was wonderful, the surprise hit of the week for me. Sleep still hasn’t been great. But the hardest part about today was not having my weekly Saturday night treat which usually consists of a giant cookie and a Diet Coke, while watching a movie. I really look forward to this each week, so that was a little bit of a struggle.

Day 7: This was the first day I’ve noticed a difference in how I feel: I have more energy. Now I’m not one who usually struggles in this area, but I’m also one who can take a nap most any day, not because I’m exhausted, but because I just love naps. However today, I couldn’t sleep. As with my Saturday night treat, I really look forward to my Sunday afternoon nap. So on one hand this was a bummer. But on the other hand, hey, I’ve got more energy and I feel really good. My wife mentioned she noticed her energy levels increasing as the week went on as well.

The Ultimate Reset Results: Week 1

I had more energy. My digestion was already good but probably slightly improved. And, I lost 9 pounds! In all fairness, my starting weight was probably exaggerated from some poor eating choices the prior weekend. But still, even if it’s only 5 pounds, that’s significant.

The Ultimate Reset Week 1 Conclusion

This week wasn’t easy but it wasn’t brutal. I rarely felt hungry thanks to a nutrient-packed, filling menu and increased water consumption. I missed my caffeine early in the week and really missed my Diet Coke. But those are things I need to cut way back anyway. Only one supplement is gross, but it’s doable. And while there were a couple strikes on the menu, there were plenty of hits and a few home runs. Excited to see what happens during The Ultimate Reset Week 2!

If you’d like to learn more about The Ultimate Reset CLICK HERE or CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE ULTIMATE RESET.

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I just wanted to let you know that your daughter asked if she could do the Tony and the Kids workout video. She finished up my ab workout with me, then did Tony and the Kids. After that, she asked if she could have Shakeology for lunch.

Ahhhh… my heart melted.

But did you know that in this country, roughly 36% of adults and 17% of children are obese? Notice that the adult obesity rate is twice as high. You see, our kids aren’t necessarily destined to be obese. They grow up and learn from us, the balloon-fillers.

The good news is that while they can pick up our bad habits (Myla, our seven-year-old has picked up my bad tone of voice. UGH!), they can also pick up our good ones too.  We are far from perfect parents, but one thing we do relatively well is to model good fitness (fitness = exercise + nutrition) habits. Here is how we insure that our kids exercise.

Kids Exercise Step 1: Be consistent

We are morning exercisers for the most part. So when Myla says goodbye to me before school in the morning, it’s usually in the basement where I’m working out. And Gigi comes down to find me there when she eventually wakes up. On days we go to the Y, they obviously go too and understand we are there to workout. Saturday mornings, they know that Kim has her running group. So at least 10 times a week, they see us each exercising. Over the course of a year, that’s over 1,000 impressions (and that doesn’t include the different races we drag them to). If you are trying to model a behavior, doing it sporadically will make no impression at all. Do something 1,000 times a year and it can’t help but to make a difference.

Kids Exercise Step 2: Give them space

We are fortunate to have a basement that has some space for them to be crazy. In fact, we are trying to be very intentional about keeping our basement as open and uncluttered as possible. Kids just need space and freedom to be kids. This will naturally keep them active. And if you don’t have the space in your house, there’s a ton of it outside. No excuses.

Kids Exercise Step 3: Give them gifts that encourage exercise

My primary love language is gift-giving. But what I’m learning is that while kids quickly outgrow toys, they don’t outgrow activity. So Kim and I are trying to be more intentional in giving them gifts that encourage activity. From Wheely Bugs to bikes to balls, there are no shortage of gifts that will encourage your kids to exercise, whether they know they’re exercising or not. Last year we bought them a small, indoor/outdoor trampoline and they love it, as do their friends. And don’t be afraid to go old school. Our girls have jump rope and hula hoop contests and love a good game of Daddy Dodge Ball.

Kids Exercise Step 4: Limit the TV/Computer/Video Games

According to the Neilsen Ratings, “The average American watched 34 hours 39 minutes of TV per week in Q4 2010… ” That’s nearly 5 hours a day! Or look at it another way, that’s nearly 11 weeks of watching TV a year. Just think about that. Eleven weeks of sitting, doing nothing! Almost 1/4th of an entire year spent sedentary. So start by setting the example yourself. Quit watching so much stinkin TV!

And secondly, cut theirs way back. Our kids mostly watch only on the weekends, only for a couple hours at most, and only on Netflix. Why Netflix? We don’t have cable/satellite. And what we’ve noticed is that without the barrage of commercials, our kids aren’t always asking for stuff… because they don’t even know that most of that stuff exists. (DISCLAIMER: Again, we do not for a second claim to be perfect parents nor do we have perfect kids… not by a long shot.) And if you really want to give your kids video games, Nintendo Wii, Playstation Move, and Xbox Kinect all offer exercise encouraging games. But even still, I’d set limits. Hard for a controller and TV screen to beat the real thing.

Kids exercise when you exercise: Conclusion

There are other obvious examples to encourage healthy lives, such as sports and dance. And there are less obvious examples, like recruiting your kids to help you rate smoothie recipes on your blog. Whatever you do, do something. When you are intentional and start combining the steps above with things like being diligent about controlling their sugar intake,  not being fooled by “healthy” foods, and learning the power of praise, your kids will be well on their way.

Remember, to have active kids, you have to be actively engaged.

You’ve been challenged… now GO!

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Subway?

Wrong.

Whole Foods?

Wrong again. Last chance.

Google Cafe?

(Insert loud buzzer noise here)

No my friend, that’s the picture on the wall of the Thornton’s Gas Station near my house.

AHHHHH, now it makes sense, right? Cause, you know, all that healthy, fresh food gas stations are famous for, like the enormous produce section pictured on the right. Seriously, I didn’t plan that. That was all the produce they had, which actually worked out quite well because I was really jones’n for a bunch of lemons.

So how does one make lemonade out of situation like this? Well, the most important thing is to be intentional. Gas stations should be on nobody’s regular stops for meals. If you’re in a pinch, you might find a halfway decent protein bar, or maybe some chocolate milk after a nice long run. But for the most part, you should avoid gas station food.

So you don’t eat at gas stations often? Good. But I have some bad news. As much as marketers would like you to believe it, fresh does not equal healthy. I’ll say it again: fresh does not equal healthy.

Take for example, the fast-casual “Mediterranean-inspired” Zoe’s Kitchen. Their slogan is “Simple. Tasty. Fresh.” The atmosphere is a modern, clean feeling and most of their food is made to order, on the spot. All good things and I’m a fan. But that doesn’t mean their food is good for you. Check out Zoe’s nutritional calculator on their pimento cheese sandwhich. I don’t care if the grass-fed cow was milked seconds before you ordered, hard to see too much good about a 37 fat gram sandwich with nearly 1,000 milligrams of sodium. Chicken pita pizza sound better? It’s not. 50% more calories and 2.5 times the sodium as their cheese sandwich.

And because I’m an equal-opportunity offender, let’s take a look at my beloved Qdoba. I’m a Mexican food super fan. I’ve written a manifesto on how to eat healthy at Mexican restaurants. And the same rules would apply to Qdoba because even though it’s made right before your eyes (aka “fresh”), one look at the nutritional calculator and you’ll be running for rice cakes and alfalfa sprouts. 3-cheese nachos rang in at 60 grams of fat and over 1,000 calories. A chicken quesadilla came in at nearly an equally appalling 940 calories and 53 grams of fat. No bueno!

And don’t get me started on Subway.

Now my point of all this isn’t to dream squash the occasional pile of nachos or chicken pita pizza you’ve planned for as a cheat meal . In fact, I even encourage cheat meals. Nor am I saying that these examples are worse than your standard McWhopfila. They’re probably much better…. probably. And furthermore, to their credit, Zoe’s, Qdoba, and many other restaurants do offer some legitimately healthy meals, as well as give you access to nutritional calculators, allergen information, and more.

My point of all this is to encourage you to double down on your nutrition intentionality. Be aware of your environment. And make ZERO assumptions about your food, regardless of where you’re getting it (that includes Trader Joes, Earth Fare, and the like… I constantly see out of shape people at such stores… perhaps they’re in better shape than they use to be… or perhaps they’re eating too much of a good thing… or perhaps what they’re eating isn’t as good as they think, it’s just better than alternative items at traditional grocery chains).

You see, it’s a marketer’s job to make money for his clients. Nothing wrong with that. But it’s your job to be aware of his job while making smart food choices, which includes going easy on all that chocolate milk he’s now marketing you.

You’ve been challenged… now GO!

The post Healthy eating can be an illusion appeared first on Gym Optional.

Did I have problems with dairy? Let’s take a look.

I didn’t think I had any problems with dairy, but for my August Action Item of the Month (AIM), I went off of it to find out. The verdict after 30 days of not eating dairy? DRUMROLL… I felt no discernible difference whatsoever. I was almost disappointed by this. I was expecting something revolutionary based on the way some folks talk about their problems with dairy. But when I stopped to think about this, it made a lot of sense seeing as how I don’t eat a ton of dairy to begin with (hindsight is 20/20… duh!). The hardest time for me to not have dairy was on my weekly cheat meal (yes… I cheat… and here’s how you can cheat on your diet too). No queso burrito. No cheeseburger. No big ol’ pizza for me.  There were several times we made homemade pizzas, but I had to resort to vegan cheese. Word to the wise: All vegan cheese is not made equal. While I don’t encourage men to eat too much soy, I will only eat soy-based Vegan cheese from this point forward. You have been warned.

If I don’t have problems with dairy, I should eat it, right?

So the question now becomes, if I don’t feel any different, I guess I should go back on dairy, right? Well, yes and no. I mean there are things that aren’t necessarily good for us that might not affect the way we feel, such as onion rings or this monstrosity (on second thought, that most definitely will affect the way we feel):

Get milk?

You see, chances are, problems with dairy aren’t because dairy is “bad” in and of itself. In fact, it can be quite healthy with beneficial enzymes, proteins, and the infamous calcium benefit, among other things. The way I see it, there are two problems with dairy. The first problem is that the quality of the dairy is bad. Take for instance the iconic American Cheese slice, wrapped up all cute and ‘purty. Did you know that technically it has to be called “cheese product“? Not a good sign. Reminds me of movie popcorn “butter flavoring.” So not only are dairy products highly processed much of the time, but they’re also coming from non-organic milk sources, which means the cows have been given medicines and hormones to keep them productive.

The second problem with dairy is the quantities in which we eat it. Our diet in this country has our ratios ALL screwed up. Too much simple sugar. Too much meat. Too many carbs. Too much dairy. Not enough fresh produce. But it doesn’t mean that some meat, carbs, or dairy is bad.

So put these two problems together and what do you get? Highly processed dairy from poor quality sources consumed in large quantities. It’s no wonder people report feeling better when they stop eating it.

So there’s my experience with forgoing dairy for a month. And this is the very point of taking AIM at your health: to learn something about yourself, see how you feel, what you notice, what is realistic, what isn’t, and what will help you move towards your fitness goals. It may lead to a permanent lifestyle change, it may not. But it’s only 30 days, so it’s not a huge deal, especially when you take it one day at a time.

So let me encourage you to step out of your comfort zone, give up something for a month, and see what you learn. You can always add it back, but you may find that you don’t want to.

You’ve been challenged… now GO!

The post Problems with dairy? Here’s one way to find out. appeared first on Gym Optional.