MetroSource Magazine Article – The Pre-Travel Workouts

GETTING IN SHAPE FOR TRAVEL

As published in MetroSource Magazine, April-May 2011

Growing up in Portland Oregon in the 50’s, long distance travel was never high on my family’s agenda. Somehow I got a travel itch that started in high school and it hasn’t stopped. It’s not as easy now. I used to hitchhike and we all used to be able to walk on and off planes to see our friends off on their trips.

JUST SITTING AROUND

The most challenging part of traveling is sitting. Whether we are traveling by car, train or air, our bodies are badly supported with seats that push our shoulders forward and make our lower backs scream with inflammation and stress.  Once we arrive, hotel beds and pillows aren’t always up to the support standards that keep our bodies healthy.

ARRIVING SHARP

Whether we’re traveling for business or vacation, we want to arrive feeling rested and strong, not tired and achy. The time to insure this is prior to travel. Make a plan and perform exercises that target endurance and core muscle groups to achieve this goal.

PRE-TRAVEL PLANS

·      For vacation travel, get committed three weeks before your departure date.

·      If you travel for business, incorporate this formula into your workout regime.

·      Dedicate three days a week to fitness conditioning for travel.

·      Include a yoga or stretch class at least one day a week.

·      Include two 30-40 minute cardio sessions each week between weight workouts.

·      Get a massage every week to work out any existing stiffness.

·      Adjust your diet so it’s low in fats and carbohydrates and heavy in protein and vegetables.

·      Eliminate inflammatory foods: sugar, anything fried, alcohol and excessive salt.

STRENGTH-TEST YOURSELF

On Day 1, you will Test your strength and endurance with this simple (yet challenging) routine outlined below.  Each week, you will perform the strength test and time how long it takes you to complete. At the end of three weeks, your goal is to shave time off your initial performance.

·  Start with 10 Squats

·  Move directly to 10 Push-ups 

·  Then follow with 10 Crunches. 

·  Immediately stand and repeat the sequence 9 more times. 

Stop if you have to, but your goal is to complete all of the movements with no rest between them. This routine targets your legs, abs and upper body and will give you a good cardio workout.

TRAVEL FIT WORKOUTS

Here are 3 days worth of exercises. I recommend doing them Monday, Wednesday, Friday separated with cardio on Tuesday and Thursday.

Perform each exercise 3 times with a goal of 15 repetitions for each – excluding the Strength Test, perform that just once.

Day 1:

1.              Strength test workout

2.              Medicine ball woodchop

3.              Cable side twists

4.              Stability ball dumbbell press

5.              Stability ball dumbbell flyes

6.              Barbell upright rows

7.              Dumbbell bicep curls

Day 2:

1.              One arm dumbbell row

2.              Wide grip cable pull down

3.              Narrow grip cable pull down

4.              Seated leg extensions

5.              Hip dips on stability ball

6.              Dumbbell weighted squats

7.              Stability ball crunches

Day 3:

1.              Medicine ball weighted sit-up

2.              Oblique crunches

3.              Plank on stability ball (hold for 10-60 seconds)

4.              Dumbbell side lateral shoulder raises

5.              Dumbbell single arm shoulder presses

6.              Push-ups, toes on stability ball

7.              Triceps rope push downs

You can find instructional videos to all of the exercises      at Rick Dinihanian's Channel on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/user/rickdinihanian?feature=mhsn

Train your Mind,Train your Body,Tame your Tongue
Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. Never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider. 

Turning 61

May 27, 2010

There are billboards and ads everywhere announcing the release of “Sex in the City 2” on May 27^th. My favorite is one with high heels in the sand and the girls looking as comfortable as if they were walking on a red carpet. No sinking heels in that sand dune. We love Hollywood because it makes the impossible – real. (Photoshop does too) Making the impossible – real is one of my favorite things about California. The whole state lives in the sunny land of possibility. 

May 27^th is also my birthday – I just turned 61 – and I was lucky to spend most of my life in California so that even the last 6 years of living in New York hasn’t changed my mindset. New York is solid, and the city is all about business, no flirting and teasing. But I had to stop for a few minutes and think about my life because it’s always been a combination of California and New York.

Flirting,Teasing & Love

I love the flirting and teasing and the exploration of new ideas and teachings. The concepts that I love get more attention and eventually become part of my life. They become part of the “business of life”.

The same applies to “fitness life”.  For my birthday this year I explored kickboxing and was surprised by how much I loved it. It really helps to love everything we do, even if it’s tough work. Having a “flirt affair” with the treadmill or dumbbells at the gym is a great start. I like to “date “ different kinds of workouts too and then get down to business. The tease comes from watching our bodies change while we’re doing this.

Looking at my body as a business enterprise has been pretty easy. I used to build graphic design projects from a napkin concept to finished campaigns. The ones that were the best always had a special relationship to the businesses that hired me.

If you’re an actor, dancer, or in my case, a lifestyle coach and fitness trainer, it’s obvious that our bodies are important for our careers. But it’s no different for bankers or corporate vice-presidents – a fit body tells the world that you’re focused, strong, and flexible enough to navigate life. No bag of Doritos or financial glitch is going to knock you off course. You’re dependable.

When you believe that you are worth the effort to stay fit and healthy others will believe in your worth as well.

If you can take care of yourself then you can take care of company business… or your client’s – that’s one hidden message. You’ll get promoted instead of someone else – that’s a message that’s not hidden.

Creating our Future

Think of health and exercise this way – working out is like creating a “Fitness 401k”. The more we stock away, the stronger our “F401k” is. The longer we do it, the more we have in reserve. Of course diversity is also security. That means creating strong minds and lifestyle training as much as having a strong body.

If you’re 30, start your “F401k” now. You’ll start compounding the benefits early. If you’re 60 or older, it’s not too late to tap into the unlimited possibilities that a healthy strong body offers you for your future.  If you don’t believe me, maybe it’s time to take a trip to Hollywood.

Train your Body. Train your Mind. Tame your Tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. You should never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider.

Rest Soft – Get Hard

Last week I wrote about sleep. An extension of the fantastic healing power of sleep are days off from intense workouts. We refer to those as rest or recovery days. They’re one of the most overlooked pieces of the muscle building equation.

Lean Muscle Builder

When we do intense weight training and muscle building, our muscle fibers break down. As the muscle repairs itself during rest, it becomes stronger and grows.  If we don’t rest, how can we expect to gain in the lean muscle mass department? Fat loves it when you don’t rest enough. Muscle is just the opposite. Rest and recovery means days off and at least 8 hours of sleep every day.

Last weekend I had a photoshoot for a national fitness magazine (more about that in a future blog). One of the hardest things for me to do when training for this day was keeping my commitment to resting and recovery. Personally, it’s easier for me to go workout, than take a day off and chill, but I knew that the only way to show up my best was to avoid overtraining and get the rest days in.

Balancing your Auto Pilot

When we push our training to the limit, our body is mostly functioning with the help of our “sympathetic nervous system”. This system is responsive to our body’s requirements during times of increased activity and stress. When we are resting, the “parasympathetic nervous system” takes over. Both of these systems are part of our autonomic nervous system, made up of nerves that control and help maintain body functions without our awareness. Things like breathing, heart rate, blood flow and digestion. Both systems work together. When we keep them balanced, we’re functioning in a healthy zone – another reason for taking that day off and a good night’s sleep.

Rest Soft, Get Hard

Resting doesn’t mean parking on the couch with a box of donuts. It means consciously choosing to get 8 hours sleep and taking a day off from our regular gym routine to do something different. We’ll be resetting our metabolic process, increasing muscle growth and preparing ourselves for a better workout on the next day.

While training for the magazine shoot, my best workout days were those after I had a full day off from the gym and plenty of sleep. I made sure that the day before the shoot I let all my muscles rest. It was a mental challenge to stay away from the gym, especially since I was nervous about the shoot (I’ll confess to a light run though, it keeps me grounded). On the day of the shoot I didn’t need to do much of a pre-shoot pump to be photo ready.

Mind Programming

Think of it this way. Our internal mechanism is working really hard to build new muscle and burn fat. By giving it a break from new tasks it will to catch up (rebuild you) and really get you into great shape. So take a day off and go dancing, ride your bike, hike in the woods, have sex in the afternoon, sail your boat, or just go for a walk in the park… your body will still be working hard – just without the intense muscle work you do on other days.

Train Your Body. Train Your Mind. Tame Your Tongue.

Thanks to Adam Razak for inspiring this blog.
Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional, health care provider or nutritionist. Never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your wellness professional

10 Beach Body Tips

1.   Eat Often

Space your meals out three hours apart and make them small.  Aim for three “meals” and two or three snack size meals. You’ll kick-up your metabolism this way. If you’re still full after three hours, you ate too much at the last meal.

2.   Go Green

Fill up on vegetables. They don’t weigh a lot on the calorie counter, but they’ll fill you up, add fiber and insure your supply of vitamins and minerals. Go for cruciferous vegetables and dark leafy greens.

3.   Drink it up

Drink water. If you’re under-hydrated, your body will hoard water and you’ll feel bloated. Plus water helps your body process toxins and to eliminate lactic acid after you’ve worked out. You’ll want to drink at least one ounce of water for every two pounds you weigh.  Have at least 8 ounces of water ½ hour before a meal, and minimize your water intake at meals to small sips. You want your digestive fires undiluted for the best metabolism of your food. Sodas and juices are not water.

4.   Choose Proteins

We burn about 25% of the calories in each gram of protein while it’s being digested. Compared to carbohydrates (which only take about 6%) protein wins on the calorie burn race. And protein will give you the fuel to build the muscle you want.

5.   Cut your Carbohydrate Intake

But don't cut it completely. Here’s a trick. Alternate low carb and normal carb days like this:  

Give yourself two days with one serving of carbohydrates like brown rice, white sweet potato or quinoa. Replace the missing carbs on these two days with vegetables and protein. On day three, have four servings of carbs. Then repeat for a second time. When you’ve done this cycle, limit yourself to 3 servings of carbs per day.  You’ll notice your body shift. One serving is about the size of your clenched fist.

6.   Challenge Yourself

If you weight train on Monday, Wednesday and Friday then hit the gym for an additional cardio blast on Tuesday and Thursday – and make these two days “challenge” days. Aim to run farther in the same amount of time, or to increase your time from 20 minutes to 25 minutes. Every week challenge yourself to be better than the week before.

7.   Work Up-and-Down

Alternate a lower-body set with an upper-body set when training with no rest between the two sets. Pause 60 seconds and repeat the routine. Do this 3 times for a total of 6 sets. You’ll be resting your lower-body while performing an upper body set and vice-versa.

8.   Do the Big Ones

Work your big body parts. Heck, work your arms too. But focus on your bigger body parts. Working them will create the calorie burn and muscle you want. Your abdominals get worked every time you do a squat, lung, bench press or pull down. Do your abs workouts, but don’t count on them to produce a six-pack. Getting lean and putting muscle on the rest of your body is a better solution.

9.   Sleep Deep

At night our bodies detoxify things like lactic acid as well as emotional waste. When it’s doing that, it’s also secreting growth hormones that we want to build muscle. Besides, you know how good you feel, and how much energy you have to work out after a solid nights sleep. 

Try this for 10 days: Take a warm shower (or better yet, soak in a bath with magnesium flakes) before you sleep every night; your skin holds surface tension from all the electro-magnetic fields you’ve been exposed to during the day disrupting your sleep. 

           

10.   Get Smaller, Look Bigger

When you lean down, your body will be smaller and tighter. Your jeans won’t fit anymore, but you’ll actually look bigger because your muscular definition will be more visible. So eat more often, on smaller plates and double up on your cardio. If you make your mantra “yes I can”, you’ll be beach ready before summer.

Train your Body. Train your Mind. Tame your Tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. Never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider.

Fit for Takeoff

The April-May 2010 issue of MetroSource , an upscale business guide for New York City and Los Angeles, includes an article that I wrote entitled “Fit for Take-Off”.  It’s about exercising when you are away from home and gives you a great Hotel Gym Workout.  I thought I’d share it with you here– especially for everyone outside of MetroSource’s distribution area.  

Traveling on Madonna’s “Sticky and Sweet” tour gave me a chance to experience a lot of hotel gyms. Guest conscious establishments, like the Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton, know their guests are fitness savvy and provide their gyms with amazing equipment.  Regardless of where you’re staying, most hotels with a gym will provide you with hand weights and dumbbells for working out.

Fit for Takeoff

MetroSource Magazine

Most of my clients are gearing up for bathing suit weather with spring just around the corner. Since it’s also a time for travel, I’m giving those of you who have some training a “portable workout” that is primarily dumbbell-based because most every gym has them.

I love coming back from a trip feeling energized and more fit than when I left. You will too, if you take this program along with you. It’ll help you knock out your training anywhere. For those of you who are just getting started, you may need some instruction first, but don’t use this caution as an excuse to sidestep exercise. Almost anyone can use cardio equipment and do simple abdominal and floor exercises.

Workout Notes

Warm up for each weight workout with five to 10 minutes of cardio. Complete three sets of 12 repetitions for each weight exercise. Target three sets of 25 reps for each abdominal exercise. If you can’t do that, set a benchmark that’s just above what you think you can do and shoot for that number. Do 20 to 40 minutes of “interval training” on your cardio days. If you don’t have the endurance or time for a 40-minute stretch, get up, grab some coffee and hit the gym before breakfast for a 20-minute cardio blast, then come back at the end of the day before dinner and give yourself another 20 minutes. (As an added bonus, you won’t feel guilty if you eat dessert.)

The Workout

Day 1: Chest & Triceps

Flat bench, dumbbell chest press

Incline bench, dumbbell chest press

Flat bench, dumbbell flys

Decline pushups

Triceps dumbbell kickbacks

Triceps bench dips

Day 2: Cardio & Abs

Bent knee leg raises

Oblique crunches

Crunches

Day 3: Back & Biceps

Dumbbell row

Pull ups: narrow & wide grips

Dumbbell biceps curl

Dumbbell hammer curl

Day 4: Cardio & Abs

Knee-in on bench

Stability ball abdominal crunches

Stability ball oblique crunches

Day 5: Legs & Shoulders

Squats and lunges

Leg extensions

Seated dumbbell shoulder press

Side deltoid: Seated lateral raise

Front deltoid: standing forward raise

Posterior deltoid: seated bent-over raise

Day 6: Cardio & Abs 

Flat bench crunches

Flat bench bicycle

Flat bench Russian twist

Train your Body. Train your Mind. Tame your Tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. Never begin and exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider.

Master your Body

Every week I receive questions about quick-fixes. They're usually body image related questions. About things like fat burners, bio-identical growth hormone replacement and liposuction. These quick-fixes are countered with questions about self- esteem, resetting our mind to make healthy choices and being in charge of our destiny – the "do it yourself" program. When we look at our body as a whole, instead of looking just at the part we're not so pleased with, we can achieve what we want and become healthier at the same time.

You can’t get the whole body "do it yourself" program at Home Depot, and rarely do you find a doctor who understands body wholeness. It’s a personal commitment that will get you what you want. You have to find out what works for you. I hope I can convey the intensity of the power that we all have – to create what we want. The outcome of what you want may be different from what I want, but the process has a similar path and ending – with more confidence, energy, happiness and a feeling of abundance. You just can’t help that. When you connect with your body, you connect with the flow of the universe.

It’s taken me years to be able to write that, I figured if I shared it, maybe you’d get it faster than I did. These 10 tips can help get you there.

Ten Tips for Spring

Jump Start 

Do this if you’re in an office all day long or haven’t been exercising. Take two breaks during the day and speed walk for 10 minutes. Finish with as many push-ups as you can. At the end of the day, do the same thing. That’s 30 minutes of stress-free cardio. When the days get longer and you’re feeling stronger, turn your 10-minute end of the day cardio into a 30-minute program.

Get Clean

A 14-day gentle “metabolic detox” and clean diet shift will get your metabolism fired up and send your extra weight away. If you’re starting a workout program, do this for a good foundation. The detox will help you reset your eating habits for spring. There are several good detox supplements and diets available. I developed one with my partner Dr. Steven Margolin called the Burn &  Build Body 14-Day Anti-Aging Detox.

Be a Loser

Hop on the scale -- go ahead. Weigh yourself. Now put the scale in the closet and don’t use it for a week. Pretend like you’re on the “Biggest Loser”. Weigh yourself once a week, and pay attention to how your clothes fit. That’s what’s going to tell you how much your body is really changing!

Plan to Succeed

Set your goals for your body. Project 3 months and one year ahead. Now break your goals down into small monthly steps you can master. Always keep your goals in sight, and everyone will think you made achieving them look easy. Remember, you gotta work hard to make it look easy!

High and Low

Get a hormone test. Do a saliva test – it’s the most accurate. Find a doctor who understands this stuff, and work with your doctor to understand your hormone balance. If you’re a guy, you want your testosterone to be dominant. Free testosterone is important to measure as well. Exercise and diet are the primary keys to balancing all hormones.

Nail that Spike

Insulin spikes will take away all your hard work at the gym. Control your sugar and refined carbohydrate intake. Avoid fried and low quality fats. Your liver is one of the keys to healthy hormone balance and production of growth hormone. Love it and take care of it. Lay off excess alcohol, hydrogenated oils and sugars.

Know your Pancreas

This is the organ that secrets insulin. Insulin regulates food storage and metabolism. When you over indulge in sugar (sugar from alcohol and refined “white” carbohydrates count too) you strain your pancreas and gain weight. An unhappy pancreas can eventually stop producing insulin altogether, then you’ll be dealing with diabetes. Can you see your abs? If not, your pancreas is probably overworked.

Have a Drink

Go ahead, have quite a few drinks. Water, that is. Among other things, proper hydration is anti-aging, anti-cancer, anti-allergy and anti-asthma. It also pumps up your muscles. Isn’t that what you’re working out for?  Try these for super-hydration:

1  Add a cup of coconut water to your quart of water, it’s full of electrolytes.

2  Squeeze a lemon, add a pinch of cayenne pepper, a few grains of Celtic sea salt and a spoonful of agave to your water for an alkalinizing boost.

3  Drink pure water and avoid chlorine and fluoride. Coffee and soft drinks don’t count.

4  Ice water shuts down your digestive fires, and is tough on your organs. Stick with cool, warm or room temperature water.

5  Drink at least 50% of your weight in ounces of water. More if you are intensely exercising. For most of us that’s at least 3 quarts of water every day. 

Get Beach Ready

Just eating and walking won’t get you beach ready. Find a gym that’s convenient and one you’ll love going to. Now get yourself there, work hard and break a sweat. Remember those goals you set? Add some “gym goals”. Maybe it’s the number of push-ups and pull-ups you can do. If you want more energy, you’ve got to use it to get it! Give yourself a 60-day challenge, or better yet, do it with a buddy so you can support each other. Be your own “before and after” story.

Freaky Control

You’ll like this. Really. When you take control of your food you’re in charge. When you schedule in your workouts and stay committed, you’re in charge. When you are on the path to the healthy, fit body you want, you’re in charge. When this happens, your feeling of personal power and self-esteem will soar. Friends may want to sabotage your program when you’re out to dinner with them, just know that they’re secretly envious of you.

Train your Body. Train your Mind. Tame your Tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. Never begin and exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider.

Forgetting to stretch

2009 started out slow for me, but by spring, life was really taking off. Maybe it’s because I was born in the spring it’s such an energetic time. My body shakes off winter like a heavy coat that’s been worn one too many days. Accumulated body fat starts to disappear and my brain thinks it’s on a lithium diet.

Running had always taken me through all four seasons.  When I left California for New York, all of that changed. There are a few days in the New York winter that are great for running – but not many, and when you run up in the country you end up on trails that leave your ankles deep in mud.   Photo: Nilaya Sabnis

By the fall of 2009, I’d skipped one of my coaching rules too many times – to stretch. Long runs and minimal stretching sent me home limping. While I was hobbling down the Old North Branch Road, I realized that the pain I felt was in the same place and similar to a knee injury I’d had in high school.

Not being able to run… well, that’s like taking my car keys away. Maybe worse.

I went right into physical therapy with Mark Hall of Encore Physical Therapy.  Mark is known among Broadway dancers and actors as the guy to go to.  I also made sure to get weekly acupuncture, massage and chiropractic treatments. The acupuncture increased healing and reduced inflammation. Therapeutic massage released the very tight leg muscles and tendons that I couldn’t get to on my own. Chiropractic adjustments corrected my misaligned spine (from walking a little lopsided) and gave me an endorphin boost. I supplemented with anti-inflammatory and rebuilding herbs and minerals.

I took my downtime to learn new upper body training forms in the gym, and get a new personal training certification, and I started this blog.

The injury kept healing and after two months I got an “ok” to run. I was back again, with one of those elastic knee braces with side supports, but at least I was running, and yes, I was stretching.

Fierce Interval Training

Instead of long runs, I’m maxing out at 20 minutes now. So far, it’s all on a treadmill. The program is fierce interval training.  My strides are longer then they have been in the past and my form is more like a sprinter than long distance runner with arms tight to my torso with a slight twist in my upper body as I run.

My biggest surprise is that my top speed continues to increase. Because of the longer sprint strides and lighter landings, the impact on my knee has been cut way down. 20 minutes of high intensity interval training is giving me better results than my former long runs.

I’m excited to take my new version of “sprint-slow-sprint” outside on country trails this summer.

Living in pain doesn’t belong in a fitness lifestyle. If you are in acute or chronic pain, get someone to do the bodywork that will help get you out of it. Then get someone to retrain you and watch your every move. While you’re sidelined, get really good at something you weren’t good at before – everything can be an opportunity.

Supplementation to reduce inflammation & speed repair

Borage Oil, Evening Primrose, Blackcurrant Seed:  All these contain gamma linoleic acid (GLA) a fatty acid that the body converts to a hormone like substance called prostaglandin E-1 or PGE1. PGE1 has anti-inflammatory properties, acts as a blood thinner and blood vessel dilator and has been used to support the body in dealing with rheumatoid arthritis, eczema, and other forms of dermatitis, as well as other inflammatory conditions.

Bromelain:  An anti-inflammatory most often used for traumatic injuries and surgery. Bromelain reduces inflammation by breaking down proteins in swollen tissues, support the body in lessening blood clot formation and promote healing.

Quercetin:  Counteracts the production of inflammatory agents produced by the body. Quercetin can aid the body in stopping the multiplication of neutrophils  involved in the production of inflammation causing hormones.

Turmeric:  This is the primary anti-inflammatory herb of Ayurvedic Medicine. Laboratory studies have confirmed its anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic properties.

Ginger:  Is an effective remedy for inflammation and pain.

Other ingredients to look for:  Vitamin A, Vitamin B-12, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Zinc, Selenium

“Joint Pain and Muscle Repair Formula” from Longevity Health in Manhattan is a complex supplement that I found helpful.

Train your Body. Train Your Mind. Tame your Tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. Never begin an exercise, supplement or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider.

Eat to Burn

Six Times a Day

You know that phrase, “ he (or she) eats like a bird”. It usually means that person hardly eats at all. In reality, birds eat all the time. They have to, otherwise they’d be like a 747 without fuel. Grounded.

If we eat properly, our bodies will maintain a normal, healthy weight and composition. If we skip meals, eat junk or binge late at night, we end up looking like a chunky monkey.

I grew up in Eisenhower’s 1950's America with it’s new convenient foods, cars with big and bigger fins and a society that ate 3 square meals a day. You weren’t supposed to eat between meals, at least that’s what the experts said.

This blog is about eating early and often. 6 meals a day – and please don’t make them square! Have three meals and three nutritional snacks, or small meals. Actually, they are all small meals compared to what you’d get with the 3-meal deal.

This blog is also about eating your most important meal, because even though we’re in the era of daily new apps for our phones (Dick Tracy would be trading in his wrist watch) and kindle books, our bodies are still primal mechanisms. So when it comes to eating, think of your body as if you were a Caveman.

Watch and Learn

Let's visit three Caveman scenes that will help explain how our bodies react to starvation / metabolism functions.

Scene 1: Caveman Wakes and Hunts

Caveman wakes up and goes on a hunt. His metabolism kicks in to provide fuel from fat stores so our hero can score breakfast. He’s ravished, so he eats right away – he’s got his protein and vegetables. Because he ate after his hunt, his body knew that there would be plenty of food. It could keep right on burning, no need to horde those fat stores.

His metabolism supported him on the hunt, going into fat burning mode so the Caveman would have energy for his hunt, get food and be alive for another day. He didn’t think about his metabolic burn, it knew when to turn on.

This is the same as doing intense cardio first thing in the morning before breakfast. If you want to burn fat and lean down, do cardio within 40 minutes of getting up, then feed yourself.  But if you skip eating after the cardio your body will really go into starvation mode, hang on to its stored fuel (fat) and you’ll defeat the purpose of all your morning work.

Scene 2: Caveman Wakes and Eats

Caveman wakes up, makes a breakfast with protein and low glycemic carbs. Buttons his suit and walks to the office. He fired up his metabolism first  by having a lean, protein rich breakfast to digest. Plus, his starvation monitors are satisfied that they can relax and burn, burn, burn. It’ll be a good day for them because there’s lots of food. Once again, he didn’t think about his metabolic burn, it knew when to turn on.

The action of digesting food burns between 10 and 30 percent of the total calories you’ll burn each day. Start your metabolic furnace by eating protein and carbs first thing in the morning.

Scene 3: Caveman Wakes and Hangs Out

Caveman wakes up, makes coffee and watches two hours of Netflix. Has more coffee, not knowing that it will dampen his appetite (it raises insulin levels) and make him an "out of control" eater late in the day.

By the time noon comes around his primitive signals have gathered together in the fear of starvation. His metabolic furnace is ice cold. No food, no breakfast, no hunt… must be starvation in the bush today. Mid-afternoon, he gets in his car and picks up a double bacon cheeseburger, fries and a coke. His body knows just what to do with that food now – store it as fat.

So if you’re skipping breakfast, your probably packing on the pounds. Plan the night before, get enough sleep and know what you’ll have for breakfast in the morning.

Every Three Hours

Our body stays watchful, like those hidden spy cams. If you create a starvation situation for your body during the day, all the alarms will go off and your metabolism will come to a screeching halt. To keep this from happening you have to eat small meals every 3 - 4 hours.

Every three hours doesn’t mean mega meals every time you eat, it means moderate portions. You’ll want to eat about as much as you would in 3 normal meals, spread into 6. That’s 3 meals and 3 snacks.

You get the idea here – split those calories up. Smaller portions make your digestive process fire-up, and allow your body to metabolize food efficiently keeping you energized all day long. If you’re too full after waiting 3 – 4 hours, you probably ate too much at the previous meal.

Learn and Burn

Burn Mode

When we digest protein we burn approximately 25 calories for every 100 calories eaten. 

When we digest fats and carbohydrates we average a burn of about 10-15 calories for every 100 calories eaten. 


Be generous with the protein, heavy on the vegetables, moderate with fats and carbs.

Body fat does nothing to help your metabolism function or burn calories, but muscle does.  For every pound of muscle you add, your body burns an additional 50 calories every 24 hours.

Muscle takes less space than fat. Lose 5 pounds of fat and add 5 pounds of muscle and you’ll not only look leaner and tighter, you’ll be burning an additional 250 calories every day without doing anything but looking good.

Protein helps your muscles repair after working out. Digesting protein burns more calories than other foods. You’ll burn two times more calories digesting protein than carbohydrates.

Protein, Carbs and Fats

Protein will keep you feeling full longer. Go for lean chicken, turkey, fish, eggs and powdered protein.

Carbohydrates keep your muscles pumped and full and your brain functioning. Your body loves carbs for energy. Keep your intake balanced. If you think I’m talking about “Wonder Bread”, do an experiment and leave it on your counter for the next year. It won’t go bad. Switch to grains like quinoa, brown rice, millet and buckwheat.

If you really want to get "cut", turn off your carb intake at 5 in the afternoon. Eat only protein and vegetables after that.

Dietary fats are different than body fat. Healthy dietary fats will help you burn fat. Fats play an important role in delivering key vitamins. (Vitamins A, D, E and K). Fats also help our body produce essential hormones like testosterone. Eat quality fats and keep you’re your hands off fried foods and trans fats.

Fat free will make you fat! Get your fats from sources like fish, flaxseed, almonds, avocados and olive oil.

Write and Shop 

Get a handle on your food intake. Write down everything you eat, how much and what time you eat. Do this for 4 to 7 days. Knowing where what you eat is the first step in controlling your diet.

Plan to win. Plan your meals. Plan for a couple of days if you can, but certainly for the next day. Write it down. Most of the time you’ll end up right on target.

Fill your cupboard and refrigerator with healthy fruits, vegetables, proteins and grains. You can’t eat them if they’re not around.

A follow-up blog in two weeks – the Metabolic Meal Plan – will give you a six-meal program to get you started. I'll share my meals and snacks that will keep you lean and energized all day long. 


Watch for my Valentine's Day blog next Sunday...  to you from Paris. 

Train your body. Train your mind. Tame your tongue.

Information on this site is not a substitute for consulting a licensed medical professional or nutritionist. You should never begin an exercise or nutritional regime without consulting your health care provider.