Eat Food. Not too Much. Mostly Plants.

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EAT FOOD. NOT TOO MUCH. MOSTLY PLANTS. Don’t let nutrition be confusing. It really made simpl(er). EAT FOOD refers to eating more whole foods and limiting/avoiding the many highly processed foods that make up the majority of a typical Western Diet. So much of our modern food is made using questionable ingredients to extend shelf-life and increase profits. Other foods are made in a variety of unhealthy ways using ingredients that were never meant to be consumed on a regular basis. No one is ever gonna be perfect 100% of the time. The point is not perfection here. The point is for us to evolve our habits and expand our knowledge so that we are more informed about where our food comes from, how it is made and manipulated, what ingredients are used, what impacts all this might have beyond the intended purpose and why/how various food are marketed. This does not happen overnight. This happens over time. Start slowly, build stronger. NOT TOO MUCH is exactly what it sounds like. Most of us consume far more calories than we actually need. The better the quality the food we eat and drink is, the better everything will be. Starvation is not the goal here. The goal is controlled moderation. Another key concept is balancing calories with varying activity levels. MOSTLY PLANTS refers to all things that aren’t animals or animal by-products, which is the majority of what food actually is. I’m not against eating animals. I’m also not completely against eating known unhealthy food on occasion. I myself eat pretty much everything. That choice is mine. That choice is your own as well. Guilt, shame, hate, fear, etc is NOT my message. The message is this: regardless of what foods you do or do not choose to include in your regular diet, consuming more Vegetables, Fruits (and all the many other plant foods that are available) will ALWAYS be a really good option, quite possible the best option. We actually know this already. Most 5 year olds already know this. We just forget sometimes? Well here’s a friendly reminder. #bssbbooks #michaelpollanfoodrules #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #nutrition #healthyfood #drgregerhownottodie #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Dec 5, 2019 at 10:26am PST

WHY DIETS FAIL on Netflix

 

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WATCH THIS ON NETFLIX. There is a lot of confusion surrounding the facts of fat-loss, nutrition, calories, diets, exercise, etc. The photo above is of a 14-minute episode on Netflix. The show is called Explained and this particular episode is from the first season. I think it does a pretty good job of establishing some worthwhile facts. I recommend watching it twice. Here are some highlights. ~There is no perfect diet for everyone. ~Most diets are 1 of 2 categories, Low-fat or Low-Carb. ~All diets work when followed. ~All diets stop working once once not followed. ~The only way to see consistent results is to find a diet and lifestyle that can be maintained until you die. ~Failing to be successful on any diet causes unwanted guilt and shame which can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food. ~Guilt and shame are extremely profitable and will certainly be exploited by many powerful, manipulative industries. ~In 1863 a British author wrote the first ever low-carb Diet Book that became a best seller. ~Food changed drastically after WWII, which led to the Industrial Food Complex and a plethora of unhealthy processed food. ~By the 1980’s, obesity was on the rise, food was more unhealthy and cheaper than ever and we ate/drank more than ever, especially snacks, by about 500+ calories more a day, which has continued until till the present. ~1980-2000 saw a HUGE increase in obesity. It has continues to climb until the present. ~Exercise is great for health but not very good for burning enough calories to lose weight in a healthy way without improvements in the diet. ~Losing weight too fast, doing too much intense exercise and going too low on calories can cause a serious hormonal disruption that may make things much worse in the future. ~Genetics may make it more difficult for some to lose fat but it is by no means an absolute limitation. ~Achieving a consistent caloric deficit is still the most important factor for fat-loss. ~Eat more vegetables & fruits (plants) and less of everything else. ~ ~Consume less calories on days you move less. #whydietsfail #nutrition #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Nov 21, 2019 at 10:33am PST

My Attempts to Make Nutrition Simpler

 

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Nutrition should be Simple. Of course, this is seldom the case. Not knowing what to eat or worse, being scared to eat food, can be a serious problem. Nutrition is about balance NOT imbalance. When someone asks me about anything nutrition related I do everything I can to give very simple advice. Everyone’s in a different place. It’s important to start where you’re at. You may have a health, fitness or cosmetic goal. It may be all three. It’s very important to identify what it is you want and need. Personally, learning to understand the difference between Whole Food and Processed Food is a great place to start. Remember that “Food” is not only limited to what we eat but also anything we drink. We all know what Junk Food is but it doesn’t hurt to refresh. Learn to read Food Labels, not just count calories. Have a working knowledge of all 3 major Macro-Nutrients: Protein, Fat and Carbs. Understand that certain food is more like Medicine and some food is more like Poison. All Diets work because they require paying closer attention to what we consume. Any Diet will fail if we stop doing it. There is no perfect Diet for everyone. We each must find our own way live. Sleep, Stress Reduction and Exercise are important concepts that help with everything when applied appropriately. Don’t be scared to take a small step in a healthier direction. Work on educating yourself. Work to improve one main area at a time. In fact, with regards to Diet, try improving only one meal at a time (ex: breakfast, lunch or dinner). It’s ok if it’s not always perfect. No one is ever perfect all the time. Here’s a short list of my preferred references. 1) Dr Greger’s Daily Dozen list-and phone app 2) Dr Greger’s book, How Not to Die-and NutritionFacts website 3) Michael Pollan’s book, Food Rules 4) Netflix Explained series entitled, “Why Diet’s Fail” 5) Precision Nutrition website. I would highly suggest watching the 14 minute Netflix episode first. It’s a great summary of important information that is often misinterpreted in the media and pop-culture. #bssbbooks #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #drgregor #drgregordailydozen #michaelpollanfoodrules #whydietsfail #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Nov 14, 2019 at 10:15am PST

Counting Calories TIP

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IMPORTANT TIP: When it comes to counting calories, round UP when estimating food (and drinks)…but also round DOWN when estimating calories burned during exercise or daily movement. Rarely is there such a thing as an exact measurement. Even the “calorie” itself varies in measurement. For this reason, numbers are often NOT exact. Even in the wonderful age of digital technology, fancy phone apps, watches and other high tech wearables, etc can only “ESTIMATE” how many steps you walked, heart rate, calories from food, calories burned, etc. Truth is, most of us think we eat (and drink) LESS than we do. We also think we move MORE than we do. Today I rode an exercise bike for 30 minutes at a medium pace. The computer “estimated” that I burned 276 calories. If I were counting calories, I’d round that DOWN to 200 calories, which is only about a can of Coke. A pound of fat is said to be roughly 3,500 calories. Again, this is all an estimation. It should be obvious that using only exercise to lose body fat might not be the best strategy. It must be combined with improvements in nutrition and lifestyle as well! The math can become discouraging quickly. That’s why I don’t typically recommend counting calories and if I do, not for long. But don’t let this get you down. It’s about healthy habits, discipline and consistency. Start slow, build strong. Never stop learning. Never stop improving. Expect delays and obstacles but always keep your head up. Remember that the changes you make only stay that way if you continue to do what is working. In the end, it’s ultimately not about calories and measurements, it’s about health, happiness and quality of life. You want to lose body fat in a healthy way? Eat more vegetables & fruit. Walk a lot more each day. Regularly pick up heavy things (safely) and move really fast (safely). Get proper rest. Drink mostly water. Laugh and smile. Open your heart. Help others. (PS. Don’t let calories rule your life.) #bssbbooks #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #countingcalories #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Aug 29, 2019 at 8:43am PDT

Nutrition, Start with these: A Dark Leafy Green, Blueberries & Flax Seed (ground up/milled)

 

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Fruits, vegetables and many other “plant” foods are important for overall health. They provide many nutrients not found in other foods. Think of them as earth’s natural medicine. It doesn’t mean that you can’t eat and enjoy other foods. Just remember that for optimal health, fat loss and longevity, plant-food is vital. The typical American diet is stocked full with sugar, salt, protein and fat, often entirely too much to be considered healthy. Too much regular exposure to salt and sugar in food tends to make many fruits and vegetables taste bitter and/or bland. Keep this in mind when trying to add more “plants” to the diet. It may take time for the taste buds to adjust. With that said, make no mistake, we were designed to eat plants. Lastly, this week’s recommendations were: 1)a dark-leafy green 2)blueberries, 3)ground-up flax seed (flax meal). Sure you could eat these on their own but it might be a bit awkward and harsh if they happen to be new to you. Google some different ways to incorporate each of them over time. Experiment. This may even require learning to make new meals that include them. Start with just one at a time. Don’t worry about being perfect. Just aim for consistency. Take care of your body, we only get one. Fruits and vegetables are essential for this. #bssbbooks #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #fruitsandveggies #nutritionasmedicine #HowNotToDie #darkleafygreens #blueberries #flaxseed @nutrition_facts_org @precisionnutrition #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Aug 15, 2019 at 5:29am PDT

3 Nutrition Tips

 

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3 NUTRITION TIPS | Regularly I get questions about what to eat and what not to eat. Naturally, I don’t have all the answers. Each of us is very different. With that said, before becoming discouraged or confused or worrying about some specific detail of some recent fad diet, remember this: VEGETABLES & FRUITS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN GOOD AND WILL ALWAYS BE GOOD. By the way, fruits & veggies are considered “whole plants” because they are plants. Much like us, not all plants are created equal but for the most part they will always be better that most of the other foods we as humans eat regularly. So if you have no idea where to start, try this: 1) Eat some Dark Leafy Greens every day. 2) After adding that, aim to get some Blueberries in each day as well. 3) Lastly, and possibly the easiest and least expensive, try adding 1-2 spoonfuls of Flax Meal (ground up flax seeds). I don’t care what else you may be eating at the moment, these have value and are a great place to start. If you don’t like those recommendations, explore other Dark Leafy Greens, or trade the berries for an Apple. The point is to go for the heavy HEALTHY hitters. #bssbbooks #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #nutritiontips #darkleafygreens #blueberries #flaxseed #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Aug 12, 2019 at 2:55pm PDT

Eat Green Leafy Vegetables & Berries PLEASE

 

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#Repost @nutrition_facts_org with @get_repost ・・・ The consumption of blueberries and strawberries is associated with delayed cognitive aging by as much as 2.5 years—thought to be because of brain-localizing anthocyanin phytonutrients, as shown on functional MRI scans. Watch the video "How to Slow Brain Aging by Two Years" on NutritionFacts.org to learn more: http://bit.ly/2rI2WVZ (Link in stories) #HowNotToDie #NutritionFactsOrg #LifestyleMedicine #DailyDozen #DailyDozenChallenge #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Jul 18, 2019 at 5:56am PDT

Simple Fat Loss Ideas

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SIMPLE FAT-LOSS IDEAS. Fat loss seems impossible for some, difficult for many. Often I meet people that tell me they’d like to lose some weight but then a year goes by and nothing happens and no changes are made to diet, activity or lifestyle. I understand things come up. They always will. If this resonates with you, listen up. The simplest thing you could do to begin losing some unwanted body fat is by controlling the portion size of every meal starting today. I’m not even telling you to change what you eat right now, just make each meal smaller in size. Eat less. Think ~25%. (By the way, this is not a quick method, in fact, the opposite. But it’s better than doing nothing. It may even work well for some.) The next thing I would recommend is to start walking more each day, in the form of more actual steps, more movement. You can do this anywhere. If you have a job, the best time is while at work getting paid. Do each of these every day for a year. Trust me, a year is not that long. Just by cutting back on portions and walking more, your health could most certainly be better with very little investment of time or energy. At the very least, things should not be worse. Something is typically always better than nothing. Why would you not start today? #bssbbooks #eatlessmovemore #portioncontrol #healthylifestyle #healthyfood #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Jul 15, 2019 at 2:38pm PDT

Discussion about downshifting meal frequency…

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A question about how to try downshifting from 3+ meals a day down to 2. This is all my opinion. It’s extremely subjective on top of that. Please exercise common sense, discretion, experimentation and patience. ZOOM in to read. Lol. #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Jul 3, 2019 at 11:42am PDT

Fat Loss & Meal Frequency

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We have an obesity epidemic in America. It’s not talked about enough and sadly, very little is being done about it. The issues are obviously many and complex. Ultimately, each of has to take ownership of every decision we make. With that said, most of us are fully aware that as a nation we eat and drink more than we should. Our culture is built around over-indulgence. Add to that the fact that do much of our food is lacking in quality nutrition. I truly believe a major issue lies in how often we eat and drink each day. The body adapts to our habits, especially habits practiced daily, both good and bad. Eating too often may teach the body to crave food more often, much like a stray animal. Some may only eat 1 meal a day while others might feed as many as 6+ times. Neither scenario is wrong. Many options lie between the two. Any arrangement could prove successful but let’s be clear, eating and drinking too frequently begs for problems. Anytime we consume anything (that’s not plain water) we initiate our digestive process. The body responds to every little bite of food and every tiny sip from a drink. We worry so much about calories but a bigger issue might actually be the frequent hormonal response to our constant feeding. It makes sense to me that the more times we feed, the more we teach our bodies to crave food. For fat loss, this can be problematic. In the early 2ooo’s, it was common to recommend 5+ feedings a day. Some had success. Most of us didn’t. I think it was a bad recommendation. I still do. I think it leads to the development of food addiction and false hunger. I firmly believe most of us do better when we limit our meals (“feedings”) to 2-3 a day, avoid snacking altogether most days. It can take time to retrain the body and he mind (so think weeks and months, not hours or days). This is all my opinion and something I think worth considering. Obviously, this might not apply to anyone with serious medical issues. For that, consult with a qualified professional. #nutrition #personaltrainer #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #fatloss #fatlosstips #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Jul 1, 2019 at 2:43pm PDT