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

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

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

Fat Loss Tips 2019

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Fat loss. Don’t over think it. I know that’s easier said than done. I also know that there’s a lot of information out there on the subject, some good, some bad, some misleading. Keep it as simple as possible. Understand, you must eventually learn to eat healthier foods in amounts (portions) that are also healthy. As Americans, we don’t do this well. We over-eat and over-drink much of the time. What’s worse is most of our food is highly processed with added sugar and salt. It might as well be poison. Add to that all the sitting we do. Add to that overworking and undersleeping. Add to that caffeine addiction. Add to that the stress of modern living. Add to that chronic dehydration. Add to that little or no exercise. It’s no wonder there are such serious health problems with obesity constantly on the rise. Its so bad now that children are being affected as early as grade school. The medical, insurance and pharmaceutical companies profit from it. Its unlikely that things will improve anytime soon. It’s up to each of us to take ownership over the things we can control, which is actually quite a lot. Above is just a quick list that I jotted down earlier to give examples of a few healthy habits that I believe work. What are you waiting for? Death & disease? Please don’t. Take back your health. #nutrition #healthylifestyle #bssbbooks #personaltrainer #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Jun 26, 2019 at 10:55am PDT

You want Fat Loss not just Weight Loss

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Fat Loss. If it were easy, no one would be fat. It might not be easy, but it’s certainly not impossible and truth be told, it’s not really all that complicated either. Yes, there are some concepts that must be understood but after that, results come primarily from self-control and consistency. However, what works for one person might not work for the next. Remember always, we are each unique. Today, I just wanted to share a few random things I thought you should know about Fat Loss in general, most of which apply to everyone. Remember, when it comes to Fat Loss, nothing will ever be more important than healthy, consistent Diet/Nutrition habits! #nutrition #fatloss #fatlosstips #fatlosshelp #fatlossjourney #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Jun 24, 2019 at 12:11pm PDT

Fastest way to get FAT?

 

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Like it or not, there is only one major reason why most of us would ever not eat what we want and exercise regularly. It is to improve they way we look. Yes, there are absolutely other important reasons but that one is at the top of the list for most humans. This means that knowing how to improve the way we look in the shortest amount of time is also desirable. How about (re)thinking this whole equation in complete reverse… WHAT IS THE FASTEST WAY TO GET FAT? When looking at things from such a perspective, some things may become more clear. Even if this doesn’t apply directly, it can still be a great little exercise to do from time to time. Reverse engineering can be VERY helpful in any situation if or when things become unclear and fuzzy. #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox #austinpersonaltrainer #healthandwellness #healthandfitness #fatloss

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Apr 22, 2019 at 9:23am PDT

Food for thought…

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Food for thought (pun intended). Our bodies adapt to what we demand of them. Meal frequency is certainly a good example. There is no perfect (or best- or correct) number of meals to aim for. Some people do well eating as many as 6 meals a day, some as few as 1. Just about anything can work over time, barring we don’t have any medical issues. Why does most everything work? Because our bodies were made to adapt to what we do (or don’t do) to them. This happens with learning, movement, environments we become immersed in over time, etc. This is essentially how we adapt, survive and evolve. Nothing happens over night but over time. Again, I’m not recommending one specific way of eating or meal frequency. Each of us must search and find what works best for any given goal or situation. Personally, I do know that the more often I eat each day, the more likely I am to over-consume calories. Also, the more times a day i “need” to feed, the more high-maintenance I become. Eventually, hunger becomes a major distraction, something I’m not interested in at all. (Interesting side note: there are studies that have demonstrated that the human body may in fact better resist disease and aging by simply consuming less food over a lifetime. However, as these are still theories…). For years I ate 5 meals a day. It might sound like pure joy but it’s not when you eat healthy. I didn’t enjoy having the burden of 5 meals and wanted to feed less but was honestly afraid I’d lose muscle or somehow harm my health. I eventually experimented with 2-3 meals a day, which was difficult at first. It took a couple of months for my body to adjust. Now it’s easy. I never lost muscle. I never lost energy. I actually feel better than before. This was a great fit for me. I made this change after turning age 40. Like I said, I’m not recommending you do what I did. My point is to tell you not be afraid to experiment and challenge your “norms”. We each must find what works for us. There are also theories now that suggest incredible benefits from limiting “feeding” hours to 8-10 hours each day. Things to ponder. #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Nov 12, 2018 at 7:22am PST

New Weekly Tipz! What is your Protein source at each meal you eat during the day? How many grams of Protein (roughly) are you eating each day? What is Protein? You should know the answers to all of these if you are concerned at all with your health or the way you look. Today, I talk briefly about a few of these things…

New Weekly Tipz! So this week, i wanted to talk some about sleep. It is easily one of the most underappreciated things we will ever do. Honestly, i think i could go longer without food than sleep. And that’s saying a lot for me! There are s o many factors that affect our sleep but this i know, most sleep problems are simply a symptom that our lives, overall, are completely out of balance. Don’t worry, it happens to all of us. I go over some helpful tipz and a few things that have worked for me…

New Weekly Tipz! This week is a talk on METABOLISM, as simple as i can put it. It’s not a short video but i think it’s well worth listening to. Understanding the basics is essential to success. Metabolism IS the “basics” of our body and it’s many functions.