Join the 2011 Shape-Dat-Body Challenge

Are you ready to SHAPE-DAT-BODY in 2011? 

Get in your best shape in 2011.  Make the SHAPE-DAT-BODY Challenge your New Years Resolution to be the best you in 2011!  

2011 Shape Dat Body Challenge

Are you ready for the challenge?

 

Every year I go through the process of starting out my year in the gym.  Generally, I hit the gym hard for about 6 months.  Right at the sixth month mark is when I go to a 4 time a week workout because the Summer would have arrived.  The Summer means for me that my Jeep top will be down every day, day trips to the beach, roof top parties, pool-side margaritas, tank tops, and anything that allows me to strip down and show off what I've been working on during those cold cold months.

Will you be ready for the summer in 2011?  Have you made up your mind to finally whip that body in shape?  Now is the time to think of a plan to be ready for the sizzling heat of the Summer.  Join the 2011 SHAPE-DAT-BODY Challenge!

SHAPE-DAT-BODY presents a virtual challenge that will reach national audiences, who will all shape their best body in 2011.  The challenge lasts 26 weeks, with a winner chosen at the end.  This challenge will showcase that no matter where you are on the planet, if you have access to a computer, SHAPE-DAT-BODY can challenge you to build your best body, which will help you get in the best shape you’ve ever been in. 

The major scope of SHAPE-DAT-BODY is to teach the average person how to build their best body.  SHAPE-DAT-BODY is designed for busy professionals, beginner weight training enthusiasts, first time “gym goers,” and those who have tried other programs that haven’t worked in the past.  The core of SHAPE-DAT-BODY’s philosophy is teaching and illustrating the understanding of nutrition and how it affects the body, as well as simple weight lifting routines, which can be used year after year.    

Visit my website at http://shapedatbody.com for more information.  You can also email me directly at followme@shapedatbody.com. 

Artificial Sweeteners Linked To Obesity

http://achieve-fitness.com/blog/2010/07/07/artificial-sweeteners-linked-to-obesity/

Reference:  achieve Fitness

Ever since the birth of artificial sweeteners, we’ve wondered if there was a definite link between these popular sugar substitutes and weight gain, or more specifically, obesity. Varying opinions exist on this controversial topic and it’s difficult to filter through all the information and research out there, much of which has been discredited.

It’s rare that you see fit, lean people walking around drinking diet soda. And just the same, it’s rare to encounter someone who is struggling to lose weight who doesn’t have a 3 diet soda per day habit! Also, when you look at the major jump in the obesity epidemic, it coincides very definitely with the introduction of artificial sweeteners into large quantities of the American food supply. So, common sense tells me that there is a definite correlation between the two, but what does science and research say?

A huge body of research has proven that the human body undergoes a series of hormonal and physiological responses that prepare the body for food intake. This response can be initiated by something as simple as smelling or thinking about food. (We’ve all had the experience of having your mouth water when you smell your favorite treat baking in the oven).Your brain begins to send signals to your body to prepare for the arrival of nutrients in order  to maximize nutrient absorption in the small intestines and to minimize the effects that the food will have on your natural hormone balance.

The trouble is, this same metabolic response occurs when the body is given the sweet taste that is contained within sugar substitutes. When you feed your body non-caloric and non-nutritive sweeteners like aspartame (Nutra Sweet and Equal), saccharin (Sweet and Low), or sucralose(Splenda),it gets confused. These sweeteners make the brain start to send the signals that calories are on  the way and trigger a whole set of metabolic responses and hormone surges. However, when the calories don’t arrive, your brain tells your body to go out and get them! Your appetite naturally increases, even if you’re full, and cravings usually come in the form of high carbohydrate foods to quickly fill the void and feed the insulin response that has already occurred.

A great study was published in the Journal of Behavioral Neuroscience by a group of scientists, doctors, and medical researchers from Purdue University which closely examined the effects of  artificial sweeteners on weight gain. The researchers gave two different groups of rats  some yogurt, one batch sweetened with natural sugar and one with saccharin, then monitored their behavior, eating habits, and physiological changes over the next few weeks. Their findings were eye opening.

The researchers found that the total food consumed over the next 14 days dramatically increased only in the artificial sweetener group. Despite them taking in fewer calories from the yogurt itself, their overall caloric intake following the consumption of the artificially sweetened yogurt increased substantially. Second, this group gained a significant amount more weight than the natural sugar group, and of course, their body fat increased as well. The third finding was that the rats that were fed the artificial sweeteners actually lost several  degrees in their core temperature, which is a definite sign that their metabolism slowed down.
So, not only did the artificial sweetener group of rats gain more weight and body fat, but  their metabolism was indefinitely affected, which led to increased caloric intake well after their initial intake of the sugar substitute.

The point is, not all calories are created equal. Quality can be just as important as quantity.  When foods are low in calories, they don’t necessarily translate into being good choices for weight loss. Furthermore, artificial sweeteners are just that – artificial. The human body is not designed to metabolize chemicals or other unnatural substances! Though sugar is obviously not the answer for weight loss either, at least your body recognizes it and can metabolize it naturally.

 One final thought if you’re still not convinced. The number of Americans who consume products that contain sugar free sweeteners grew from 70 million to 160 million from 1987 to 2000. During this same time period, the incidence of obesity in American has doubled from 15 percent to 30 percent. In addition, within this time frame, the number of Americans who are considered overweight has grown from 30 percent to nearly 65 percent! Wow!

So what’s the bottom line? Avoid artificial sweeteners like the plague! Your weight loss efforts and your overall health will thank you!

Are you getting enough protein?

Are you getting enough protein?

 

In 2008, I decided it was time to take a trip to Afghanistan.  I had served in the military for 10 years and never had the opportunity to be "volun-told" to live in hell-hot heat.  Well, my opportunity came when I started working for a contracting company.  I was asked if I wanted to go to Afghanistan for a while and it took me no time to respond with yes.  Prior to my deployment to Afghanistan, I was living life up with going to weekly parties, countless nights out on the town, and tons of beer filled trips to the beach.  I didn't realize it at the time, but my waist line was gradually get bigger.  Yikes!

So, once I made it to Afghanistan, I decided it was time for me to work on my waist line.  My plan to reduce my waist size include:

1.  Less than 1800 calories per day.
2.  Weight lifting program - Lifting 3 days a week.
3.  30 high intensity minutes of cardio on workout days.
4.  60 to 90 minutes of high intensity cardio on non-workout days.
5.  Sunday was a rest day, also giving me the opportunity to cheat on my calorie intake with cookies, ice cream, and what ever other craving I had. 

With this routine, I managed to lose 25lbs in 5 months.  Boy was I excited.  I was looking lean, mean, and tired.  I was in the gym anywhere form 90 minutes to 3 hours.  The one thing I refused to take was any form of extra protein and/or supplement.  One day, as I was showing off my newly transformed body, I received a comment from a few women.  "You're getting too skinny, guys aren't suppose to look like that!"  I was thinking too myself, dang; it worked for skinny Luther...but then again, I can't sing like skinny Luther.  

At the time I didn't realize it, but while I was on my quest to lose 25lbs, I not only lost fat, but I lost precious muscle, which made my look too skinny.  Had I known the power of protein, I could have probably look ed like a teenage mutant ninja turtle when I left Afghanistan.  Here's the deal.  Your body needs energy to perform any activity.  It generally uses carbs, when available.  But it also attempts to burn fat for fuel as well.  But when your muscles needs to repair themselves, lack of protein means your body using the precious muscle for energy and fuel sources.   

Here are the facts about protein:

1.  Your muscles need protein to repair themselves.
2.  Generally, must people need to consume 1 gram of muscle per pound of lean muscle mass (with a healthy training routine).
3.  Taking protein supplement can be one of the easiest ways to get the amount daily protein needed.
4.  Protein doesn't make you fat, unless you're consuming too much of it or you're not working-out regularly.  
5.  Protein makes up your body's structure.
6.  Proteins are made up of amino acids.
7.  Protein digestion releases nitrogen waste.
8.  Inadequate protein intake damages your body.
9.  Most of the protein we eat is burned as calories.
10.  Many people have increased protein needs.  

BodyHealth.com had this to say about protein consumption, "The body may actually 'eat itself' to acquire the necessary amino acids, or borrow the amino acids from the immune system or body functions to meet its protein needs. If you workout and don't have enough protein to rebuild your body, instead of getting stronger, you will become weaker and be subject to injury. Whether due to restricted diets, illness, skipping meals, poor diet choices, and so on, inadequate protein/amino acid intake can compromise your health and affect body functions."

Reference

http://www.bodyhealth.com/html/biobuilde/key.asp

Do you got the ITIS?

Has this ever happened to you?

You’re busy as crap at work, you have 3,000 things to do when you get home, and plus you still need to hit the gym.  Now you know you’re having a bad day when you have to sing this to yourself:    So after you take care of that, you leave and you start task number 10.  (Yes I know yall do personal stuff on company time…hell…we all do.)  Task number 10 is completed, and then you head home.  You take care of a few other errands around the house, but somehow you end up sitting on your couch or your bed.  You tell yourself, “Self…if you sit your ass down, you know you’re going to fall asleep…don’t do it!!”  After having this very personal conversation with yourself, you sit down anyway.  After all this….the ITIS attacks!!

Oh boy…when the ITIS comes…it comes.  It’s like a big slap in the face.  So as you’re probably not even fighting sleep at this time, you tell yourself you’ll only sleep for one hour and then you will go to the gym once you wake up.  Now…who are you kidding?  You know good and well that after a long day at work that once that ITIS slaps you, you might as well set that alarm for tomorrow morning’s wake-up call.  There is no escaping the ITIS except for this one little trick……

Here's the trick...when you get home and hear your bed calling your name...rebuke it!  Put on your gym clothes and get your butt to the gym!  You need to do this every time you feel this ITIS attack you.  If you allow the ITIS to control when you go to the gym, you’ll probably end up skipping gym workouts and not ever meeting your physical fitness goals.  Once you’re at the gym, you’ll forget you were ever sleepy, you’ll have a great workout, and you’ll be proud of yourself that you didn’t miss another workout because of the ITIS.  According to an article written by “HOWTOBEFIT.com,” here are 10 good reasons to escape the ITIS and journey to the gym:

1.  Detoxifying – Reduces psychosocial stress
2.  Anger Management – Physically release negative energy
3.  Increased Awareness – Helps prevent the psychosocial process of stress
4.  Decreased Boredom – Going to the gym is never boring.  The gym can also serve as a challenge for your body.
5.  Stronger Immune System – When you’re in good shape, your immune system allows for quicker recovery times.
6.  Endorphins – It’s released during exercise.  It provides a pain relieving effect and promotes a sense of euphoria.
7.  Introspection – This time to yourself for thinking, meditation, and other self time needed activities.  Take this time for yourself.
8.  Reduction of Muscular Tension – Constant resistance training promotes muscle growth, and prevents muscle tension, in the form of backaches, arthritic joint pain, etc.
9.  Moving Meditation – Repetition of motion promotes calmness and tranquility.
10.  Improvement in Sleep – After escaping the ITIS, it will hit you even more once your exercises are complete.  You’ll have a great night sleep and be happy you didn’t let the ITIS get you, because you reduced stress, meditated, had time to yourself…and you’re feelin’ good.

Search Amazon.com for health and fitness

Sweet Tooth

So I’m walking in the grocery store to do my weekly shopping one month, and then I see them.  Them…you know what them be?  OREOS!!  OMG….Oreos are like my favorite freakin’ cookies ever!!  There were times in the past where I would buy a pack of oreo cookies, and started eating them when I got in the car.  Those cookies couldn’t stand a chance (and still don’t) in my presence.  I luv ‘em, I luv ‘em, I luv ‘em.  Oh…I so heart oreos!  Okay, now we done got that out the way, you may be able to see that I have sweet tooth.  Oreo cookies hit the spot for me EVERY time; however, I haven’t had an oreo cookie in about at least a year. 

I learned a little secret to help curve my sweet tooth.  We’ll get to that in a second, but first I need explain to you some facts about sugar.  According to the National Federation of Professional Trainers, we generally get sugar from pasta, grains, vegetables, fruits, breads, cereals, rice, beans, sugar (glucose), candies, etc.  These foods are sources of carbohydrates, but are also two basic types of sugars, complex and simple.  Any food which is a simple sugar, when consumed will be absorbed quickly by the body.  The blood can only take up blood-glucose very slowly; therefore, any excess glucose will be rapidly stored in fat cells.   Additionally, within 20 to 30 minutes of eating the simple sugar product, the blood level falls to below resting levels.  This is called hypoglycemia.  As we age, are muscles slowly forgets how to take up sugar, but the fat cells get smarter and gets better at it. (5ed, 2008)      

Back in my young and wild days, I use to run the streets with my friends.  Sometimes, I wouldn’t eat all day, but hit the clubs at night.  When I had my first drink, I felt great!  But usually after about 20 to 30 minutes of completing that drink, I felt like I was gonna collapse or something.  I would completely leave my friends and were ever I was to pursue real food.  I didn’t know it at the time, but this was hypoglycemia.  The first drink was usually a mixed drink with some kind of sweet beverage added, which explains my “sugar high”.  The hypoglycemia explains my moods swings.  (See, I told you friends…I had an issue and I’m not crazy!!)    

Now for you folks who are 25+.  Remember days when you could eat McDonalds for breakfast, lunch, and dinner…and still go out to the club and drink all night?  Even with this unhealthy life style, you still managed to maintain the same weight?  You remember?  I do!  Well guess what…you probably don’t have the same “problem” anymore.  Now, if you happen to look at something unhealthy, you may feel as though you’ve gained a pound.  That’s how I felt anyway.  As I explained above, as you get older, your body naturally stores more of the food you eat as fat, rather than using and burning it off like when you were a kid.  But there are always exceptions to that rule, because some people can eat all day and never gain another pound.   

  Taking this information into consideration, I learned that I’d always want oreo cookies.  I just had to learn how and when to eat them.  Every person has basic calorie needs.  Once you figure out what this need is, realize that one pound of fat equals 3500 calories, which is about 500 calories a day.  If you’re able to create a deficit of 500 calories from your basic calorie needs, in theory you should lose a pound of fat each week you do that.  The reason I bring this up is although cookies are basically simple sugars and are stored as fat quickly, everything we eat can be utilized as energy.  How are you burning calories off? 

So here’s my little secret.  I decided that I wanted to continue to eat my cookies, and still eat healthy.  So basically I calculated my basic caloric needs, plus the amount of calories I would consume in the cookies, and I created a deficit in my caloric intake everyday by 500 calories.  But I also worked out and did tons of cardio.  Because I was able to create a deficit of 3500 or more calories a week (complete with my workout routine), I was able to have my broccoli and my cookies too!  I’d usually limited myself to a free day (usually Sunday), to eat whatever sugary treat I desired.  I still use this basic principle today.  Basically, everything in life should be done in moderation.  Over doing anything is never a good thing.  So eat a cookie every now and then, it won’t kill you.  Just make sure you’re taking care of business in the gym and throughout the rest of your diet.

D-Rich   

Austin TX Fitness Trainers & New Orleans Fitness Trainers: Lift weights lose weight

Austin TX Fitness Trainers & New Orleans Fitness Trainers: Lift weights lose weight

This is an excellent article I read written by a personal trainer in Austin and New Orleans.  He hit the nail right on the head.  You must lift weight if you want to see real results.  What you want to remember is doing cardio only routines will help you lose weight, but the weight you would lose would be fat and muscle.  You don't want to lose your muscle, because your muscle contributes to boosting your metabolism, which turns your body into a lean mean melting fat away machine!

D-Rich

What do you do when you're starving?

I'd tried to get my hair cut from my barber yesterday, but he was just unavailable.  I said...no problem, I'll just try again tomorrow (today, Thursday, May 20).  So I called my barber and let him know that I was on the way.  I'm skipping down the hall of my job, and then singing to all the songs in my car after I get on the road.  This is my ritual, because I'm going to get dat fresh cut!  Getting my hair cut makes me feel great.

So...I get to the barber, he cuts my hair, I get in my car and I'm on my way back to work.  Simple right?  Haha...right...NOT.  I got stuck in traffic.  Not only was I stuck in traffic, but I was hungry as hell!  Hungry People!  All my friends know how I get when I get hungry....I basically shut down and become dysfunctional, so I try to never let it happen.  I was not just hungry though, I was pissed, because I had an opportunity to eat before I left.  I didn't eat because I had just a protein shake about 30 minutes before I left, and I didn't want to load my body up with too much protein in one sitting.  But honestly, I had no real way of knowing this traffic was going to happen. 

This is why I come to you today to ask you, What do you do when you're starving?   If you're human, you'll find the quickest and easiest place to buy some grub, and scarf it down.  Usually at that point, you're probably just wanting carbs.  The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) states "the greater the consumption of foods containing large amounts of added sugars, the more difficult it is to consume enough nutrients without gaining weight. Consumption of added sugars provides calories while providing little, if any, of the essential nutrients."  (http://www.health.gov/DietaryGuidelines/dga2005/document/html/chapter7.htm)  If you have time, read up on this.

But basically, not all carbs are bad.  Generally, the carbs you get from vegetables, whole grains, fruits, and prepared foods with little added sugars are the key recommendations of the USDA.  But they say a person on a 2,000 calorie diet should only consume about 300 of those calories as carbs.  Since there are 4 calories in every carb gram, that's about 1200 calories.  So out of your 2,000 calorie diet, only 1200 calories can consist of carbs.  Did you get that?

Lets look at a menu that I was able to eat when I was 21 years old, and burning calories like a mad dude when I was in the Marines:

Breakfast
1 Banana - 15 carb grams
2 Tbsps of peanut butter - 28 carb grams
3 Whole eggs - 3 carb grams
1 Cup of milk - 13 carb grams

Lunch
McDonald's Big N Tasty - 38 carb grams
Large Soda 32oz - 86 carb grams (Damn that's a lot - You see that???  86!!!)

Dinner
2 slices of pepperoni pizza - 58 carb grams
Large Soda 32oz - 86 car grams

Total carb grams = 327 or 1308 Calories of Carbs

Guess what happens to carbs you don't use as energy?  How much energy does it take to sit in your car and drive?  How much energy does it take to sit on the couch and watch T.V.?  How much energy are you using to burn off excess carbs?  Or are you burning them off?

The simple solution to the problem is watch your carb source and participate in physical activity, which will cause you to use (burn) energy.  We want you to burn all that extra stuff your body doesn't use.

Here's something extra for you.  So you know that when your body gets enough of whatever you are putting in it, the other stuff gets stored as fat.  Okay...so let's say you're not eating right; you don't eat breakfast, you only eat twice a day (that's a whole new topic) and you're not getting enough calories and/or nutrients.  Because your body needs energy to function, it will burn what ever it can, including that precious muscle.  Guess what...precious muscle is what makes you look lean, mean..and super hot (yes..you too ladies).  You don't want to do that!  I'll cover this more in detail in another blog.

So here are my tips:
1.  Only store and buy quality good food with low amounts of carbs.  If you keep low carb food around, then you'll have no reason to over indulge in carbs.
2.  Take a bag of apples, oranges, grapes, or whatever else you can think of to the office.  Keep them there throughout the week if you can.  You can grab them when you have hunger pains.  Instead of going to the snack bar, grab an apple.
3.  If you are out and about and you're starving, for heaven's sake, don't buy soda or that candy bar.  Before you leave your house or job, take some apples or other low carb items with you.  You can grab and eat them for the energy you need to tie you over until you can get to your healthy meals.

Watch these clips!  I was in traffic, starving, and had nothing to eat.  I thought I was going to have to eat my hand for a minute there.

Nutrition Tip #1

Did you just wake up from the comma you call a good nights sleep? Have you eaten yet? Well....HAVE YOU? How long after you woke up did you eat? Oh wait, it's been two hours and you haven't eaten anything? BIG OLE MISTAKE! What basically happens when you decide to not eat breakfast is your body goes into starvation mode. It thinks you won't be feeding it the rest of the day, so the next time you eat, your food gets stored as fat. Yes, I know....wonderful! This is definitely an incentive to eat breakfast every morning.

My friends Ian King and Lou Schuler, wrote in their book, "The Book of Muscle" that "The benefits of eating the right food diminish if you don't get the frequency and timing right. Eat your first meal as soon as you can after getting up in the morning - you want your fire to start burning as quickly as possible."

Try this meal for breakfast - One whole egg and three egg whites, 1/2 cup diced mushrooms and peppers, and one ounce of reduced-fat cheese. (This is your omelete) Add to this two slices of wheat bread, six ounces of orange juice, and around 24 ounces of water. This is your fuel for the morning and to get your body jump started to be a lean, mean, burning machine. Sometimes, I just do a nice protein shake for breakfast; it's quick and easy (actually I do this most of the time).

Nutrition Tip #1...Eat right after you wake up in the morning. Don't delay!

Quick...go back to bed and start all over again! After you wake back up...go take your butt to your kitchen and put some fuel in that body. THAT'S AN ORDER SOLDIER!!

Fitness Tip #1

Many people make so many excuses about their size, shape, and weight. What many folks fail to realize is there's only one person responsible for all that. In case you're wondering...it aint me!! Go look in the mirror! Now that's the bad news. The good news is, you can do something about it!! But only you can do something about it. That's right YOU!

The same person who helped change your size, shape, and weight, is going to be the same person that will SHAPEDATBODY!! Motivation comes from within. Find it in yourself to want to change your size, shape, weight, and ultimately your health. Once you make this dedication to yourself, you're ready for the next step.

So Fitness Tip #1, change comes from within. You are the only one that can motivate yourself to do what is needed to make change happen.

Be the change you seek. (B. Obama)

I'm in your corner, but are you in your corner??

My first fitness blog

This is going to be a wonderful start to a new journey in my life. Through the blogs I write, I hope to inspire you to build your best body. I welcome all comments and can't wait to get you guys something good to read. Stay tuned...because I'm just getting started!!