Gravity Fx Fitness

One of my clients has already dropped her holiday weight gain. Like a lot of people she put on 6 or 7 pounds while celebrating and just enjoying some things that are typical of the season.

Unlike most people however, she has already lost that weight by going back to eating properly and exercising.  She didn’t take a break from exercising during that time and that probably helped keep the weight gain minimal.

This brings up a couple of important points – to lose weight you have to change your eating habits AND you also need to exercise.  It also shows that exercise alone isn’t the answer….you also have to eat right – specifically, cut out the processed “foods” and limit your liquid calories.

If you have a weakness for sweets than don’t keep them in the house – eliminate the temptation.  Try to eat some fruits instead.  They have far fewer calories generally and the fiber helps to slow the sugar spike that comes from sodas and cookies, candies, etc.

Some almonds and a piece of fruit might be a nice snack.  Almonds have some protein, fiber and healthy fats which can help slow down the absorption time, giving you a more gradual energy release.

The cardio strength intervals we do at the studio helps this client get her workout in less time.  She isn’t spending six to ten hours a week exercising, leaving her more time to spend with family and friends.  This time efficient program should probably make it easier to keep exercising over the long haul.

She is eating “clean” for a couple weeks and then you can go back to “cheating” on the weekend.  This doesn’t mean you can eat anything and everything for two days, but you can enjoy yourself a little and not feel deprived, making it easier to stick to.

There’s no reason you can’t take a vacation, enjoy yourself a little and then go right back to eating right and exercising, getting right back to your previous weight.

Something I sometimes do is a short term fast.  I stop eating after my evening meal and then go about 24 hours without eating – resuming normal eating at dinner time the next evening.  This decreases the number of calories you consume in a week and can be done once or twice a week.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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A balanced fat loss program should have three components for success – leave out one of the 3 “legs” of the stool and you might not see progress.

1.   You need an effective exercise program.

2.  Proper eating habits are essential to losing weight.

3.  Change your mind set – without the proper social and emotional support you will have a difficult time reaching your goals.  This is the component that causes many people to give up after a month or two of going to the gym or starting a diet.  Its crucial for both losing weight and more importantly, keeping it off.

If you’re familiar with my articles you know that I don’t do things the traditional way and advocate total body resistance exercises and interval-type cardio.  Workouts that last 30-40 minutes are the “norm” in my studio and I like to get your heart rate up while challenging your muscles.

I’ve borrowed my approach from other trainers who help busy people get results in the shortest time possible.  Results Fitness in southern California has been voted one of the top 10 gyms in the country by Men’s Health.   They don’t have their clients do any steady state cardio and don’t have their clients exercise while sitting down.

Follow this link to see how they manage to get consistent results in minimal time.

Get moving!

Brian Morgan

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Can eating a diet high in fiber increase your fat loss?  Let’s take a look.

Not long ago I wrote that I was trying to take in more fiber as part of my New Year’s resolutions to lose some bodyfat and eat healthier.  So I have been eating more fruits and vegetables, especially raw spinach, oranges, peaches, with some apples and pears thrown in.

A few years back I bought a book by Scott Connelly MD, the creator of the popular bodybuilding supplement Met-rx.  In this book Dr. Connelly promoted the typical bodybuilding diet of higher protein and small, frequent meals.

What caught my attention however, was his assertion of the fat burning effect of a diet high in fiber – something that I hadn’t remembered seeing before.

I’ve never been one for eating broccolli, cauliflower, green beans, etc., but at 6′4″ and 240+ it didn’t seem to stunt my growth.  Potatoes and salads with carrots, tomatoes and cucumbers has always been my best attempt at eating my veggies.

I recently added chia to my daily “diet” and have also started consuming ground flaxseed meal and raw almonds.  Besides containing plenty of fiber they also have other positive substances that are reported to enhance your overall health and immune system, such as Omega-3 fatty acids.

I definitely feel fuller with this new eating plan, but seem to be a little leaner even though I am eating plenty of food.  Maybe that’s the key to losing weight – eating plenty of the right kinds of foods and not so much processed garbage!

Just a thought.

I’ll admit that I enjoy my “comfort foods” just like the rest of you, I’m just eating a lot less of them recently and notice a difference in my physique and how I feel.

For what its worth, eating a diet high in fiber, Omega-3 fats, antioxidants, and lignans may reduce your risks of certain health issues like type II diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancers – something you might wish to talk to your doctor about.

Just make sure you increase your fiber intake gradually to avoid any upset to your digestion system……and don’t forget to include plenty of movement into your week for optimal health and fitness.

Get moving!

Brian

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