photo by terencekearns

So often we talk about health as it relates to fitness and nutrition, but could the greatest factor in our health really be our state of mind? We have heard “stress” will kill us but yet that doesn’t stop us from worrying about things. We feel helpless and say we have depression, when we don’t own anything…..we just experience it. Happiness is there for us every day to find and experience, yet most of us get caught up in things that probably won’t even matter in a week…let alone a month or year. Fear and doubt keep from from even reaching higher levels of whatever we may want to achieve in life. Time to stop. No more I say. The past is done and the only thing that matters is the steps we take right now…and every other present moment. Time for us to take control and see what is really going on. Time for some real perspective in life. Anything is possible…and the only thing holding you back is YOU.

Guess what, you are going to die….so accept it.

No one likes to think about it or hear it, but we have to accept it inorder to move on to the next step. You can’t stop death, you can only try to live as healthy as you can and extend your life. But fearing something that will happen 100% guaranteed is nothing to fear. Why? Because you don’t have control over whether it will happen. You can control perhaps when it may happen by taking preventative measures, but you will not avoid it. Accept it….and now we can move on. There is nothing to fear. The only real fear should be regret….regret of having never really lived with the time you were given.

Death is your greatest teacher

Now that we are not afraid about it, we can use it. Imagine you have been given a diagnosis from your doctor that you have 1 year to live. Now what perspective does that give you on your life, your job, your ambitions, your relationships. Are there things you never did but always wanted to try? What if your doctor now said “sorry, we mixed up your tests and you are healthy”…now how would you live your life with your new perspective? This is not saying the wisest move is to sell everything you have and go travel until you are broke….but what you decide to do with your life should be based on no regrets (you can be sensible and adventurous at the same time). We are all given a set amount of time here, maybe the real test is to see what we really do with it.

What’s the worst that could really happen?

Everything we tend to worry about seems really silly doesn’t it? Worry about grades…traffic….a report for work….what people think of you….our retirement funds…etc. How are these even comparitable to real life threatening situations? How can someone living in a war-torn country have less stress than someone sitting in an office typing on a computer? How can people who seem so poor on the outside have no stress and an abundance of happiness….yet someone with a big house and bank account is unhappy and stressed out all the time? Why are movie stars with nothing to worry about all turning to drugs and alcohol? Something isn’t right here, we need real perspective to help us out. Time to step back and look at our lives from a distance….like you were watching some tv show and you were the main star.

You can plan, you can study, you can save money…but to worry about things that have yet to happen or may never is really a waste of energy. We do this to ourselves too….no one is forcing us to worry, it’s all us. Worry, doubts and fears are all based on things that have not happened….and not what you need to do right now. Really…will most of the stuff you worry about on a daily basis even matter in a year? Will anything you worry about even happen at all?? Probably not.

Humans waste a lot of energy worrying about things. Might get cancer, might go bankrupt. Might marry the wrong person or screw up at the office. Emerging from war, Wildman no longer had these kinds of concerns. At twenty, he’d crawled out of the darkest of pits, and in comparison, 1950s America looked like one big, golden party. Anything was possible. And no matter what went wrong now, it wasn’t likely to result in death.

A great quote from the story found here about the healthiest 75 yr old man. He still is going strong and loving life.

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked.

My favorite line from the Steve Jobs commencement speech at Stanford. Here’s a man who did so much with his life, but yet doesn’t sit around or have any self doubt. If he failed, he failed and moved on. That is the secret to anyone that has made it big in the business world, they failed (probably miserably) tons of times….but they didn’t sit around and fear failure or worry that the next time would not turn out great…they just kept going and made things happen.

Be like the surfer pictured above…..do you think he is thinking about how the wave is going to make him crash? Well if he did….he will crash 100% of the time. Don’t fear the wave…as there is nothing to fear. Look at the ocean and sky and enjoy what you have in front of you…..the surfer knows what he needs to do, so he does it with no worry of crashing. Many of us spend too much time looking back at the wave and thinking “what if”….never knowing what great things we are missing out from watching the surf and beach in front of us. Don’t miss out on all life has to offer because you are just worried about failure.

There is no failure….just lack of action. So take action in life. Celebrate effort…not the results.

Get real perspective

Time to step back and really get some perspective in our lives. See how much we really have that we may take for granted. Look at others much less fortunate and see what real struggles are. If you have a roof over your head, good health and food on the table….what are you really worrying about? The answer, nothing that serious in the overall scheme of life (maybe it seems important to you, but that is your perspective….only yours….and you control it all with your mind). Our biggest worries could be:

• “What if I fail?” - Who cares! Do you? So what….everyone that has gone on to do anything great has failed tons of times. Get over that mentality and embrace failure…as that means you are taking action and getting closer to success.
• “What will people think of me?” - Again….who cares! Be the fool…dance and sing. If you worry about what others will think of you all day long you will never be in control of your life. This could be with friends, at work and what the boss thinks, in relationships, etc. Do what you know you need to do, follow your own music and never care what anyone else thinks.
• “But I need more…..” - You don’t need anything else…you don’t need more money, you don’t need more cars, you don’t need more friends…you just need to change you mentality. You can make more money if you want to or have more cars/friends…but you don’t need any of it. Detach.
• Go Broke, Try and Live on $10 for a week - Once you do it, what is left to fear? Money comes….money goes. Don’t base your happiness on it. Make as much as you want….that’s not the issue. The issue is when it it threatened (to get lower or go away) that the stress begins.
• “But I can’t do…..” - Yep you are right, you can’t…..until you finally say to yourself “I can”. Remember, who cares if you fail…..I celebrate failure….why? Because that means I tried, and effort is what counts. I’ll never support anyone in their own self defeat attitude…but I’ll support anyone willing to try 100% of the time.

The only way to change the world, is to start with yourself

You don’t have to go out and solve poverty or cure cancer to make an impact. The real change has to start within, from there all your actions will come natural and instinctively. We just need to take life one moment at a time and try and help and encourage those we meet along the way. But how can we go through that daily journey if we are a mess on the inside and filled with our own negative energies of doubt, fear, worry, envy, greed, jealousy, etc. We can’t help anyone until we help ourselves and get a better understanding of what real happiness is inside of us.

You don’t own anything….nothing. Detach and be free. We came into this world naked and will leave the same way. Nothing is ours. We may think it is, but nothing we will ever possess physically or mentally will last. Money is probably the biggest stressor, but you don’t own it…it’s not yours. Sure you can have some in a bank account and use it….but it’s not yours to keep forever. Mentally detach from it and realize it’s just a tool, see if your stress is much less now.

Same can be said for feelings of depression, anxiety, doubt, etc. You don’t own them….they are not you. You can experience depression but you are never depressed. To say you are something is to give it ownership, like it a part of who you are. That loss of power will never help you. Tell yourself the next time it happens that you “feel depressed”….and know that it can change. Find the route cause of why you feel that way…..see it…become aware of it….then your attachment to those feelings will drop. You may see that at the route of all those things is just something silly. Detach from it and just move on with your life….it’s not yours yet many carry that luggage around for a long time, time to let go.

Your Homework….Time to Become “Aware” Daily

The only way we will know how to change, is to first realize it is there in the first place….and the only way to realize it is to become “aware” of it. That is the key to most all zen like teachings, living a life of total awareness…..seeing what is really going on. If we can see ourselves getting silly with fears and doubts, then we can just drop them.

Get a pad of paper and write down daily what you experience. Take it with you. Take notes as you experience any doubt, fear, or whatever. See what is at the cause of it, what are you really worrying about? Is it really anything that needs our energy….considering the only real thing to come along of any consequence is death…and we have already accepted that will happen. Life can be as happy as we want to make it, we just need to be able to become aware of what we need to do to get there. We have all the tools inside of us….nothing on the outside is going to matter….it’s all internal where we need to put our effort. So write down what things, people, activities help you in positive ways…and which ones do not. Get rid of the ones that do not…and then just keep reminding yourself to be in a constant state of awareness and try to laugh off the things that really don’t matter….which is probably most all things we stress out about daily.

Anything is possible….If you believe you can do it. It may not come easy…it may not come all at once….it may not come when you want it to….but focus on taking action…and something will happen….lack of action guarantees failure 100% of the time…or as Wayne Gretsky once said “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”. Take action, become aware of everything in the present moment that you feel and act…and enjoy the journey. Stress, doubt and worry are wasted and useless energies….time to get rid of them.

Photo: Real Testimonail with IF from LeanGains.com

Note from Mike: Today is a guest post from another Intermittent Fasting blogger by the name of Martin Berkhan. Martin has been getting great results with some of his clients using IF (especially those wanting to put on quality muscle while doing it). It’s my hope to bring together IF bloggers in the common goal of getting the truth and message out there to people about what can be done. This is just one example of a way that can get people results. Remember that IF is a lifestyle choice with such great potential for health and fitness benefits, and you can control how it works for your activity level, your goals and your healthy and happy lifestyle! Hope you enjoy.

Sure Fire Fat Loss

My name is Martin Berkhan and I work as a nutritional consultant, magazine writer and personal trainer. I also happen to be a proponent of intermittent fasting for health, fitness and fat loss. I have my own blog about fasting (www.leangains.com), but when Mike asked me if I’d like to make a guest post on his blog, I thought that’d be a great way to present my method in greater detail.

The Leangains protocol consists of two phases; 16 hours of fasting, followed by 8 hours of feeding. During this period, three meals are usually eaten. Depending on the day, the composition of those meals varies; on workout days, carbs are prioritized before fat, while on rest days fat intake is higher. Protein remains fairly high on all days. That’s a very basic and general description of the protocol I employ; of course, variables change depending on goals, gender, age, body fat and activity levels, but it would be hard to describe it in greater detail without drifting off too far.

Most of my clients are fitness enthusiasts, athletes and weight trainers, but the great majority of them have one thing in common – to look good naked. The ‘gain’ in Leangains can therefore be a bit misleading, as most of my clients wants to lose fat, while retaining as much muscle as possible in the process. While their diets might vary, it rests on some nutritional principles that I thought I’d present to the crowd reading this post. These principles will work for everyone, regardless of fitness level.

Here are a few guidelines that I consider success factors for performance, fat loss and excellent diet compliance.

• On workout days, break the fast with meat, veggies and a fruit. If you’re planning to train shortly after this meal, add a few carbs in the form of a starch source – potatoes or whole grain bread, for example. Make it a medium sized meal and don’t stuff yourself. Train within 3 hrs of having eaten this meal and have a much larger meal after your workout; in this meal, add more complex carbs – and you may even have one of your favourite treats as dessert, if it’s not too high in fat and if eaten in moderation. Good examples of what I refer to as ‘treats’: low fat ice cream, sorbet or JC’s cheesecake. Bad example: Chinese buffet or your son’s birthday cake. You get the point, keep it within moderation and don’t pig out.

• On rest days, eat less calories than on workout days - do this by cutting down on carb intake, and make meat, fibrous veggies and fruit the foundation of your diet for this day. The first meal of the day should be the largest, in contrast to workout days where the post-workout meal is the largest. Largest doesn’t necessarily mean largest in terms of volume; I suggest getting at least 40% of your calorie intake in this meal, and the dominant macronutrient should be protein. I’ll have some clients eating upwards to 100 g protein in this meal, so don’t be afraid to pile on the meat (or whichever protein source you prefer). Fattier meat and fish like ground beef and salmon are examples of some excellent protein sources that may be consumed on rest days.

• In the last meal of the day, include a slow digesting protein source; preferably egg protein, cottage cheese (or any other source of casein based protein). Meat or fish is also ok if you add veggies or supplement with fiber. This meal will keep you full during the fast and exert an anti-catabolic effect on muscle protein stores by ensuring that your body has an ample supply of amino acids until the next meal.

• Whole and unprocessed foods should always take priority over processed or liquid foods, unless circumstance demands a compromise. For example, you might find yourself in situations when there is little time to eat or prepare foods – in such a situation, having a protein shake or meal replacement bar is ok, where as solid, more satiating foods should be consumed whenever there is ample time to cook.

These are a few of the principles I’ve employed with great success; there’s a bit more to it, but this should get you started in the right direction.

photo by margolove

Today I wanted to share some of the great reads that I have come across lately. There are many great bloggers and sources for info and I do enjoy reading what many have to say. The list below is compromised of blogs, news and articles that I would recommend to most anyone about living a healthy lifestyle. Hope you enjoy!

Let’s Get Primal

I’m pretty sure Mark Sisson is trying to put all us health and fitness bloggers out of business with this excellent post. In what he terms his “primal blueprint” he goes over everything about how to “live primal” in today’s world. It really is a great guide to getting back in tune to our primal instincts and getting the health (and fitness) benefits from it. You may remember his “get primal” guest post a while back too. The primal blueprint is probably one of his best reads to date and top quality (like most everything over at MDA).

Eat Real Food

The most common question I get from anyone (whether clients in person or on here) about losing weight is “What do I eat”? Of course my answer is usually something like “If it didn’t come in a wrapper, it’s ok” or “If it wasn’t around 1000 years ago, don’t eat it”. Scott over at Modern Forager always goes into fantastic detail and did a great summary on how to eat real food. You can read it in Part 1 and Part 2.

Get Ripped and Lean

Rusty certainly does have a way with words (and his pictures are not too bad either!). What I like about Rusty is that he just gets fitness and what is really going on (so we mostly agree on everything). He understands what really works and writes it in an easy way for people to understand. We both agree it’s not rocket science, but it takes knowing what does and does not work…which can vary by individual for many factors. I really like his 2 part series on how to effectively use carb cycling (or an introduction to what it is for some people) to get the lean and muscular results. It’s very informative and highly recommend it as seen in Part 1 and Part II.

Simplifying Your Life

As many know I am a big fan of choosing to live simple, as it is a choice. I don’t feel like I am depriving myself of anything and have total control of what I allow into my life and how I spend my time (which is the most valuable thing I possess). I am sure many are also familiar with Leo and Zen Habits, and he has a great list of posts on how to live simple. Great read especially if you can do it while sitting outside and enjoying some fresh air and sunshine!

Just Say No

As part of living a simple life I have total control of how I spend my time….no one else has that control. Learning to say “No” to buying more things, commitments, social gatherings, and people in general has been an important part of it. The only way I got good at it, was to just keep practicing saying “No”. This could also be true for success for many who want to live a more healthier lifestyle too, as many people around you may not support your goals in the actions or activities they want you to be a part of. Finding and having a good support group around us is key to success for anything from weight loss, to simple living, to business success, and just achieving daily happiness. Many of us have to really see where we spend our time and make sure it is truly in sync with our goals, direction in life and just our general state of happiness. Our time is ours to use, we should be able to choose how we spend it…and not let others use it for us. On that note here’s a good article on the art of saying No from the Ririan Project.

Workouts and Food

The most talked about subject when it comes to training is probably the highly touted post workout meal. Many supplement companies have made billions off the promotion of the best window for muscle growth is right after a workout and you need a special drink with the highest quality amino acids and the right combination of carbs and creatine, etc. To me unless you are some professional athlete or want to train like one, eating real food always does the trick. Now finally someone in the media has come out with a great read on that whole topic. You can read it fully at the NY Times here. (I have to give credit to the Evolved Living blog for pointing it out to me)

Insulin Sensitivity and Fat Loss

Lyle McDonald is probably one of the smartest people on the internet when it comes down to all the mechanisms of losing fat. He is always writing in depth and although sometimes controversial, usually has good points to back it all up. This particular article caught my eye and it really does hit some important points home. Especially the fact that there is no one right way to eat, as we are all different. Some bodybuilders do better on low carb….some do better on high carb. It comes down to insulin sensitivity levels of that individualistic person. Very informative and recommend it people who want more information on that subject. Here’s the article.

What have You found lately?

I encourage you to list in the comments section any links to good stories/blog/news about health and fitness that you have come across lately.

photo by melomane

Ok….this is how I run. I get out on a trail with no Ipod and just go. No Heart rate monitors, no cell phones, no knee braces, no water bottles, no fancy clothing, no fancy shoes….just me and nature one on one. There is no pacing….as you can’t when you are running up and down hills. There are no rules….as you can stop and enjoy the scenery. Sometimes you just have to open it up….and then run till you have to stop. It’s almost like the best planned out interval cardio program, ankle mobility training, plyometric exercises, agility drills…..all in just one simple package, a trail. Funny….how the more we try to come up with the perfect training and programming in artificial training environments….the more we might just realize that nature had the perfect plan and gym all along, and we just need to get back to it.

Get off the Pavement and Go Hit a Trail

Look at many of the reasons why you should be running a trail:

• It’s away from anything that could possibly stress you out (unless you are being chased by a bear)
• It’s not boring….as you have to run up and down, left and right, jump rocks and roots, dodge trees….or would you rather be looking at straight pavement and a long road?
• You work everything…from your ankles, to your calves, to your hamstrings, to your quads….with everything you need to do it’s a full lower body workout (heck stop and do some pushups every now and then and you get a full body workout)
• Grass and dirt are natural cushioning….absorbs force….pavement does not. Which do you think you body would prefer?
• When’s the last time you just stopped and stared at a road or treadmill was inspired by all it had to offer? Now try looking at a running stream, open grass field, deer running along side of you or anything nature has to offer.

Jogging is not Running

Seriously I saw the other day 2 women out getting their exercise. One was walking briskly, the other was “jogging”….and they were both going the same pace to talk to each other. Why are you bouncing up and down when you can walk the same speed? Don’t tell me it raises your HR or burns more calories because it doesn’t when compared to quick walking. What it does do is dramatically increase the pressure you put on your foot, ankle, knees and hips and whole body. Want to guess which person will probably have knee problems in a month or so? Give you a hint…it won’t be the walker.

Jogging is not my idea of health. Most joggers I know have to wear special inserts because their feet hurt….or knee braces because their knees hurt…..or have surgery soon after starting jogging. What does that tell you?

Running is NOT the same as jogging. Here’s the difference. Running is putting your foot out in front of you while you pull your body forward and then exploding horizontally. Jogging is bouncing up and down with more movement vertically than horizontally. Running uses your quads to help absorb vertical forces while the hamstrings are activated for horizontal power. Jogging overdevelops your quads as it is mostly vertical forces and does not activate your hamstrings from the lack of real horizontal acceleration. (muscle imbalances of the quad and hamstring are the best road to go for knee injuries). Hence why joggers have no real speed….they bounce and their body doesn’t know how to go any faster (by bouncing more? Wrong).

Want to know how you should run? Then go walk fast up a hill. Let your body get “pulled” up the hill. Now….go try and run. With the CNS warmup you just did from the hill walking you will explode out of the gates….that’s because you hamstrings are now firing.

Moral of the story: Don’t bounce your way around (aka jogging), go Run! Your knees will thank you.

Get Away from all Stress, Distractions and Back to Nature

This is the most appealing part of why I want to get out there. I don’t want to be looking at cars, seeing traffic, breathing carbon monoxide…I want the exact opposite. I want to see trees, animals, running water and to just be left alone to experience it one on one. This is my meditation time….letting my mind just wander. Nature doesn’t care about what stress I have, it doesn’t care about the state of the economy, it doesn’t care about my bills, it doesn’t care about my work deadlines or pressures….it’s just there doing what is always does everyday stress free (a lesson we can all learn). I don’t bring the Ipod, not carrying my cell phone, there are no distractions, just getting back to the natural instincts we have inside of us suffocating from lack of exposure to the natural environments and stimulus.

It’s in these moments that I have my best insights (like what to write about next on the blog), ideas and inspirations, whatever may be weighing in my subconscious as the mind can now do a little housecleaning and get rid of stuff I didn’t even know I was thinking/worrying about…..when does that happen while on the treadmill at the gym with all the noise from radios, TVs and people walking around talking. Maybe I always have those inspirations and ideas floating around me….but I just needed to quiet down all the outside noise and distractions to realize what was there inside all along, as we have all our answers we will even need inside and around us all the time…..we just can’t hear them until things quiet down.

There are No Rules - You Make Your Own Path Each Time

Maybe today I run the trail to the left….maybe today I start to the right….lots of options for mini trails all over the place…or maybe today I just make my own. Sometimes I start slower….sometimes I start faster. Look the hill, time to sprint it. An open field….time to run like the wind. A stream….time to stop and take in the moment. I don’t care about steady pacing….times….heart rates. I am just getting in synch with nature, my own body and what they both are going to tell me to do…..nothing like seeing a part of the trail and just hearing “go for it” from the back of your mind. Sometimes I’m doing more sprint intervals with lots of stops/walking to recovery….some other days I’d rather pace a little better and finish off strong….it’s up to me and what my body is telling me. My workouts are usually 30-45min long and I finish feeling great and leave it all on the trail. Running on treadmills, a track, or down a road never made me feel that good or left me inspired…..trails do all the time.

All the Best Modern Training Programs in One “Free” Package

Well you can pay endless trainers and professionals $100s per hour for specialized instructions or buy $1000s worth or specialized training equipment….or go get it for free.

• Speed Work - Go sprint up the hill a few times, tell me if that doesn’t improve your overall speed and power
• Agility Work - Running up (or down) a trail that zig-zags and is full of rocks and roots is a great way to learn how to move your feet pretty fast in all directions (or you will fall on your butt hard…that’s always good motivation to stay up)
• Plyometric Work - Push Hard and explode when hitting the steepest parts of the trail or bound when coming down the hill exploding and quickly transitioning side to side (mostly to avoid that tree that is coming….not running into something is another great motivational training tool)
• Works all Muscles - There is no way you will have weak ankles, quads or hamstrings if you are out seriously running a trail a couple times a week.

The only specialized equipment I have with me is an old backpack and some weights/plates (or make your own weight….load it up with books…a rock…water jug…whatever you like)….for the days I would rather add in some weighted hill hiking. (Heck maybe I’ll even do some weighted lunging up a hill….now that is brutal)

You Can find a Trail most Anywhere

I live in Metro Atlanta area….it’s flat, there are no mountains, but the best trail is right around the corner from my house and down by the river. Heck I never even knew it was there until like 3 months ago! If you look around I am sure there are some great places that you can go locally without having to take a trip to the Rockies.

Burn Fat, Build Muscle

I could go into all the technical aspects such as improved GH response and post workout fatty acid oxidation with interval training protocols and how explosive movements builds up fast twitch muscle fibers which will elevate your long term fat burning ability….but that’s so boring right? In the end, I keep my workouts with varied intensity, mostly in a fasted state and under 45min max….most are only 30min but I am going hard and may even have to take a few times to walk to catch my breath. Have fun with it and see what happens.

Great for Any Level

I know I talk about running here, but if you are not that advanced or just starting out with exercise you can go walking/hiking. The key is just making it a fun and relaxing (for the mind) yet strenuous/invigorating (for the body) experience. Walk as fast as you can up those hills. Stop or slow down if you need to….remember it’s what you can do that counts. Some days I don’t feel like running so I change it up and put on the backpack with a couple 25lb plates in it and go hike some hills. Now that’s a completely different and great workout altogether. Walking fast up the hill with another 50lbs really works the muscles in a new way. Change and variety is good. Just remember there is no one right way, just go out and experience the workout your body is telling you to do today. Go at what pace you can safely do….as if you twist your ankle or run into a tree, don’t come back and blame me cause I told you to go do it.

Enjoy what you do….and whatever you do….get out in nature…leave the Ipod at home…..run….walk…..hike…..but don’t “jog” please.

The following is a guest post from Parth Shah of ShahTraining.com

Bodybuilders will tell you to eat a bunch of carbs and protein after working out. I tried this and I got fat.

Two questions have always haunted me:

1. What is the most important meal of the day?

2. What do I eat at this meal?

When you ask yourself the first question, another question comes to mind: What makes a meal important?

In my opinion, an important meal is one that feeds your immediate need and your long-term need. You only have one immediate need: replenish used nutrients.

What causes nutrients/calories to be used/burned?

· An intense workout

· A bunch of errands that wear you out

· A physically demanding job

· A super fast metabolic rate

A long-term need refers to your long-term goal. This can be burning fat, putting on muscle, gaining strength, or improving as an athlete. But this long-term goal isn’t really important when determining the most important meal, but it is important in determining the contents of that meal.

What have we learned from the above information? Your most important meal should reflect the time where you are most in need of food. This is very obvious, but unfortunately this is a forgotten element in diet design. I don’t think I need to go into the benefits of eating when you need food.

The second question is what do you eat at this meal?

If, for example, your goal is to burn fat, you may be following a low-carbohydrate diet. This is the perfect time to eat carbs. The reason carbs are avoided while fat burning is because this is the first source of energy. And if energy is not needed, then carbs are stored as fat. Protein may not be as important here as carbs are. You can take in gradual amounts of protein throughout the day to maintain your muscle. But the key here is getting the bulk of your carbohydrates (and calories) right after you workout.

If your goal is to put on muscle, you should be eating a lot of food in general. This should come as a no-brainer and hence your largest meal should be a combination of both protein and carbs. In terms of protein, I think this is an element of how hard you’ve trained. Protein is one of those nutrients which I believe we really don’t need a lot of. I was able to build muscle with 80 grams of protein a day, and when I upped it by 20 grams, my bodyweight shot up. If people aren’t gaining muscle mass, it has more to do with overall caloric intake and their training program. Not necessarily their protein intake.

What if your goal is athletic in nature? When you’re an athlete you wear out your joints more then the average guy at the gym. You’re doing a whole bunch of lateral agility movements if you play basketball or soccor. Your jumping around, ducking and weaving if you’re a martial arts guy. Focus on your healthy fats. My healthy fats are at least 40% of my total diet. Healthy fats are also very important if you’re cutting weight.

This was just a brief primer on post-workout nutrition, and few lessons we forget. There is no magic formula, as most bodybuilders claim. Not everyone needs 40 grams of carbs and 40 grams of protein after working out. Your biggest meal of the day should reflect your most calorie-intensive activity of the day (working out), and everything else should be specific to your long-term goal.

This article is based off of experience and observation. I don’t have any lab room science to back of my claims. But I believe my “claims” are common sense. Don’t you?

About the Author

Parth Shah is a Strength Consultant based in New Hyde Park, New York and can be found at his website, ShahTraining.com

(This is a screenshot of where you will find the download link in your RSS or Email version of this post, and every post from now on. Remember it is only for subscribers, the link is NOT on this site….only in the RSS or Email version of this post delivered to you. The link will always be there on Every post so it is never too late to sign up and get the report or download it again)

Ok, this feed that you are reading today will have the active link for the free report (see above for location screenshot). I appreciate you patience in resolving the technical issues. You will find it labelled “Download the free IF Report Here” link at the bottom of the RSS or email with this post. (It will be in little blue lettering with all the other links like “email this” …etc). Remember this is for subscribers only….so you will not see the link on this blog post…only when it shows up in your RSS reader or in your email inbox.

In actually having to retype my report I was able to include more things and make it better than before. In fact….I really have started to write an ebook (have no idea when it will be done…weeks..months…). It took me about 30 hours worth of work over the last several days to get it down to 45 pages….and that is still too much for a free report. So everyone now is basically getting a bonus look at the future ebook I will be writing on all things health and fitness (not just IF, but this part is all about IF). Note that the page alignment formatting is off right now and that I can’t seem to figure out just yet. There are probably some other gramatical things and errors, but for the free report I wanted to get you a copy of what I had right now. In the very near future the free report to download will be much shorter and more cleaned up, but the future ebook will be more in depth (and also not free).

UPDATE: Formating issue now corrected, if you have the offset version a full screen one is now available to download instead (same location, use the same link)

Anyways hope you enjoy what I have written so far and feel free to leave any suggestions on what you may like to see in a full ebook in the near future (health, nutrition, exercise, lifestyle, etc).

Well here it is, a simple and very easy guide on how to troubleshoot and make sure you making continual progress in your fat loss efforts. No matter if you eat all day or follow an Intermittent Fasting schedule, no matter what kind of shape you are in, and no matter how much weight you have to lose….this guide will keep you on track. Remember that you can burn fat all day…..if you do the important things right on a consistent basis. Forget all the little things that provide little to no results, focus on the bigger important things that you have to do daily and then anything is possible. (click on the picture to see the whole guide)

photo by jainniec

Ok I actually wanted to make a quick post on a comment made recently that said basically “Isn’t Intermittent Fasting how Sumo wrestlers get huge belly fat?”. In a sense there are some common variables, but also there are many that are not. Actually by looking at the sumo wrestler we can see how NOT to do an IF (or ANY eating plan) routine, be seeing how they do things on purpose to gain fat.

So what is a Sumo wrestler’s goals? To get as big, strong and fat as possible (because there is no weight class and a larger wrestler has an advantage of course). Let’s look at what they do:

• They skip breakfast
• They workout fasted
• They workout for hours (2-4)
• They eat 1-2 large meals during the day
  
• They eat mostly higher carb with some meat (little to no fat)
• They eat a TON of calories
• They drink Beer with food
• They go right to sleep after each meal (for 3-4 hours during the day or overnight after last meal)
  

So this is how a Sumo wrestler gains weight. Now I can see where the “skipping breakfast” and “working out fasted” might make someone say quickly “Isn’t that what IF is?”. Actually it has been said that long ago they used to eat large breakfasts but could not sustain the workouts. So they found out that by skipping breakfast and working out for hours, not only made them able to sustain workout intensity but also allowed them to eat more food later with a larger appetite. But you have to look at all the other variables involved such as:

• Gaining weight is still about the calories…and Sumo wrestlers eat way more than you or me as in anywhere from 6000-20,000 cal a day. (hence why they have to go to sleep after because of the amount of food they eat)
• They eat a lot of carbs and very little fat. This creates huge insulin responses and as we know, large insulin is a great way to store fat….especially if you are eating a ton of quick digested carbohydrates and then going to do nothing for a while….they have no place to go but fat stores.
• They drink alcohol/beer (some alot), which in turn raises cortisol to help them store the body fat in their belly (hormonal response to where fat gets stored).
• They workout for hours and hours fasted and then eat large large amounts of food due to the appetite they have built up.

So really, what are the lessons we can take to an IF plan if your goal is fat loss and you are not a Sumo wrestler in training? (these should seem familiar, but it’s key to keep stressing the important basics to remember):

• Eating only 1 large meal is not a good idea, several smaller meals should be the goal
• Eating large meals heavy in carbs will only store more fat (high insulin response)
  
• Eating large meals light in fat will only keep insulin higher (fat storing hormone)
• Total calories still count…eat too much and you won’t lose fat (and may gain more)
  
• Doing hours of exercise fasted is going to raise cortisol and burn muscle. Keep workouts under 45-60 min and use shorter more intense methods (weight lifting, sprints, intervals, etc….just keep it all under 45-60min as time will always depend on the intensity you are going at)
• Skipping breakfast is not why they get fat, they get fat on excess calories and large amounts of carbs to promote insulin spikes.
• Alcohol in moderation, as too much will just raise cortisol and cause fat gain.
• Sleep is important in building muscles (as they do have strong muscles…..and if you want to argue that fact go wrestle one and then tell me they are weak!)
  

So there we have it. While I think the commentator was trying to debunk IF with his sumo wrestler comment(s), I do think it’s a good idea to understand how people DO gain weight. Understanding how to gain fat is probably one of the best ways on learning how to lose fat…..as now you know what NOT to do. So eat smaller meals (spread your calories out, keep the daily intake lower), stick to lower carbs per meal (control insulin response) and get your sleep (get the muscle building and fat burning hormones optimal)….and if something isn’t working, go back to the basics and see what needs to be changed it up.

photo by SeraphimC

Congrats and well done to everyone that jumped in on the IF challenge (technically I think this is day 28 but let this be an early congrats then). I am hoping that everyone was able to make some great changes to their lifestyle and see some positive results. Remember, it’s not a contest…but a jumpstart into better lifestyle changes that will dramatically improve your health, increase your fat loss, build important muscle and best of all give you better understanding of how eating/foods effect you and how to control them to get the results you want!

Don’t worry if you didn’t jump in on this challenge, you can start your own at any time. Again, it’s not a contest but a motivational jumpstart to getting lasting results.

That being said, anyone that did this 30 day challenge (or does one in the future), you can submit to me your story, results, any pictures of progress and other things that will be displayed on the blog to help motivate everyone else here. Just email me at mike@theiflife.com . I look forward to hearing stories from everyone and seeing what progress you have made. Of course the journey does not end here….but now results and health are just easier to accomplish and most of all keep! (Diets don’t work….only lasting changes do!)

Our life is frittered away by detail… Simplify, simplify, simplify! … Simplicity of life and elevation of purpose…..I say let your affairs be as one, two, three and to a hundred or a thousand… We are happy in proportion to the things we can do without.- Henry David Thoreau

I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself. - Aldous Huxley

Going along with my “looking back” from the Trainer tells all posts part I and part II, I’m also going to go with another important aspect of my life that has brought me much happiness, choosing a path of living simple. Now does that mean I live in a straw hut and forage for nuts and berries all day? Ummmm…..No. What is means is that I now find appreciation in many things I used to take for granted, I don’t walk around thinking I am missing things in my life. That doesn’t mean that I do not have goals or ambitions, it just means my daily happiness is not centered around it. So here’s some of the top life lessons I learned from the last 5-6 years as I focused on a path of simplicity…..in no particular order:

• When I had my last few corporate jobs I made alot of money, had a brand new car, ate out alot, bought the typical man “toys”, and at the end of the day….didn’t have much left in the bank and felt like I was trading my life energy away for nothing. I hated going to work….I couldn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. Was I supposed to keep working long days just to retire and start living at 65? I was selling stuff I didn’t even really care about. Something inside of me was yelling to get out…..
• I am just as happy driving around my used Camry with 150k miles then when I had the new company car(s). Now my self worth and image is not tied to my car and it is freeing. Even when I make my first million (note I say “when” as saying it will happen…will make it come true right?), I look forward to still driving around a used car….although I might rent a sports car to drive around a track a few times!
• Having only 1 or 2 pictures out causes me to actually focus on them once in a while and remember when they were taken. Having tons of picture frames laying around everywhere takes away from focusing on them…as they start to become clutter. You can rotate them out once a month if you like, but keeping them simple gave them more meaning.
• Cutting down on all mail (junk, bills, magazine subscriptions, etc) means it is not stressful to go to the mailbox anymore. I get all bills via online, I pay them all at the same time once a month, I go relax at the library or the book store and just skim magazines, and I don’t have a stack of letters waiting for me to get to them (as that just weighs in the subconscious).
• I no longer go to a gym for a workout and that mentality allows me to workout anywhere and not have any excuses of “I don’t have time” or “I don’t have access to a gym”. I think more people need to get this mentality of exercise can happen no matter where they are…you don’t need a building with 4 walls and 4000sqft of machines to be able to go run, do pushups, lunges or just walk on the beach. Considering also the most important piece of fitness equipment is a FORK (as most results come from what you put in your body).
• I no longer use my cell phone that much (and keep it on silent so I am not running around everytime it rings) and that makes the calls I do take and conversations I do have more important to me. It also allows me to focus on whatever I am wanting to do at that moment without distraction (whether it be work, exercise, or just sitting around doing “nothing”).
• I’ve come to realize the most important thing people need to learn how to do is to do “nothing”. Now…stay with me here. Are we talking about being lazy? No….in fact what some people define lazy as is not my definition. Being able to just sit and do nothing allows my mind and body to relax….and then it’s amazing what kind of inspiration or visions can happen. Looking around I see the biggest industry is in “distractions”….such as sports, TV, music, movies, gossip magazines, etc. Most people are so caught up in other things and other people’s lives/dramas that they never truely learn who they are. Don’t get me wrong, I can enjoy a good movie, TV show, sports game (I am from Boston originally….go Red Sox!)…but I am not attached to or defined by it. When the game is over….I move on in life…I don’t get swept up in offseason drama that has seem to take over the industry. I don’t care what famous people are doing….as they are just human, no superpowers in my book. But more importantly…I need to know who I am, listen to my inner voice…and then I won’t need distractions to keep me occupied as I will already have my vision in life and plenty to do. So go try and do “nothing”…it may be the hardest and most rewarding thing you ever do.
• I can say “No” to people and other commitments all day long. If it’s not something I really want to do…or really have time for, then I will say “No”. I am not afraid of hurting people’s feelings….they will get over it. If I spent my life caring about other people’s opinions all day long then I would get nothing done for myself! Spend time on what is important to your life and inner voice/vision….ignore the rest.
• When I used to travel in the past I would go to big destinations, resorts, etc and just be like every other tourist….yet I always came back tired and not refreshed. Now if I travel I would rather go off the beaten path, non tourist destination, smaller towns, and just away from anything that has tourists all over the place…as I want to relax and more importantly be relaxed.
• I stopped wearing a watch long ago….and I am no longer a slave to it. While I do have appointments and so forth…it was freeing knowing that I didn’t need to be eating at noon….start work at 8am…..etc. While many will still need to play by the corporate rules, try and take a weekend off….plan nothing…and have all day to enjoy it.
• Email, computer, etc….a key business tool and a big potential distraction. I now limit the amount of time I use it so really focus on what needs to be done. It’s been shown that people sitting at work for 8 hours with their email box open and internet explorer on will get less done than those that just check their email 1-2x a day and deal with the issues they have…and delete the unimportant emails. So limit your exposure, get to what needs to be done and you won’t have time for other distractions….as the internet is a large place we can all get lost on and waste alot of time. Have a goal of an empty inbox every night, take care of it or just file it away/delete it. Start new everyday and don’t let your inbox pile up to 100s of emails that you “may” need. 80/20….focus on what matters. You can enjoy websites and other online communication tools…just limit how much exposure you have to use them so you can use your time wisely.
• My wallet is a license, insurance card, ATM card and cash….with a money clip. That’s it. No more credit cards carrying around. I pay cash for everything. I could care less about my credit score….unlike what everything around me is saying. Go buy a used car with cash, you will get the best value. Anyone with any credit score can buy a house one way or another. Once you get past the self imposed fear that the industry is putting on you, why do you really need to care? Plus walking around with cash only really gives the full meaning of spending especially when talking about impulse buys…as stores will always try to get you to buy things on emotion (that is how sales works, gets you excited and then wanting something)…as that’s their business. Make it hurt to spend money and then maybe you will actually think about how you spend it. I budget each week….take out a certain amount of cash and then that’s all I have to spend….so I better plan wisely. Just leaving the credit cards at home is the way to start.
• I used to have 4-5 suits…plenty of dress shirts and pants…10 pairs of shoes for every occasion (that I hardly wore) with so many colored and designer socks that it took me an hour to match them all up on laundry day….etc…..now I have simplified…one suit, couple plain colored shirts, all the same black or white socks (minus some biking socks), couple plain colored dress pants, few shorts, few shirts, pair of sandals, pair of sneakers, one set of dress shoes, etc. Plus no real fancy outfits that can’t be combined with eachother, plain colors only and ones that can be matched (black, white, and gray are the easiest colors). Small wardrobe, easy for me….and no one ever says “Hey I saw that outfit on you before…” as most people probably don’t care or don’t even notice.
• I’d rather focus on the one or two hobbies I enjoy (and do well)….than 20 I will just get burned out on and never get anything from. I used to play in all sports leagues…you name it…softball, flag football, roller hockey, ice hockey, kickball, etc. Now I do 2 things…ice hockey and mountain bike….and I enjoy them every time. More is less in my book when it comes to hobbies and activities. As I truly enjoy everytime I go do them…and I don’t feel like I am running around just trying to keep busy and distracted. (see “do nothing” above) Find what you get the most enjoyment out of…and just focus on those small things. Don’t worry about the rest as you will get more in return from what you truly enjoy. Do what you love to do and do it well I always say. The world needs less “Jack of all Trades” and more “Masters of Specific Ones”…as that is where all the great works of literature, art, inventions and other things come from.
• Find your 80/20 in business. Find where 80% of your profits/sales/results come from…..as that is usually 20% of your business’ products, customers, focus. Dump the other 80% that yeild little to nothing…and use that time to let your mind relax, be creative and better focus on the 20% that yield the most. I had this opinion early in my corporate career….as I never chased around the little sales…and just focused on the big clients…and that landed me top sales for the company and an account that to this day they still make over $200million off (although I get no commission checks from it!). I had less stress and made 3x more than the sales people chasing every nickel and dime sale. This is the secret for those that want make it big…..and keep their sanity in the process.
• Everything is used once it leaves the store/lot…..yet it also drops in value by at least 30% (sometimes 60-70% if you try and resell it). Why do we need new? I only buy used (Hey, it’s new to me!) furniture, cars, and even things like Jeans (somethings I will obviously buy new like underwear and shirts). This doesn’t mean you can’t go and buy a nice new top of the line $100 shirt you will enjoy wearing over and over again….but with a simple wardrobe I probably do that once a year.
• Networking is the key to all business and other things that you can make happen. It’s easier to get things done with people you know than to try and cold call all day long. Make a habit of talking to anyone, as we are all on the same basic level (we are all human and we all want to be happy). I don’t get star struck by anyone…so I can talk to a friend as easily as I could a movie star…because I don’t put them on a pedestal. Also some of the most successful business people I know are just as down to earth as you or me….and probably would gladly help out anyone if they could. This doesn’t mean you have to keep a rolladex and everyone on speed dial….as that is not simplifying life, just smile and talk to people…you never know where the conversation may lead. Expect nothing from them, focus on how you could help them out and don’t treat them any more special than you would want to be treated yourself. It’s amazing what can come out of meetings like that and people will always remember those that helped them (and want to repay in kind somehow)….not those that just wanted something from them. The universe has a way of putting people in front of you during certain times….so keep a lookout for anyone around you, as the guy sitting across from you in a t-shirt and shorts could be a multi-million dollar private investor looking for the next great business idea….you just never know.
• Do a monthly plan…..see where all your money is going. It’s easier to control your spending than it is to make more money. Would you rather have fancy things and be stressed out making $100k a year….or would you rather have nice things (but not extravagant) and be happy with more free time at $35k a year? The choice is yours of course….but at the end of the day I would bet the person making $35k still saves more money in the bank….as he doesn’t need to spend it all to make himself “feel” happy.
• Simplicity is just making the choice to be happy with what you have now. Doesn’t mean you can’t have ambitions or want a race car….it just means your happiness is not based on achieving those goals. We all came into the world with nothing and that is what we will leave with. None of us ever own money, we just keep passing it around…as people pass it to us…and we pass it to someone else. Stop giving ownership to it….you don’t own it and that mindset is where all stress comes from…in fact your bank probably has more control of it than you do! Money is a tool, use it wisely….but don’t base your happiness on needing that tool, as you need things like food and shelter…and money can “get” those for you…but money is not what you need. Find true happiness in simple things, people, activities and then your emotional state will never be dictated by what you do or do not have. You can live in a big mansion or a small ranch…..you could have a million $ in the bank or $10….it’s your choice….just be able to be equally happy with either scenario…..and the world is yours to enjoy every day!