What is your TDEE?

Here’s a question for ya: What’s your TDEE? 
If you can’t answer that off the top of your head, then you are probably wasting precious energy and time when it comes to weight loss/weight gain. 
Here’s why.

TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. This tells you how many calories per day your body burns each day. If you’re trying to lose weight, consider 2 things: 
1) How do you know how many calories you’re consuming? and
2) How do you know how many calories you’re expending?

If you don’t know one of these questions, then it will be very difficult to see the results you want. 
If you don’t know BOTH of these questions, then you are completely off track and will not see the results you expect leading to you giving up until the new year.

Here’s a link for you to calculate your TDEE (http://www.iifym.com/tdee-calculator/)
Here’s a way to track your food and calories (https://www.myfitnesspal.com/)

Use the knowledge from the first link and apply it to the second link, and BOOM! You now have a road map to your success!

How Much Sugar are you Consuming?

How much Sugar do you ACTUALLY consume per day?

When you look at a nutritional label, at what point do you put the product down when looking a the sugar content? 
5g, 10g, 15g, 20g, 40g???

Do you keep in mind that what you see on the label is actually how much there is in a serving!?

So how much sugar are you eating per day??

The reality is that if your not logging your food on an app such as MyFitnessPal, or keeping a food journal of EVERYTHING that enters your mouth, you really have no idea.

A study done showed that people are Terrible at estimating how many calories they're consuming each day.

So let me put this in perspective... How much sugar (in grams) do you think is on a Krispy Kreme Glazed Doughnut? Here are your choices – 10g, 15g, 20g, 25g? (See below for answer)

Did you overestimate? If you did your not alone.

Take a look at the drink or food you have in your hand now, how many servings is it? How much sugar is really in it? A general rule of thumb is to immediately put down the food or drink that contains more than 15g of sugar per serving.

Here are some other foods that have a surprising amount of sugar (per serving):
Milk: 12g
Gatorade: 21g
Packaged Yogurt with fruit – 19g
Frosted Flakes – 12.4g
Coke Can (12oz) – 39g
Coke Bottle (20oz) – 65g
Coke (1 liter) – 108g
Red Bull (8.3oz) - 27g
Krispy Kreme Glazed Doughnut - 10g

While these are pretty alarming numbers, it doesn't mean you can never have a Gatorade ever again for the rest of your life. I'm saying that you need to be aware of the actual amount of sugar you are consuming everyday! If you are living an active lifestyle, you need to worry even less!

Foods that ATTACK Belly Fat!

Remember that insulin article I wrote previously? If not go reference now.

TRUE or FALSE – The body you have right now, is a byproduct of how you choose to eat on a consistent basis.

Are you happy with it? Are you tired of starving yourself and making things worse?

Regardless of what stage you're at in your health and fitness journey, here are a few tips that you can take and run with.

1) Oatmeal – Starting your morning off with Plain oatmeal, not the sugary goodness, will help with a few things... like preventing a spike in your blood sugar and keeping you feeling full until your morning snack! If you hate the taste of plain oatmeal like I do, then spice it up with cinnamon and sweeten it with blueberries.

2) Nuts – Specifically almonds. Great for that morning snack I just mentioned. When compared to rice cakes, people who ate the same amount of calories from nuts felt full longer. Keep a watch on sodium when choosing almonds as they can raise blood pressure.

3) Whey Protein – Yup, go get you some whey! Protein contains amino acids which are proven to help burn fat and build muscle. I'm not saying you have to drink 10 protein shakes a day but next time you make a smoothie or even oatmeal, add a few tablespoons of whey!

4) Eggs – The key ingredient in eggs is Vitamin B12. This is a vitamin that is responsible for metabolizing fat. Easy add on to that oatmeal breakfast! Any more that 3 eggs, consider removing the yolk.

5) Lean Meats – Chicken, Beef, Fish, Turkey are all good choices. Your body burns more calories digesting protein than it does digesting fats and carbs. If you want extra credit when choosing meat, eat Salmon, Tuna and Turkey. Watch out for cured meats as they contain more saturated fat.

Have you lost a considerable amount of weight? What foods helped you the most!?

As always feel free to Comment/Share!

Insulin 101 and Why you should Give a Damn…

What is it?

Anytime we eat carbs, our bodies will break them down into sugars, otherwise known as glucose. Too much sugar in the blood is toxic to our bodies, so we have developed the ability to produce insulin to remove these toxins from our blood.

Where does insulin come from?

Pancreas

Why do we care?

Typically insulin will send sugar (glucose) to 1 of 3 places: Muscle cells, Liver and if those are full of glycogen already, then it will be sent to your Fat cells.

Now glucose will be used for FUEL in your muscle and liver cells, however when those cells are full of glycogen, the only other place to store is fat cells, which is harder to tap into and burn.

So what happens when you don't exercise?

All the carbohydrates that you consume throughout the day get stored in places that are meant to be burned as fuel and energy. When those aren't burned, glycogen will spill over and store in your fat cells. Thus making you fat (see what I'm getting at?).

3 things to consider:

When our insulin is spiked (meaning you just ate a crap load of carbs and sugar), Insulin will do these 3 complicated things made simple:

1) Promotes Fat Storage

Fat from food is temporarily stored into our fat cells while insulin does its job.

2) Suppresses Fat Burning

When we eat excess carbs, we are preventing our bodies from burning the glycogen stored in fat cells. This is due to the fact that our pancreas is constantly producing insulin to rid the toxins in our blood, thus storing more and more fat into our cells.

3) Fructose in Liver

When glucose in the liver is not burned, it will store as fat in your liver. Stored fat in your liver will cause even more problems down the road, and insulin 101 will be the least of your worries.

Keep in mind, when you are active on a consistent basis, eating carbohydrates is actually healthy. You are eating with a purpose and will use these carbs as fuel. Your body will regulate its insulin levels giving you nothing to worry about.

What to do about it?

Reference my article in regards to portion control on your plate. Anytime you eat a meal, 50% of the plate should be covered with protein. On the other half of the plate 25% should be a starchy carb such as a sweet potato, and the other 25% should be a fibrous carb such as a leafy vegetable.

Stay the hell away from Fructose! Don't think of fructose as naturally made sugar in fruit (although you should regulated daily fruit consumption). Think of fructose as man made sugars, and stay.the.hell.away!

New to the Gym? Whats your Purpose?

Making the decision to sign up for a gym membership is a big deal for most. You are typically stepping outside of you comfort zone into an unfamiliar world that can be very intimidating.

You have no idea where to start so you automatically do 1 of 3 things:

1) you head straight for the cardio equipment

2) you sign up for a class OR

3) you stop going to the gym

So where do you start?

Most gyms offer a free session with a trainer to new members. Even if hiring a trainer isn't what you're interested in, he/she can at least show you around the intimidating gym equipment that you otherwise would have never tried. If the trainer is competent, they'll even show you how to properly use the equipment correctly.

This is a good start but what if you're gym doesn't offer a free session with a trainer? While options 1 & 2 aren't terrible choices, I would ask you what is your Purpose for the gym membership? What is your Goal?

Exercising at the gym without a specific goal is like driving around the country without a specific destination. You're going to end up somewhere, but it may not be where you want to be.

Begin with a long term goal. For example, if you want to loose weight, your goal may be: I want to loose 100 lbs this year.

Impossible right?

Once you have that long term goal, you can reverse engineer it make smaller much attainable goals. So that 100 lbs in a whole year will turn to 8.3 lbs a month, which turns into roughly 2 lbs a week!

Now you've take a goal that was overwhelming and seemingly unattainable and made it into something much more attractive and motivating! Now you have a destination. Now you can enter in the destination and follow the suggested route.

Start with a goal, then figure the rest out as you go!

How to Get Lean & Stay Lean year round

Ever wonder how some guys stay lean all year? Not only that but they stay lean during a bulk!?

Most would say they are just genetically “gifted”. While genetics do play a role in it, maybe they just know how to eat correctly? I'm going to show you a way to achieve this without having to weigh your food and count your calories.

I think we all know, in order to grow, we need 3 things: Protein, Carbs & Fat.

When making a plate of food, I like to divide the plate into sections. Automatically I load ½ of the plate with protein. The other half I divide into sections with a fat, starchy carb & a fibrous carb. In the picture, I have a little less protein on my plate because I am drinking a protein shake with my meal.

So next time you sit down for a meal, look at your plate and make necessary adjustments!

Get lean & Stay lean!

As always feel free to Like/Comment/Share!

What would you Rather have? NEW Car OR NEW Body?

What would you RATHER have:
A brand new car of your choice
OR
A fit heathy body for the rest of your life?

...

I've been thinking about this question a lot recently, and the more I thought about it the more interesting it became.

In my opinion, the MAJORITY of people asked this question would probably say they would rather a new car of the choice. Would you agree?

Now the catch is this: These people aren't getting a FREE car of their choice, they are still paying for it. So lets assume their car payment ends up being $550/month because they got a sweet Range Rover, with white leather interior and the heated/air conditioned seats and built in navigation that drives itself.
Sweet huh?

Is it the instant gratification that people crave that make them choose the car? I mean, at the snap of their finger, they just financed an expensive car that they otherwise wouldn't have been able to pay for. Right?

What if the same person was in the same situation, but could only buy one part of the car at a time each month? For example they spend $500 for the month but only received a tire. Then they work for another month so they can pay for the 2nd tire... and so on until the car is complete. Then once they get all the parts, they have to put it all together.
Would they choose the car still, knowing it would take a year of paying $500 a month, before they could even drive it?

Now lets fast forward 2 years, maybe 3 years from the purchase. Is it still as new and exciting as it was when you got it? Is it still in PRISTINE condition or does it have some dings and paint scratches?
Fast forward another 5 years. Is the engine starting to run a little more rough? Is the leather interior starting to crack and pinch the backside of your legs?

Are you still happy with your choice? BTW, you're still paying $500 a month for this baby plus the repairs and maintenance that it requires.

The reason I got to thinking about this is because a peer of mine pointed out that people who purchase personal training are essentially paying as much as they would a new car! As true as this may be, I began to think of the word INVESTMENT.

Purchasing a car is rarely an INVESTMENT. However Purchasing a personal training program most certainly is an investment. You're investing in you BODY & LONGEVITY as a human. How many cars have you had in your life? How many cars will you have in the future? We only get ONE body and we have to live in it every.single.day!

So why are we so hesitant to invest in it?
Because it takes work? Effort? Lacks instant gratification?
Think about it...

How do you Protein??

How do you Protein??

I can't stress how important protein is in your diet. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that 99% of you don't get enough protein daily!

What's enough? Roughly .5grams per 1lb of body weight. So a 200lb male should eat a MINIMUM of 100g of protein per day. *Keep in mind this can fluctuate depending on a person's specific goal so use this number as a general guide*

Now think about how you can get that much protein in a single day, every day of the week. Sounds expensive right?

This is were supplementation comes in handy, so it would be in your best interest to buy a quality whey protein powder. If we're talking about the same 200 lb male, I would tell him to shoot for 2 shakes a day! This should get you anywhere from 50-60g of protein total! *Keep in mind that this is a SUPPLEMENT to your diet. It is NOT recommended to only rely on supplements to reach daily goals.*

Now we can break up the last 50-40g into the meals we eat during the day. Below is an example of how a full day would look to get your protein in.

Breakfast - 3 Eggs and bacon (25g)

Protein Shake (25g)

Lunch - Chicken Breast and veggies (25g)

Protein Shake (25g)

Dinner - Grilled Sirloin Steak and sweet potatoes (30g)

The key here and with anything diet related is PREPARATION. If you don't have a plan, you will forget to food prep, thus causing you to rely on less healthier options that may be more convenient.

As always, I encourage you to Like/Comment/Share!

Stay hungry!

- J

How you're destroying your six pack in the Morning

If your goal is to loose weight (especially around your midsection) here are a few ways you are riding on the failboat...

1) Too mas Carbs in the morning! ...
The busiest time at the gym is typically 4-6 pm which means most people go after work. By eating a high carb breakfast, you're lacking what? BROTEIN! Eat more protein for breakfast which will help with cravings before you have even turned on your desk computer.

2) Ditch the Soda in the morning!
Sounds weird right? I know a few non-coffee drinkers that actually prefer their morning pick-me-up in soda form on the way to work. These people are not in the business of loosing stomach fat so this doesn't apply to them. If you are, and this is YOU, try giving a caffeinated tea a try in the morning. If you don't like hot tea, make a pot the night before and stick it in yo' fridge.

3) Kick your smoking habit!
Again, just trying to give research based advice for those who want/need help losing weight. If you like the way you look, then no need to take this advice (if you're still reading this post, you probably want to lose weight...just sayin). A study done by Endocrine Society in San Diego found that smokers who kicked their habit lost weight especially in their midsection. It wasn't until 6 months after they stopped smoking, but kicking the habit independently helped! No diet/exercise change needed!

Hope this helps! As always feel free to comment/Like/share
PEACE!

Concentric vs Eccentric - The RIGHT way to lift

Ever done an exercise and afterwards felt like you just went through the motions? You didn't really feel anything...

Ever wonder if how you're performing and exercise is even correct?

What if I told you that you're doing it wrong. You would think to yourself: How the hell do you know, you've never seen me lift. I know because 99.69% of people in the gym are doing it wrong (if their goal is to build muscle that is...power/Olympic lifters are an exception).

So what the hell do I mean? Lets use a Bicep Curl for illustration.

There are 3 phases of a lift: Concentric, Isometric and Eccentric.

Concentric- is the upward motion of this exercise. The part when you are contracting your biceps to lift the weight upward.

Isometric- is the pause when you reach the top of the movement, just before you begin to lower the weight.

Eccentric- is the lowering phase of the exercise.

Now that we're all clear on the terminology, what's the big deal?

The big deal is Time Under Tension (TUT). Everyone focuses on the Concentric part of the exercise and thinks they are maximizing their potential gains. You know, when you grunt to get the weight up and then let it flop down to the starting position. When in reality, this part of the lift should be the least of their worries. In fact, the ECCENTRIC portion of the lift is where we pack on the gains. This is the part that everyone (99.69%) negates!

In order for us to maximize dem gains, you need to start thinking about TUT. The longer the muscle is under tension the better for building. What I recommend when lifting is to set a tempo. For the biceps curl aim for a 2 second Concentric movement, 1 second hold (contracting your biceps as hard as possible), then lowering the weight for 4 seconds.

Holy burn! You will hate me during the lift, but you will love the outcome.

5 ways to loose belly fat!

Reality check... Most people have it, Everyone wants to get rid of it.

Right?

I tell my clients that every one of them has a six pack, we just cant see it yet. 

Here are 5 ways to peel of that fat:

1) Eat more Protein.
About 25%-30% of the calories in each gram of protein are burned in digestion, compared to only 6%-8% of the calories in carbs. Do the math: You save 41 calories every time you substitute 50 grams of protein for an equal amount of carbs.

2) Instead of Cardio, HIIT
What's HIIT? High Intensity Interval Training. I'll explain it like this: When driving your car, do you get better gas mileage on the hwy or city? Hwy right? Why? It's because your car is more efficient at going at a faster, steady pace than it is when driving in stop and go traffic. Our bodies are similar. When the goal is to burn fat, we need to use HIIT in order to bounce our heart rate, thus burning fat for fuel, as a car would burn gas.

3) Lift weights
Let me put it simply. Resistance training has a tendency to build muscle. The more you lift, the more you build. Muscle has a tendency to eat fat. The more you build, the leaner you get. Simple right?

4) Perform HIIT AFTER your workout
By doing cardio after you've lifted, when you're already tired, the same speed or intensity will have a greater effect than had you done it beforehand. You can set a pace with your cardio. So even if you're tired after resistance training, you still have a pace to follow. If you do cardio prior to resistance training, you will lack the proper intensity during your lifts. There is no set "pace" when it comes to weights... that has to come from within.

5) Log what you eat!
It's truly amazing how much added sugar surrounds our every move. Start looking at nutritional labels and logging your food into MyFitnessPal. At the end of the day, see how much sugar you've put into your body. Now that you know, do something about it!

Do you have a method that has worked for you!?

The Importance of the pre-workout meal!

Ever wentto the gym and felt off? You were tired, lacked motivation and energy and just kind of went through the motions waiting for you're pre workout supplement to kick in. When you finally get to your car you realize you just wasted an hour and a half of your day...

Ask yourself on those days: What did I eat prior to training?

Maybe, just maybe that's the key to a great workout.

So what does your body need to be completely fueled up for a killer workout?

Easy... 1) Carbs and 2) Protein

1) Carbs are the instant fuel that feed your body. Think of a train. You have to treat carbs like they treat coal in a train! Quick energy that is easily burned. That's what starts moving the train or in this case your body. Your body will use these carbs for a good 60-90 mins before all your glycogen stores have been used up. Which brings us to the logs.

2) Protein. Once the fire is HOT and we're burnin all the coal, we need something more solid to provide the fire to burn for a more slower/steady rate. Protein are the logs that sustain the fire and keep the train moving once the coals have burned up. Eating protein pre-workout will keep our bodies from eating our hard earned muscle mass. Protein pre-workout has been shown to reduce soreness as well!

Typically you want to eat your pre-workout meal 1-2 hrs. prior to training. I would recommend using a protein powder as your source of pre-workout protein as this uses less oxygen to digest ,thus giving your muscles more oxygen during your workout, meaning more power during sets.

My pre-workout is typically a cup of steel cut oats, banana and protein shake! Keep it simple.

What is your pre workout supplement??

Why am I NOT losing weight!??

Why am I NOT losing weight!??

Sound familiar? If so, ask yourselves these questions:

- Are you training consistently? ...
Nothing in life happens as quickly as we’d like it to, including losing weight, toning up (and being awesome). If you’re following a good program, or have a good trainer, trust in the plan that’s been put together for you. Commit to a plan for a solid 12 weeks before throwing it out. P.S. Key word here is COMMIT

- Are You Replacing Fat With Muscle?
If you ARE training on a consistent basis, this could be what's going on. A lb of fat weighs the same as a lb of muscle... With that being said, there is a difference in the volume between the two. For example, a cubic inch of fat will weigh less than a cubic inch of muscle. Don't be discouraged if this is the case. Have your trainer pinch you to figure out your body fat % and use that as a guide of progress, not the scale.

- Are you sticking to a nutritional plan?
Nutrition can be as challenging as starting a new workout program can be. I tell all my clients that this is going to be the hardest part of your transformation. In my opinion, the most important part of this process is starting a food journal, because you really don't know how much your consuming of something unless its logged. I recommend using the MyFitnessPal app for this!

All in all, be committed and stay consistent. Trust the process if you're working with a trainer. Oh, and have a little fun, it's your life!

What's worked for you?

Sleep BIG to get BIG

Are you having trouble putting on 💪MUSCLE💪? Maybe its time to look outside of the gym and kitchen..

Most people don’t realize it, but sleep and muscle growth goes hand in hand. When you think about building muscle mass, the first thing you probably think of is spending hours in the gym. The next thing you probably think about is the diet and nutrition necessary to help recover and build muscle.

So what about sleep?

Think of it like this... when you train in the gym, you create microscopic tears in your muscle(duh). The two main factors in how well your muscles are repaired after training are sleep and nutrition.

During the sleep your body will go through cycles every hour releasing testosterone and melatonin, both essential for muscle growth. That is why it's recommended to get 8-10 hrs. of sleep, so your body is able to complete the necessary cycles of repair and recovery in order to achieve muscle growth.

If you sleep any longer than that you may be resetting your body’s natural clock and may find it much more difficult to fall asleep on time the following night.

On that note... GET TO BED! 😴😴😴

Trouble maintaing energy levels throughout the day?

So your energy levels are low throughout the day and you find yourself reaching for an energy drink..or 4, just to get that temporary boost then find yourself crashing 30/60 mins later...😧

Right?

Perhaps you should try to incorporate these 5 easy items into your day and diet instead:

...

1)☕Black Coffee - When you need a quick pick-me-up, a little caffeine can go a long way. 0 Cals. Can't stand black coffee? Add a tsp of honey, splash of almond milk and cinnamon.

2) Edamame - Soybeans are high in energizing nutrients, particularly B-vitamins, copper and phosphorous.
Edamame delivers exercise-friendly carbs, fiber and protein for muscles. Throw a handfull in a ziplock to snack on.

3)💦WATER! Not Soda, not Juice..WATER! One of the most important determinants of your energy levels is hydration status.
Water is responsible for transporting all nutrients in the blood that we use for energy as well as getting rid of waste build-up that leads to fatigue. Drink minimum 3L/day.

4)🍳Eggs - Egg yolks are high in B-vitamins(aka energy). To cut back on saturated fat and excess calories, stick to 1 whole egg plus 2-3 egg whites for a lean energy-filled breakfast.

5) Trail Mix - Nuts and dried fruit are the ideal combination of healthy fats, fiber and protein. Refined carbs that do not have fiber quickly break down into glucose for short bursts of energy, fiber helps slow down glucose-release so there is always a steady supply. To avoid excess sugars and oils that can be added to many popular trail mixes, just make your own!

Did I miss anything you guys use that works really well?!

Hope this helps!

That soreness you get after working out... GOOD or BAD?

Depends..

If there is muscle pain, muscle soreness or muscle stiffness that occurs in the day or two after exercise, you are probably experiencing DOMS.

...

What's DOMS? Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness

This muscle soreness is most frequently felt when you begin a new exercise program, change your exercise routine, or dramatically increase the duration or intensity of your exercise routine. Which is why most beginners are always sore!
DOMS is a normal response to unusual exertion and is part of an adaptation process that leads to greater stamina and strength as the muscles recover and build.

This sort of muscle pain is not the same as the muscle pain or fatigue you experience during exercise (when you feel the burn). DOMS is also unlike the acute, sudden and sharp pain of an injury such as a muscle strains or sprain that occurs during activity and often causes swelling or bruising...So don't mistake an injury for DOMS.

DOMS is generally at its worst within the first 2 days following a new, intense activity and slowly subsides over the next few days.

But with new stimulus comes adaptation.. So when your body does not respond to your workout routine with some level of (good) soreness the following 24-48 hrs.. you may consider tweaking your training routine!

👟SHOES👟 or 🐾NO SHOES🐾?

Performing these exercises barefoot is better for bodily awareness, which helps you nail proper form and can improve your balance and stability

1) Squats: In a proper squat, you push your butt back as if you’re sitting in a chair. Removing your shoes shifts your weight back, which makes this easier.
People also tend to have better squat depth without shoes, allowing you to get the full benefit of the exercise.

2) Deadlift: Going barefoot or wearing minimal footwear puts your body in the most natural, secure position to pick up a heavy weight. Remember that an elevated heel tilts your body forward. You have to compensate for this during the deadlift by moving backward or taking a more upright posture. Both positions put your body off balance.

3) Kettlebell Swings: A raised heel makes you lean forward during kettlebell swings, which can be especially problematic because the momentum of the bell is already pulling your body in that direction. With proper form, you should be standing tall, with your hips in line with your body, at the top of the kettlebell swing. But when your heels are elevated, your hips are pushed back and your back is rounded, putting additional strain on the posterior side.

Everything starts from the ground up, so when we are barefoot, we are doing exactly what our body is made for.

If your training one of these tomorrow, give it a try! I'd like to know what you think.