Deirdre was a marine for 8 years and went through Marine Boot Camp.  (She always says mine works much better and is wayyyyy more fun!)

Here’s what she wrote:  (I get called a “bright-eyed, bushy-tailed puppy)

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Keep the Work Out, Change the Name

Full Metal Jacket, NOT

When I was first contemplating signing up for boot camp sessions, I admit I had a tinge of nervousness. ‘What if the instructor is one of those all-brawn-no-brain-heavy-weight-lifter-dudes who feels he missed his opportunity to join the armed forces and is now taking his regret out on me?’ Or worse, having some younger, hot, trainer guy pick apart my every fatty flaw and wonder how many pints of Haagen Dazs it took to make my thighs look like that? What if all the participants are young hard bodies who will leave me panting behind them during 8 mile formation run? Yelling? Oh no, don’t like yelling.

Wait…but I’ve already gone through a real military boot camp. The United States Marine Corps boot camp. Paris Island, SC in August. Sand fleas. Heat and humidity that enable drinking two canteens of water in one sitting. The meanest women (and best drill instructors around) who referred to me as a “nasty thang” and had total control over what I said, did, ate, and wore. I was a typical boot recruit; tired, dazed, confused, and homesick. Three months of this experience was enough for a lifetime. I am still honored that I was able to complete the training, earn the right to wear the uniform and serve my time in the most awesome branch of the military. How could this civilian “boot camp” possibly live up to the title? I mean really, what an unfortunate name. It probably scares people away because they think it is a Full Metal Jacket experience. It almost scared me off because I didn’t want someone’s distorted interpretation of what I already knew.

Realistic Work Out for Realistic Fitness Goals

But still, it had been 20 years, and 2 pregnancies later. I had been running, doing sit-ups and push-ups like they taught me in the Corps to maintain some kind of a workout routine. My body was staying smaller but not in the best shape/proportion that I wanted. I knew I need something more. Someone who knew what exercises would work for me, especially after that dreaded full body analyzation I just knew was on the first day. (It couldn’t be worse than the bra and panties routine every evening in the squad bay when we had to inform our drill instructors of any of the day’s health problems.)

No YELLING

First day of boot camp was nothing like I ever thought or had experienced 20 years ago with that first step off the bus onto the yellow foot prints. My fitness boot camp instructor was young and in great shape but more like a bright-eyed bushy tailed puppy and not a condescending muscle bound ogre ready to terrorize us into a state of subordinate fear. He was motivating, eager and willing to help us all achieve our goals and to make it through the first day. We all received individual attention unlike military boot camp where you must reach the same fitness goals simultaneously with your platoon. No yelling here, just encouragement and pure entertainment as he distracted me from those first grueling planks with funny stories and corny jokes. No demeaning ego hits here either. My fellow campers were 30 or 40 something moms just like me. We all were relieved that we did not have to keep up with a room full of fitness models.

No Injuries

As I followed along, he taught us why the exercises he planned for us were working better than what we had been using before. (Smart guy and he had muscles.) He cheerfully explained, not yelling and spitting in our faces, why our previous work outs were not only ineffective but possibly dangerous. (Slippery knees? Wonky stride and hunched over running posture?) We were in a nice, big, indoor, air conditioned facility, without sand fleas, listening to fun upbeat music. Then before I knew it, the hour was up, I felt tired but relaxed and able to go…home. Not three months of seclusion from the real world with a new bruise or blister everyday.

Quicker Results that Last

I was really sore, all over again, after the first days. The exercises seemed so simple and easy but they shaped up my body more quickly than the long, hot mid-day lunch runs I had been enduring. I noticed I did not have the joint pains like I had before and my knees were stronger. No sand flea bites or sunburn. NO RUNNING while chanting in formation! My body started looking curvier and firmer in the right places. I love my abs and arms. I look forward to bathing suit season to show off how hard I work out. Bikini abs was not the goal in the military and we were all going to be wearing baggy camouflage anyway. This boot camp offers 10 sessions a week so I can make a work out fit easily into my constantly changing schedule as a mom of two daughters who play sports. I have been attending for over two years now. It has become a part of my normal routine.

It’s so Good, Give it a New Name

Don’t let the name of the training scare you. It is not in any way comparable to a military boot camp where the goal is preparing you to be a soldier, airman, sailor or the best, a Marine. After military boot camp you owe the military all of you for 4 years, minimum. How much are you worth? The time and budgeted expense are infinitesimal compared to the benefits of a healthier body and life style. This is a great metabolic workout where you will be encouraged by the instructor and your peers, reach your fitness goals faster without injury, you can go home after an hour, and you get to wear cute work out gear. So give it another name. 60 Minutes with a Fairy Gym Brother? Your Mama Wore Combat Boots So You Don’t Have Too? Boot Camp without the Boots or Camping? Out of This Wo(r)ld Fitness Hour?

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60 Minutes With A Fairy Gym Brother?  Really?

But Deirdre is right, I need a new name for my bootcamp.  I mean, Wold Fitness Boot Camp is pretty bog-standard.

What do you think?  What should I call it?

Leave a comment below and let me know!

Read “Freakin’ Fabulous” by Clinton Kelly to learn how to dress outside the gym (One of my favorite books!)

Use a  Foam Roller every day

Read Secrets of a Former Fat Girl and learn her “It’s Not An Option” strategy for getting fit

Wear a pair of Vibram Fivefingers during your workouts and your knees, ankles, and back will thank you

What is YOUR best weight loss tip?  I’d love to hear it!  Leave a comment below

Like…. BAD sugar cravings?

I know a girl who would pour chocolate syrup into a can of cherry pie filling and eat it while she watched TV.

She was on a low-fat, low-protein, high carbohydrate diet, and somehow managed to fit this nutritional monstrosity into her eating plan.  (But anyone who thinks that cherry pie filling and chocolate syrup can be on a fat loss diet is obviously lacking in common sense)

Why do most of us get sugar cravings?

There are 2 main PHYSICAL reasons  (there are many emotional reasons too, check out this post for some info: Emotional Eating)

Sugar Craving Takeover Number 1: You Replaced Protein With Carbs

The first reason is because we EAT carbohydrate .

If you eat carbs from any grains or processed foods, you’re very likely hypoglycemic, and when your blood sugar drops your body will do anything to make you get it back up.  So it sends out “craving signals” to make you knock your friends over as you dash for the candy machine.

And if you’re not getting enough protein in your diet, your brain is DESPERATE for seratonin and endorphins.  These are brain chemicals that let you feel enjoyment, happiness, contentment, euphoria, and enhance pleasure.  (They are made out of protein, so if you’ve ever been happy in your life, you owe a “thank you” to protein)

So when you are hypoglycemic as a result of eating carbs earlier in the day, and you haven’t eaten enough protein, your brain can’t produce endorphins.

But a sugar rush will trigger an adrenaline surge that will raise your endorphins for a while.  But when they drop (inevitably), you’ll be like a junkie looking for your next sugar hit.

Sugar Craving Takeover Number 2: Lack Of Quality Protein Causing Depression

If you aren’t getting enough good quality protein (think animal meats and their byproducts) you are at severe risk for seratonin depletion.

And in case you missed all of the pharmaceutical commercials on TV, seratonin depletion is a fancy way of saying DEPRESSION.

This is because low-quality protein sources lack an amino acid called tryptophan.  Tryptophan metabolizes into seratonin, so if your diet is lacking in tryptophan, your brain is lacking in happiness.

And here’s a problem: Most of the best sources of tryptophan are being ruined by industrial agriculture.

Seriously now, feeding corn and other grains (instead of grasses) to our livestock cuts the amount of tryptophan in their meat by about75%.  So the foods that should be keeping us happy are deficient because of grain, factory farming, and other unnatural farming methods.

Want to hear something interesting?  There’s a correlation between diminishing tryptophan in livestock and rising depression for the past 100 years.

And here’s the kicker: eating grains produces the same low-tryptophan levels in us that it does in animals.

“What does this have to do with sugar cravings, Luke?  Get on with it!”

Ok… when you eat sugar you trigger a flood of insulin in your body.  Insulin is a storage hormone and as it is released, it “shoves” proteins, fats, and sugars into your cells for storage.  And the only thing that isn’t affected by insulin is… tryptophan!!

Once insulin has hustled everything else out of the way, there’s no competition for tryptophan, and it can cross the blood-brain barrier.

Soooo, when you eat sugar, trigger insulin, and clear the path, your seratonin-starved brain gets a taste of tryptophan.

That’s why when you feel depressed you crave sweets, starches, and comfort foods.  (Take this Emotional Eating Quiz to see what I mean)

Want to stop these sugar-controlled mood swings?

The easiest way is to eat a diet with plenty of healthy fats, protein, fruits, and vegetables.

Stay tuned to this site for more about nutrition, health, happiness, and fitness!

Rep – Short for “Repetition.”  This is one execution of an exercise.  One pushup is one rep, five squats is five reps.  Easy.

Set – A collection of reps.  We write the number of sets x the number of reps.  So “Bodyweight Jump Squats 4 x12″ would be four sets of twelve reps.

Homeostasis – Internal equilibrium of the body.  This means that all your body’s processes are maintaining a balance.

Metabolism – The sum of the chemical processes that occur in the body.  When you have a high metabolism you have a greater number of chemical reactions in your body, and burn more calories to power these reactions.  To raise your metabolism you must disrupt your homeostasis and your body will burn calories as it works to return to balance.

Concentric – A shortening of your muscles.  Curling a weight to your shoulder is a concentric action of your biceps.

Eccentric – A lengthening of your muscles.  Lowering your body towards the floor during a pushup is an eccentric contraction of your chest, shoulder, and arm muscles.

Tempo – The speed at which you do your reps.  This includes a prescription for both the eccentric and concentric phases of a rep, with occasionally a pause in between.  An example of a tempo prescription would be taking five seconds to lower yourself into a squat, pausing for ten seconds, then explosively jumping upwards.

Negatives – Lowering a weight (or yourself) as slowly as possible.  An exercise I use with my athletes to build upper body strength is to jump up into a pullup and then take as long as possible to lower themselves down.

Steady State – Used for aerobic exercise, this is maintaining a constant pace for a length of time.  Jogging on a treadmill for 45 minutes at 70% of your maximum heart rate is an example of steady state exercise.

Interval Training – Sets of high intensity work followed by periods of either rest or very low intensity work.  Jumping rope as fast as possible for thirty seconds followed by 30 seconds of walking in place is an example of interval training.  Work to rest ratios depend on many factors.  This type of training has been shown to be more effective at burning fat and improving athletic performance than steady state training.

Superset – Pairing two exercises together to achieve a greater training efficiency.  (I’ll be writing MUCH more about training efficiency in the near future)

Circuit – Three or more exercises performed in a row.  One of my favorite circuit plans is to do a set of upper body, a set of lower body, then a set of core, and then take a rest before going through the circuit again.  This disrupts your body’s homeostasis and has been shown to raise your metabolism for at least 39 hours after your workout.

Tabata Protocol – An exercise protocol where you perform 20 seconds of work with 10 seconds of rest, repeated 6 to 8 times.  If done properly, this will be the hardest you have ever worked in your life.  (Meaning, if you can talk during a “tabata set,” you aren’t working hard enough to get the benefits)  This protocol is famous because if you repeat it several times a week, you will receive more benefits in only minutes than you would in HOUR of traditional training.

Timed Set – Instead of ending a set at a predetermined number of reps, you finish in a certain amount of time.  This is one of my favorite ways to design fat loss training programs.

Kettlebell – A ball-shaped weight with a looped handle attached.  These are a very versatile training tool that have become popular over the last few years.

Medicine Ball – A weighted ball used to add extra load to an exercise.

Swiss Ball – An inflated ball used to add instability to an exercise.

Crocs – A type of shoe that will get thrown out of my weight room.

There are lots more definitions to come!  The next part of this series will focus on the terms used for aerobic training and get deeper into definitions and examples!

If you want to get into great shape then you’ll be interested to know that 80% of your fitness results are attributed to your diet.

In our fast-paced society, eating is often done with little or no thought as to what exactly it is being ingested. Excess body fat is a direct outcome of this hurried, poor nutrition. Even if you have the best intentions with your diet, you are likely frustrated and fed up with extra pounds.

I don’t blame you for being confused about what you should eat. The media surely doesn’t help. One day the talking heads want you to give up all fats. The next day carbs are the culprit, and then acai berries become the holy grail of weight loss.

The food manufacturers increase confusion by printing misleading labels and bogus health claims.

Sometimes it seems like the whole system is set up to confuse and frustrate us into buying the latest and greatest packaged food.

The bottom line is that your physique is largely a result of what you eat, so the foods that you put into your body should be carefully selected.

It’s time to re-examine what you eat.

It all starts with reading nutritional labels. The nutritional content and ingredient list will give you everything you need to know about the quality of the food item.

I’ve outlined 5 ingredients that should raise a red flag when you turn over that package and find them listed:

Red Flagged Ingredient #1: High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

HFCS is a manmade sugar, derived predominantly from genetically modified corn. The sweet concoction has been shown to promote binges and hysterical hunger, and wrecks havoc on your blood sugar levels, promoting fat storage.

The introduction of HFCS into our food supply directly paralleled a 47% spike in Type 2 Diabetes cases as well as an 80% increase in obesity. Food manufacturers use HFCS in many mainstream products, including the following:

• Sauces (including ketchup)
• Yogurt
• Energy Bars
• Soft Drinks / Fruit Juices
• Processed baked goods
• Cereals
• Crackers
• Ice Cream
• Salad Dressing
• Most packaged snack foods

Red Flagged Ingredient #2: Hydrogenated Fat / Partially Hydrogenated Fat (Trans Fat)

Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats have undergone such extensive processing that the chemical structure has changed from a “cis” shape, which the human body recognizes and utilizes, to a “trans” shape, which is foreign and destructive to human physiology.

Check each food label for the word ‘hydrogenated’ and avoid it diligently. Cutting out hydrogenated fats is a simple set towards looking and feeling your best.

Red Flagged Ingredient #3: Aspartame

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that was denied 8 times by the FDA before being approved in 1973. Many scientists objected the approval, claiming that aspartame hadn’t been proven safe for use as a food additive.

MIT neuroscientist, Richard Wurtman, researched the effects of aspartame and concluded that it promotes cravings for foods high in calories and carbohydrates. Though aspartame is calorie-free it still causes insulin to be released, which job is to stow away sugar – when this sugar is not available, the result is often hypoglycemia and severe hunger. Not exactly a recipe for weight loss.

Red Flagged Ingredient #4: White Sugar

White sugar comes from the juice of a sugar cane plant that has undergone an intensive refining process. In this process all of the enzymes, fiber, vitamins and minerals are destroyed, rendering it nutritionally void. White sugar is also extremely high in calories, which your body loves to store away in fat cells.

Refined sugar has been linked to a weakened immune system, hyperactivity, ADD, mental and emotional disorders, dental cavities, hypoglycemia, enlargement of the liver and kidneys, and an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain. All that and it leads to weight gain.

Red Flagged Ingredient #5: White Flour

White flour comes from natural whole wheat that has been stripped of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. This results in a nutritionally void product that is packed with calories that release quickly into your system, creating a spike in blood sugar. As you know, this promotes fat storage and leads to hysterical hunger and cravings. You don’t need that.

Once you cut these 5 items out of your diet, you’ll be pleased with the results. Expect to lose weight, to have more energy and to feel better than you have in a long time.

If you’re serious about looking and feeling your best through purifying your diet, then focus on eating real food items. Real foods include lean meats, vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts and seeds.

Would you like to expedite your fitness and weight loss results? Email today to get started on a fitness program that will quickly transform your body.

Remember, while nutrition is vitally important for weight loss, true results are achieved through a combination of both nutrition and challenging, progressive exercise.

You’re about to read a great post by my friend Dr. Daniel Chong.  When I saw it on his blog I HAD to ask him if I could share it with you.  (The words are his, the goofy pictures are mine – hope you don’t mind, Daniel!)

Without further ado… here’s Dr. Chong!

Everyone is human.

Myself included.

Lately, I’ve been drinking coffee. Of course it’s organic and I only have one cup a few times a week, but it’s still the dreaded COFFEEEEE (supposed to look spooky) that I learned in naturopathic school is something akin to devil water, especially if you have adrenal stress.

I admit, I have, at various times in the past, asked my patients to stop drinking this stuff. It is very dehydrating and can lead to mineral imbalances and even constipation if consumed excessively. It can also overstimulate a tired person, giving them a false sense of ‘energy’ when really they should be feeling so horribly fatigued that the only viable option for them should be a nap.

AND- It stains your teeth!

These are not good things.

Why then do I drink it sometimes? Why then have I recently adopted more of a lenient attitude about this beverage with my patients (and myself)? Well, a couple of reasons.

For one thing, as I mentioned already, I’m human. So are most of my patients.

Being human, amongst other things, means we are typically unable to maintain a perfect diet and lifestyle 100% of the time, especially if our lives are so crazy that we have no choice but to become so tired that even though we should (correction- we HAVE to) take a nap, we can’t.

What are we all supposed to do then? Drinking green tea would a MUCH better idea if we needed a bit of caffeine pick-me-up, but green tea doesn’t taste like coffee. So some of us, addicted as we are to its lovely flavor and aroma, will keep on drinking it, regardless of what I or anyone else tells them.

The point of this post then is this- For various reasons, some better than others, many of us feel as though we need a vice- some ‘bad’ habit or another that is less than perfectly healthy but makes us feel good. And so, I have come to realize that my job is not only to teach you about the healthiest possible things you can do in your life, but also to teach you about the healthiest UN-healthy things you can do in your life.

In other words, I know many of you think I’m a perfectionist when it comes to health, but I’m trying to be a realist here OK people? I know that this world is FULL of unhealthy things, many of which smell good, look good, taste good and can even make you feel good. These are attractive attributes, especially for someone who is so wiped out and worn down they don’t smell good, look good, taste good OR feel good! So, I’ve come up with a short list of the healthiest options out there for a good old fashioned vice.

Here is my list:

• Coffee
• Dark Chocolate
• Red Wine

What, no doughnuts? No french fries? Come on people, this isn’t a free for all. There actually has to be some benefit to be had here. (I know, I know, “But french fries are made from potatoes, and potatoes are VEGETABLES!” Blah, blah, blah. I’ve heard it all before.)

Coffee

So you are already familiar with some of the negative attributes of coffee. Well, there may be some other ones that are potentially much worse, but for the most part the jury is still out. You see, while some studies suggest that coffee could actually contribute to heart disease, cancer and osteoporosis, other studies show just the opposite, like this one and this one.

All that being said, coffee is still my least favorite vice, mainly because people tend to drink it (or “need it” as some of my patients like to say) when they really shouldn’t, ie when they are wiped out and need a nap! If this is you, try the nap- it’s cheaper and healthier. However, if you are basically healthy and just like the taste and the gentle pick me up it provides you, I don’t really have a problem with it. I would, however, recommend always drinking an extra cup of water and making sure you are taking regular amounts of magnesium and other minerals to help compensate for some of the potential negative effects.

Dark Chocolate

Yummy.

High in powerful, disease preventing antioxidants.

Good fat source.

Lowers blood pressure and reduces stroke risk.

Potential aphrodisiac.

‘Nuff said.

Red Wine

There is rapidly growing list of the likely health benefits to be had from consuming alcohol in moderation, in particular red wine. In fact, when consumed in moderation (1-2 small glasses per day) this is probably my favorite, “healthy” vice of all for most people.

The simple fact that red wine is high in resveratrol, perhaps one of the most health-benefiting antioxidants to be discovered yet, is good enough for me. But now, even the big boys in the health care industry are starting to sing its praises.

Conclusion

So, should we all just skip the exercise, sleep and organic whole foods eaten in a more ‘primal way’ and instead just eat chocolate, and alternate between cups of coffee and red wine?

Funny enough, if you did you’d probably still be better off than the average American, but obviously I jest.

The idea instead would be to do the exercise, get the good sleep and eat really good foods in a primal way, AND THEN feel free to dabble in a few, higher quality vices like these.

Adios from one human to another…..

Dr Daniel Chong is a family physician who enjoys treating people of all ages, with a wide variety of ailments. Over time, he has also developed a keen interest in the treatment of chronic health conditions. His passion is to combine what he calls treating his patients the “old fashioned way”, with cutting edge advancements in functional diagnosis, nutritional and herbal medicine. In addition to his private, clinical practice, he also offers his services via online and telephone consultations.

Dr. Chong is a 2000 graduate of the National College of Natural Medicine, in Portland, an active member of the Oregon Association of Naturopathic Physicians, and is licensed as a primary healthcare provider in the state of Oregon. He can be contacted at www.SeekHealth.net.

Are you an emotional eater?  (I’ve written about this before: Emotional Eating)

If you think your emotions are making you overeat, this quiz will help determine why. Choose A or B, or both if they are equally true. If neither A nor B applies to you, don’t circle either one.  (Excerpted from Life is Hard, Food Is Easy by Linda Spangle, R.N., M.A.)

1. When I crave something to eat even if I’m not really hungry…
(a) a specific food immediately comes to mind, such as cookies or potato chips, and nothing else will do. I may even drive to the store to get it.
(b) I wander around thinking, “I want something to eat, but I don’t know what.” I usually end up choosing ice cream or bread.

2. I often experience cravings…
(a) when I’m at work, feeling stressed and pressured.
(b) when I’m home alone or bored.

3. When I crave something sweet, I usually choose…
(a) a candy bar, trail mix or chewy cookies.
(b) a milkshake, a bowl of ice cream or a slice of cake.

4. Even when I’m not really hungry, I could go for…
(a) hot dogs, pizza and French fries.
(b) Mom’s cooking, especially a meal or one of her homemade desserts.

5. The time of day that I’m most likely to experience cravings is…
(a) in the middle of the afternoon, when I’m at work feeling pressured by a million deadlines or I’m watching the clock.
(b) late at night, when I’m exhausted and have nothing to do and no one to talk to.

6. I’m a sucker for…
(a) potato chips, nuts or other snack foods.
(b) macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, fresh-baked bread or other comfort foods.

7. On a given day, I’m likely to feel…
(a) angry, frustrated, resentful, irritated, stressed or tense.
(b) discouraged, lonely, bored, restless or fatigued.

8. Sometimes I snack to avoid…
(a) doing something—eating is a great way to procrastinate.
(b) thinking about my feelings—food helps me bury my emotions.

9. I eat mainly because…
(a) it’s fun. I often seek out snack-type “party foods.”
(b) it feels good. I go for my childhood favorites.

10. If I find myself craving breakfast-type meals, regardless of the time of day, I’m more likely to choose…
(a) cereal or granola.
(b) eggs or biscuits with gravy.

SCORING for Emotional Eating Quiz

If you chose more A’s:
It means your feelings of anger, stress, frustration, resentment, burnout, bitterness, self-disgust or being overwhelmed and/or your desire for excitement are causing you to seek chewy, crunchy foods. You may be munching on a cookie or candy bar, but what you really want to chew on is something in your life: deadlines, your spouse or your boss. Spangle calls this sort of craving “head hunger” because it’s generated by thoughts, attitudes and pressures.

If you chose more B’s:
It means you are probably struggling with feelings such as boredom, loneliness, sadness, grief, depression, restlessness, hurt or disappointment, hopelessness, an overwhelming need for love or attention and/or a lack of meaning in your life. You also may be feeling fatigued or ill. Spangle calls such emotions “heart hunger” because people who are feeling them often crave soft, creamy comfort foods to fill a void in their lives.

If you circled three or fewer responses:
It means emotional eating is not likely to be a problem for you. You may occasionally use food to cope, but for the most part, it doesn’t hamper your weight-management efforts. If you’re having trouble losing weight, it’s probably your eating patterns and/or exercise program (or lack of one) rather than your emotions that are to blame.

It’s when you eat large amounts of food when you’re upset, tired, stressed, angry, bored, anxious, lonely, sad, or have low self-esteem 0r relationship problems.  If you’re like me, you usually binge on junk or “comfort” foods.

One study in my files says that 80% of excessive eating is caused by emotions – NOT hunger!

I figure it’s ok to eat for emotional reasons once in a while.  The problem is that we eat emotionally so often that it becomes impossible to distinguish betweeen true, physical hunger and endless emotional hunger.

When I surveyed my facebook friends on their biggest fitness problem, the number one thing people told me they do wrong is binge eat.  At office parties, at home in front of the TV, at the bar on weekends.

If you binge eat, you need to find out what TRIGGERS the emotion that leads you to overconsume.

To do this, try keeping a 2-column food/stress journal.  (My younger clients also keep a “zit journal”, which is kind of gross, but necessary)

Write down what you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat in one column.  In the other list the stresses, thoughts, and emotions you’re feeling right before and while you’re eating.

You’ll see the link between the two columns very very quickly.

Here are the most typical emotional triggers that lead to binge eating:

Location/Situation:

This is the number one problem for me, I eat when food is there.  At office birthdays, everyone presses you to try their cake.  At a friend’s house, you don’t want to be rude and turn down anything, so you eat it all.

Negative Thinking:

A LOT of people eat when they feel unworthy.  When their self-esteem is down, they eat for comfort.  Or they actually scold themselves WHILE they’re binge eating, berating their lack of will-power.

Physical:

This is when you eat for physical reasons that aren’t really hunger.  Eating to cure headaches or because you didn’t sleep well are two common causes.

(Or maybe you’re using the phenylethylamine in chocolate to fill other desires, like in the movie Down With Love)

Nervous Energy:

When I’m stressed out or anxious, I become “orally fidgety” and chew gum.  Other people bite their nails or grind their teeth or smoke.  But many many people much on chips or soda to give their mouth something to do.

Boredom:

This is a biggie.  Standing in the kitchen, staring off into space, and finishing off a box of Chips Ahoy.

Habits:

My mom is a GREAT cook.  So lots of my comforting memories revolve around food.  If your parents used to reward you with treats, or take you out to celebrate, or built the habit of dessert after every meal – it has probably become a habit.  And breaking a comforting habit is very emotional.

Misc Emotions:

Have you ever eaten to “fill the hole”?  Stress, fatigue, andger, anxiety, and loneliness usually make the “void”, not true hunger.

Someone who doesn’t like confrontations might go eat 2 snickers bars instead of telling a co-worker that they need to step up.

Food takes the edge off of anger, resentment, fear, and anxiety – and almost everyone uses food for this reason.

Emotion-based hunger usually focuses on a particular food.  One of my friends just texted me that she wants pizza because she’s “craving cheezy greasy stuff.”  This is a comfort food.

To help you identify comfort foods in your food journal, here’s a list of the most common comfort foods.

Number One for both men and women: ICE CREAM.

Men: Pizza, Casserole, Beer, Steak

Women: Chocolate, Cookies

The first step in ending emotional eating is to identify what triggers you to start bingeing.

Your homework: Keep a journal for the next week and find out what sets your eater off.  Next week I’ll give you my best strategies to bust each type of binge eating.

Research and experience has proven time and again that interval training is superior to steady state training when it comes to fitness, health, and fat loss.  The problem is that most people don’t know how to set up an interval-based session.

Here is a handout from my last seminar, with an EXACT plan of what to do.  This can be recycled every month (with week one having a higher intensity each time).

Do this on the “off days” from your metabolic resistance training sessions.

Interval Training For Extreme Fat Loss

This program is designed to raise your metabolism so that you will liberate and shed as much body fat as possible.  Do this routine 2, 3, or 4x a week and choose a different piece of cardio equipment each time.

Week 1:

5 Minute Warm Up

Intervals: 3x through this set

1 min high intensity (9/10 effort)

2 min moderate intensity (6/10)

5 min Very Low Intensity (2-3/10)

20 min moderate intensity (5-6/10)

3 min cool down

Total time: 42 minutes

Week 2:

5 min warm up

Intervals: 4x through this set

      1 min high intensity (9/10 effort)

      2 min moderate intensity (6/10)

5 min very low intensity (2-3/10)

20 min moderate intensity

3 min cool down

Total time: 45 min

Week 3:

      5 min warm up

      Intervals: 5x through this set

            1 min high intensity (9/10 effort)

            2 min moderate intensity (6/10)

      5 min very low intensity (2-3/10)

      20 min moderate intensity (5-6/10

      3 min cool down

      Total time: 48 min

Week 4:

5 min warm up

Intervals: 6x through this set

      1 min high intensity (9/10 effort)

      2 min moderate intensity (6/10)

5 min very low intensity (2-3/10)

20 min moderate intensity (5-6/10

3 min cool down

Total time: 51 min

This post is a little different than my last few.

It’s a new year. You probably have some health and fitness goals for the next 12 months.

Here’s the deal:  I want to help you achieve those goals.

So what I want to know from YOU is; what can I do for you?

What do you need more clarification on?

What topics should I cover in the next few blog posts?

In the comment box below let me know what you need help with, and what I can
do for you to help you reach your goals for 2010.

Rock on!