Henry David Thoreau (1817 – 1862)

Keeping track of your waist circumference is a good way to keep your heart ticking … “People who carry more of their weight in the abdominal area have a significantly higher risk of heart disease than those whose weight is carried in the hips and thighs”, says cardiologist Sarah Samaan, MD of Plano, TX.

An excellent way to whittle away your midsection is by adopting a Mediterranean-type diet high in vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, whole grains, fish, seafood and healthy fats like olive oil. S tudies are showing that people who eat this way have smaller midsections..

Create a support system… people who believe in you and can be there when the going gets bumpy… trust me,  it is easier than going it alone.

Create an affirmation for yourself.. post it wherever you will see it.

Tackle and conquer smaller tasks.. this accomplishment bolsters your levels of self esteem – you will feel effective and that brings you closer to your goal.

Once you hit the 30 days mark …  it should be habit and you should be as good as gold…

Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning Training Tip

How to Lose Weight
Losing weight should not be as hard as it is made out to be, it is simple math: if you consume less calories than you expend you will lose weight.  In many of my trainer tips I am very idealistic about diet and what people should eat, but the bottom line is that if you are not losing weight you are eating too much.  A recent study showed that 64% of people underestimate the amount of calories that are in their meals and snacks.  So beware, you may be eating more than you think.  This is especially true when eating out, these places make their money on cooking food that tastes good and a lot of times use the most calorie laden ingredients to achieve great flavor.  One of my clients put it best when he said, “just because I am making intelligent choices about the foods I eat, I may not be making intelligent choices about the amounts.”
Lets have a quick nutrition lesson.  The average American diet is based off of a 2,000 calorie a day diet, if you have that each day for a week that is 14,000 calories.  By consuming the exact amount of calories you should be having is called a maintenance diet, meaning that your weight will not increase or decrease.  So what do you do if you want to lose weight?  Cut the calories, but how?  There are three ways to create a calorie deficit:
Diet - You can create a calorie deficit by diet alone.  As I said above, I would love an ideal situation where everyone could find a way to eat 5-6 small meals a day that are built around a complete source of protein and are low in starchy carbs (breads, pastas, cereals, etc).  Life though, is not ideal.  Sometimes the best way to start a diet is to start learning to eat less at each meal.  Just by finding ways to eat less you can start to lose weight.  From there we can start making better food decisions.  Although this is a good way to create a calorie deficit it is not ideal.

Exercise- You can create a calorie deficit by exercising.  To be clear on this point though I will point out that this is the most inefficient way to create a calorie deficit.  When it comes to fat loss, diet is the King of body composition change.  I have run into many clients who work harder than most in the gym but can’t find a way to change their diet and as a result they do not gain or lose weight.  Exercise is an integral part to weight loss but without some change in diet the results will be slow or non-existent.

Diet and Exercise – This is the optimal way to create a calorie deficit.  By decreasing the amount of food we are eating and burning extra calories through a well-designed exercise program the road to weight loss is well in hand.
The easiest way to start losing weight is to just eat less of the same foods and start a workout designed for your specific needs.  Ideally you should be getting your carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables while eating lean meats at every meal. In addition you should be keeping the starchy carbs as well as saturated and trans fats to a minimum.  The bottom line is to start simple by eating a little less each day, and exercising a little more.  From there all the cards should fall in place.
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Questions about the article? Ask the author! Contact Dan Gabelman at dsgabelman@aol.com.

want to know more about Mike Boyle?

http://www.bodybyboyle.com/

There is something about the blackberry & banana combination in the chobani yougurt that I just love.. but after reading about how good blackberries are for me, I can add some more reasons…

7.6 grams of fiber per one cup serving

only 62 calories per one cup serving

good source of pectin, a soluble fiber that binds to dietary fats and can absorb up to 90 fat calories per day.

and get this.. some researchers @ Spain’s University of Barcelona suggest that the blackberries anthocyanin can trigger neuronal growth, improving memory and focus..

ADD in the blackberries!!

**for more info on anthocyanin see here

http://www.newhope.com/nutritionsciencenews/nsn_backs/Dec_01/antho.cfm

~Jim Rohn

The Women’s page from Art of Strength has had its good and its bad (like the rest of us) but todays I believe falls into the really good.   I really enjoyed the articles from both Stefanie and Valerie. They both make some interesting points.

Check it out!

~Andy Garcia