This recipe was banging around in my head ever since I picked up the bone-in pork chops on sale at Whole Foods Saturday. I wouldn’t say I’m an all-star at pork cooking…except for bacon…which I’ve easily achieved all-star status in that arena. And what do you do when you want to “liven” up some meat that’s sort of bland on its’ own? You buy pre-packaged spice or marinade blends & smother the meat in them, right? Well, I don’t do that because they often (always) contain MSG, gluten, or some other ridunkulousness that I choose to not ingest. Thus, I needed to figure out what to do with these chops, and I was super pleasantly surprised when this whole meal turned out!

Upon eating the meal, I asked Drew if it was blog-worthy, he said ‘yes, unless you don’t like sauerkraut, then no.’ Well, if you don’t like sauerkraut, I don’t have much help here for you, other than this: it’s not as ‘kraut-y’ as you may think, please try it before you turn it down! I didn’t think I liked it either, until I started learning about what an awesome probiotic source it was (as in all things, this only applies if you buy the good stuff, not the crammed in a can garbage- good stuff usually comes in a clear jar with lots of liquid in it…or is homemade). So I was willing to try ‘kraut again, and lo & behold, I liked it!

Since ‘kraut is a fermented food, it’s teeming with good bacteria, acting as one of nature’s best probiotics! You’ll want to shake up the jar yours comes in until the liquid is cloudy – then you’ll know the good bacteria have been stirred up. And even if you *think* you don’t like ‘kraut, I urge you to try this recipe before deciding that. The mix of green apples, celery, and onion amidst the ‘kraut softens the ‘kraut-y-ness’ of the whole dish, and it pairs SO well with the pork chop, it’s a match made in heaven!

PS – This whole thing took 20 mins from prep start time to plating. Seriously, I don’t do these long, involved dinners, so don’t lie to yourself that you just don’t have 20mins to put a helluva dinner on a plate. You do, now get cooking!

Pork Chops with Apple Kraut

You’ll Need:

- 1 bone-in pork chop per person, or boneless, whatever’s on sale is fine
- 1/2 an onion, 2 stalks celery, & 1/2 a green apple per 2 people
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup sauerkraut per person
- fresh flat-leaf parsley (it adds a lot of brightness to the dish, but skip it if you can’t be bothered)
- butter (or ghee/clarified butter if you’re dairy-free)
- bacon grease (so long as it’s nitrate/nitrite free & from a good source of bacon), or olive oil if bacon grease freaks you out, but I’m telling you, bacon grease is no problem for your health, especially when compared to the problems with industrial seed oils like canola/safflower/sunflower/other seed oils.
- spice blend: paprika, red pepper, dried oregano, dried onion, dried thyme (or whatever combo you like that mimics this combination to some degree)
- ground black pepper, salt

What To Do:

Preheat oven to 350. Also warm a pan to medium heat. Make a spice mixture; this one is loosely based on Emeril’s “Essence” blend. It doesn’t have to be measured, just add what you like in the amounts that you like it. I do these spices in their own bowl so they incorporate, then shake them over the meat….paprika, red pepper, dried thyme, dried oregano, & dried onion.

Season pork chops with your spice blend along with ground black pepper & a dash of salt. Press seasonings down into pork so they stick once in the pan. To your warmed pan, add 1 Tbsp of olive oil or bacon grease- you could also use butter (or ghee if you’re dairy-free). When the oil is warm & sizzles a bit if you sprinkle a drop of water in it, add the chops to the pan, giving them room to breathe.

Cook for 3 mins each side, just enough to get them browned on each side. Once both sides are browned, move the whole pan to the oven to finish cooking, approx 10-12mins based on thickness of chop. Take a 2nd large pan & heat it over medium-low. Add 1/2 Tbsp butter (I used ghee/clarified butter). While the butter/ghee warms & melts, begin chopping 1/2 an onion, 2 stalks of celery, & 1/2 green apple (quantity is per 2 people). Also do a rough chop of your parsley – you want very small pieces – just keep piling it up & running your knife through it. I really hope you’ll buy the parsley to add to this meal as it, like any fresh herb, brightens up the flavor – but if you forgot to buy it, or would prefer to go without, no worries!

Once the pan is warm enough to allow the butter/ghee to coat the bottom of the pan, add onion, celery & apple to pan, & toss to coat. Allow to cook for 3 mins to soften everything, stirring regularly to ensure there’s no excessive browning of any ingredient. Once everything looks to be softened up, and onions are translucent, turn heat to low & add sauerkraut. We don’t want to cook the kraut, just gently warm it, so that we do not lose all of the beneficial properties of the kraut, so it should only be in the warm pan for a short time.

Stir all ingredients in the pan to break up the kraut & incorporate everything. At the very end, sprinkle your chopped parsley over the kraut mixture, start with 2 Tbsp (a small pile on your cutting board) & stir to incorporate. Add more if you prefer. Your chops should be finishing, remove a chop & do a test cut to see if the juices are clear. The new rules with cooked pork is that it is fine to have a slight pink tone to the meat, but you still want your juices running clear. If you’ve got clear juice and pinkish/white-ish flesh, remove the remaining chops from the oven & allow to rest for a few minutes while you plate your kraut mixture. Plate your chops & you’re ready to eat!

If you’re a regular reader, you know how I feel about excuses (they’re so blah). Use reasons to explain your behavior, then own that behavior. Don’t push your poor choices off on someone or something else. Going beyond that though, there’s something I think a lot of folks feel when it comes to fueling their bodies….they actually have ‘reasons’ for why they aren’t fueling themselves better.

Not even talking about true ‘fast food’ here. Although – fast food is just insane. I don’t understand how anyone can eat something with 20 ingredients in the *$*%$* (food item). And shut your mouth now before that “all things in moderation” lie comes out of it. Yep, it’s a total lie. And you’re better than that. I won’t let you go there. Did you know…and I’ve done the research looking at every ingredient in every item…that the ice cream is what I consider ‘closest to actual food’ at McDonalds? Even the grilled chicken isn’t anywhere near real chicken.

Fast food. Just don’t do it.

But what about all the other stuff that makes it on to your plate instead of a meal you cooked yourself? The booming world of ‘fast-casual’ dining that even the holy grail of healthy, Whole Foods, has gotten into takes up more and more of your plate space, & it’s part of the problem why the US is not as healthy as it needs to be. Food that someone else made, had 5 or more ingredients unnecessarily added into it, and is actually far more expensive than it’s under-$10 price tag shows…why are we eating that?

The main trade publication I read, IDEA Fitness Journal, had a great article on returning to the kitchen and slow food, and I thought I’d share the 4 reasons they listed as why Americans are sacrificing their health and their waistline to meals they didn’t make themselves. I agree with every reason they list, and share with you how I overcame those very reasons to reach the point I’m at today where 80+% of my meals, I made myself.

You see, many seem to think every other fitness pro has ‘it’ easy – ‘it’ being our body shape, our body’s fitness, our health…that we must have ‘good genes’ or no struggles like the rest of America. That couldn’t be further from the truth – and I’m going to tell you how I overcame each of these reasons that IDEA lists as why Americans aren’t cooking food more often.

We’re out of practice.

Totally!! Or, we were never IN practice to begin with. I didn’t cook until college, and then it was -open can of vegetables -microwave -spray with “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” Spray <–see, I bastardized my own health at one point too! When I’d eat at the Student Union, I’d actually eat well – massive salad…although not enough protein or fat. Post-college, I’d heat up Lean Cuisines, as disgusting as those tasted, and call it dinner. Because I had no.idea. how to saute something, I didn’t have a general understanding of what temp to put things in at the oven and when I could expect them to be done. Once, I even put leftovers from a restaurant that were in plastic containers, into the oven to reheat – thinking that was better than microwaving it.

I just had no practice to fall back on, no learning experiences to work from. After dozens of meals where things were a bit burned, needed to go back into the oven because they weren’t cooked all the way, and cooking meals to figure out how much was enough to feed me and whomever else was at the table. You’re going to have to practice – & make mistakes – if you ever want to be a decent cook. And if you want to be truly optimally healthy…you’re gonna need to be a decent cook.

We think it’s too complicated.

All those dishes. All that clean up. blah blah BLAH. It is going to be complicated in the beginning. You’ll use too many pans when 1 would have done. You’ll make a mess. You’ll finish the vegetables early and they’ll need to be reheated once the meat is done. But that’s all normal. You ever watch a master of their craft in action? An artist, an Olympic athlete, even a Mr. Fix It who’s great with tools. They weren’t always as effortless in their actions as they appear to be now. They learned the ‘flow’ of their craft, and then they practiced it, and practiced it some more. They got their rhythm down. Then, after persistent work at it, made it look effortless.

Your health is worth whatever complications you have to go through to get to an understanding of how to take whatever you have left in the fridge and turn it into a tasty & healthy meal. Follow this recipe to get some uncomplicated practice under your belt. Or try this one that requires little work to be better than any takeout asian meal you can get. Then branch out a bit with your own ideas and experiences to work from!

We fear it.

Cooking is actually really simple once you get a few techniques down. It’s a lot like motoring yourself around town without trouble vs. desperately relying on your GPS. I can remember being completely confounded by driving directions (back when you had to use a map and write down your directions…you know, ancient history). I just could NOT understand how my parents and other adults could know how to get around, even in areas they didn’t know well. They had an understanding of how the roads ran, and “got” that if you came up on a certain major road, it ran east/west or north/south, and thus, they could take it and eventually run into the road they were looking for.

I began “cooking” by buying pre-formed, pre-seasoned turkey burger patties, frozen mixed veggies, & rice in a microwaveable bag. The quality of those meals was bad, but it got me practicing with timing, temperature, & flavor. Over time, I graduated to making my own turkey burgers with my own seasonings, sauteing fresh veggies & realizing that I didn’t need rice to fill me up if I just ate more of the healthier stuff.

It’s a progression folks, you just need to start down the path with the goal of ever-improving!

We over-commit & under-plan.

Boy do we ever. Client will often tell me, “I don’t have time for breakfast.” What they mean is, ‘I choose to sleep in more, or not go to bed early enough the night before so I’m dead-tired when I wake up, & thus, I don’t value eating a healthy breakfast at home before leaving for the day.’ If you get home & you just.can’t.cook. then you need to figure something out. Embrace the glorious leftover! Keep foods that cook extremely fast so that you can spend the last bit of energy you have on making yourself a meal that will nourish you & provide you energy for tomorrow’s adventures.

If I am focused the minute I walk into the kitchen, I can have dinner on the table in 15mins. Keep kale around to saute in butter/ghee, bacon grease, or coconut oil. Season with Celtic sea salt. Ready in 4 mins. Ground meat cooks very quickly – we eat grass fed ground beef several nights a week for this reason. Sure, a steak would be nice but it’s after 730pm, we have to be up at 5am tomorrow, there is a limited window to get food on the table & still get some time to unwind. So ground beef it is!

That picture above is “winter hash” that I threw together last night. In a pan, frozen green beans, cover & let steam a bit. Turn up heat, add beef. Season with salt, pepper. Break apart as it browns. When almost done, throw in part of a leftover acorn squash, cut into cubes. Season with chili powder. Turn in pan to slightly brown squash. In 15 mins, there was dinner! With enough left for lunch today!

It can be done folks. Eating is a requirement for life. No one is so important or busy that they have no time to sit down to a proper meal. The kitchen is where you’re going to advance your efforts for heath & performance, or it’s where you’ll hinder those efforts. Which do you prefer?

I once attended a business seminar & came away remembering this line more than anything else…”A person is motivated by 1 of 2 things – what are they going to get or how can they prevent getting hurt.” The part that really stayed with me was this next line the speaker said; from whatever standpoint people had studied human behavior, they found that, “people are MORE motivated to prevent a loss, than to achieve a gain.”

That is, rather than being most motivated to get ahead of their current situation, people are more inclined to stay where they are and fight anything that could make them slip. Well that certainly paints a dismal picture of human nature, doesn’t it?

The vision I have from that statement, however true it may be, is that of a plate spinner. Folks have all these plates (or maybe just a few plates, but to them it seems like a lot of plates because of their perspective on things) spinning, and it’s not really that hard to keep them going – watch a plate spinner on youtube, once you learn the technique, your role in keeping the plates spinning seems pretty consistent, simple, & repeatable. Not difficult.

BUT – you must always be watching for the plate that starts slowing down so that you can spin it again & return it to its full speed in order to keep it from falling. Just keep everything going, don’t let the plates fall. Sound like a point you’ve ever been at in your life? Just keep everything going…your main priority being to just hang in there. You don’t have to change much, if anything, to ‘just hang in there’ – consistently similar output, simple execution because you know it so well you can almost do it on auto-pilot, and repeatable, just keep doing that which you’re already doing, and you’ll maintain (hopefully) the same outcome.

Here’s the thing though: if your only concern is preventing a loss, hanging on to what you’re already doing is likely what you need to do. But what about avoiding erosion over time? The world is changing rapidly folks, and the output you’re putting out today will likely not be ‘enough’ to keep you in the same position a week/month/year from now. So wherever you’re just “hanging in there” could will begin eroding like sand being washed out by waves.

Personally, it’s my hope that “just hang in there” times in my life occur rarely, if ever. But I’m also generally of the mind that I want to achieve as many gains as I can vs. fighting to prevent a loss. Even when the world around me is crashing down, the LAST thing I want to do is ‘hang in there.’ Frankly, if things are rough, I want to get the heck out of there (wherever ‘there’ happens to be in that tough situation) & to do so – I must change something.

And it is the desire to change things or leave them the same that will be the driving force in creating your priority list for your day, your year, and your life. Is what you’re doing a priority because of where it can take you? Or because it can keep you somewhere? Is what you’re doing keeping things ‘safe’ or is it freaking your shizz out because it could potentially take you somewhere big – like big.

This is a blog devoted your your optimal wellness, so apply the questions of ‘making gains’ or ‘preventing losses’ to that realm…but take a look at the other areas of your life. How are you prioritizing things? Have you even thought about what you’re doing recently or is it on auto-pilot?

A wonderful woman came to meet me at ProKine last night – she’s going to be changing her life by completing a marathon this year with coaching & support from ProKine. And oh yeah, she can’t remember the last time she ran for an hour straight, let alone the 4 1/2-6hrs it will take her to finish the marathon. This is a big deal for her. And at one point in our conversation, she acknowledged that even she wasn’t quite sure why she had de-prioritized herself for the last decade or so. She was focused on spinning the plates. She’s an awesome lady, and we’re so excited for her to be grabbing her life in both hands & shaking it awake from its’ ‘plate-spinning consistency.’ She has re-prioritized her life & rather than prevent a loss/stay the same, she’s motivated to go for big gains in her health, fitness, motivation, & quality of life.

Super quote I pulled off Twitter today that suits this post perfectly:

"Change happens when the pain of holding on becomes greater than the fear of letting go." -Spencer Johnson—
  (@jensinkler) January 11, 2012

This post came thanks to my friends over at Whole9 who were the first to respond to my request to the twittersphere for one word, any word, that I’d blog about. Their word? “Priorities”. I’m fighting off a head-cold so my brain was wacky and in need of some focus, and writing seemed like the logical thing to get back on track. And if this post makes no sense, well, sorry, I did the best I could with a brain that puts things in pans on the stove then doesn’t turn the stove on. yay head colds! So thanks D & M! If you’ve never checked out what they do over on their site, I recommend you do! It may just change your life.

PS – This is my 1st post on my new new Mac…I have no idea how to put pictures in yet using a Mac, so no pictures for this post. I have no idea how to do a lot of things on a Mac.

Finally, a chance to sit down and write! In continuation with my mini-updates prior to blog posts, we have been doing well the last few weeks of this year getting new folks connected to ProKine! We want as many people as possible to benefit from our fitness training expertise & it’s been great to do that so far, but any increase in business also means less time for everything else…and since no one has laid a book deal on the table for me yet, the unpaid role of blogger has taken a back seat. It’s one of my goals to work on in 2o12 though, so I’m excited to be spending more time here! I hope I’ll see you around here more in 2012 too! If you want to stay connected on when a new blog goes up, be sure to go to the upper right corner of the homepage & sign up for updates. You’ll only get new blog posts, no spammy junk.

As it always goes, the year is ending & everyone’s talking about goals, resolutions, and what they want the new year to hold for them. And rightly so! The changing of a year is a great time to reflect & reset…but I’d like to offer some tips, thoughts & resources for you to make the most of your ‘reflect & reset’ time and help you extend those goals beyond the first week of the year. I think many folks neglect serious reflection and goal setting/implementation time because the general assumption (truth?) is that we think big things, and by the end of January, have gone back to the way we were – whether because it’s easier, we’re “too busy”, or others’ needs take priority over ours.

There are big-thinkers throughout history who’ve actually followed through on their goals & changed the way we look at things or the way people look at them. People have created products out of a vision, have built movements out of a singular thought & have changed the world because they made their life about reaching their goals.

What would happen if you did the same with your own little place on this Earth? I believe (and have experienced) that we can’t even imagine what life could be like if we just took a risk, changed a habit, let go of old emotions… As you may know, I took a major risk in April 2011 & started a business with Drew.

I could not see the place I am at today from the position on the path I had in April. All I knew was that I had a root-need to fulfill my vision for my life, and that my vision was NOT the vision of my employer (and that’s fine!..everyone should have a vision, and it’s OK if they do not match…just don’t waste any time building someone else’s vision if yours is gnawing away at you day in and day out.) I didn’t know I wanted to own a gym, I just knew I needed to make the biggest impact possible on the lives of anyone I could touch through fitness, wellness & optimal living. Drew wanted to open a gym, so I went along trusting that our visions would work themselves out- not knowing exactly where this thing was going, but allowing it to go somewhere that I didn’t know the final destination.<–Very hard to let go of that control when you’re a total type-A control freak!!! And sitting here today, I love what the vision has evolved into, and I’m curious & excited for what is around the next bend for me, Drew & ProKine.

So what about you? What could be around the bend IF you allow yourself to be taken there? You do know, don’t you, that no matter what happens as you attempt to realize your vision, you’re a better person for having taken that path, regardless of how it all ends up. Along with that thought, here are some tools, resources and personal thoughts on what you can make your 2012 into.

Must-Read Books

These books will create questions & give you “homework” to practice in your daily life so that all this talk of  self-improvement turns into real, life-lasting changes in your life. I highly recommend downloading them to your phone so you can read a bit when you’re waiting in line…a much better use of your time than jumping on Facebook for the 1,000th time today. Or read a bit when you wake up in the middle of the night & know you shouldn’t be turning the TV on to help you get back to sleep…just remember, don’t just read…apply the changes to your life by doing the exercises they offer. I recommend reading a little at a time, rather than downing the whole book in 1 go – you’ll absorb more & be able to practice 1 lesson at a time.

1) The Flinch by Julien Smith
About the book (italics are mine):  A book so important we refuse to charge for it. (seriously, it’s free) Julien Smith has delivered a surprise, a confrontation, a book that will push you, scare you and possibly stick with you for years to come. The idea is simple: your flinch mechanism can save your life. It short-circuits the conscious mind and allows you to pull back and avoid danger faster than you can even imagine it’s there. But what if danger is exactly what you need? What if facing the flinch is the one best way to get what you want?  What are you afraid of? Here’s how to find out. (You will not regret reading this book, & for the non-readers in the group, it’s a short book, you could read it in a day if you wanted. You will not get weighed down by the concepts as they are simple, yet profound.)

2. Change your Thoughts, Change your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao by Dr. Wayne Dyer
I studied world religions in college, and learned about the Tao (the T is like a D when you say it). And since I love Wayne Dyers’ way of teaching you to open your thoughts and emotions to a higher calling for your life, this book piqued my interest. The Tao was written 500 years before the birth of Jesus, by a Chinese man said to have been called “Old Master”. 81 short verses that address various aspects of your life, thought process & well-being, interpreted into modern-day application by Dr. Dyer. I think consistent saturation of some thing is the best way to integrate it into your regular life…a quality, results-driven exercise or nutrition is much the same, go figure…the way this book is set up makes it perfect for regular reading and reflection.

Tools to Assist your Change

1. FutureMe.org
The high-tech way to keep yourself on-track with your goals and vision. You write yourself a letter using their letter-writing template. It can be a list of stuff you want to have done by a certain date. It could be reminders to yourself about the person you are now, or the person you intend to become. Use it however you see most fit! Then, pick a date in the future that you want to receive that letter. Click “SEND” and that’s it! On some future day, your letter will arrive in your inbox to bring all the thoughts, goals, and emotions you have today front & center allowing you to check-in on your progress towards those goals. Pretty cool! And again, I think regular connection to your goals is the best (only?) way you’re going to actually meet those goals. Having an automated service – that’s free! – like this to help you keep accountable is awesome!

2. What’s your Next Chapter Storyboard by Oprah
Before you skip this one because Oprah’s attached to it, wait, don’t skip it.  Personally, I love the things being taught on Oprah’s lifeclass on OWN, some of you are all eye-rolling-I-didn’t-win-a-car-so-I-don’t-like-Oprah when her name comes up in the ‘self-improvement’ ring. But give her recent stuff a 2nd look: Future goals require reflection, but they also require vision-casting. Also, when you think something, visualize it, see it enough times with enough conviction, you will put out energy that brings the right people, situations, and results into your life to help you reach those goals. And if the goal you think you want isn’t the one you’re meant to have, positive focus/prayer/whatever you want to call it, will still help you bring into your life exactly what you need. This tool allows you to create your own storyboard online (you don’t have to share it with anyone, you can just save it for yourself) using words, pictures & backgrounds. I was very impressed with the amount of options to choose from, and things that I could do to personalize my storyboard to my vision.

My Thoughts

I’ve spoken with several people in the wellness world, we’re all getting the same feeling that 2012 is going to hold major positive things for those willing to work for them. We’ve all been noticing in others and ourselves a turn toward self-awareness and focus on improving the things inside us in order to make our world and the world around us better.&

I personally have added a lot of self-growth work to my own life in the latter part of this year, and am excited to put even more of it in my life in 2012. My mental focus, my self-awareness & my attitude have been my focus & I’ve seen a direct result from the positive changes I’ve made in those areas. I’ve put lots of thought, energy, & focus into specific things – and seemingly out-of-the-blue, those things have shown up! I’m not saying we get anything we ask for, and I’m not saying that just because you think something it will come true…but when several things I’ve put positive energy, thought, and focus towards come true, well, the Law of Attraction/God/Uuniversal Energy/whatever you call it, is at work.

Some may say, “that’s just a coincidence”, but I believe that we reap whatever energy we put out in this world, that being a better person makes an impact in your life but also in the life of those you may not even know, & that we are meant to have good things in this world, but not if we do not ask for them, envision them, and work towards them.

I hope you create amazing things in 2012, and I want to say thanks for allowing my writing into your world. It’s my hope that things I write make an impact with you and you get better because of it.

(alternatively, “If You Ain’t Ebbin’, You Ain’t Flowin’”)

The fact is, much as you may like to be all things to all people, especially you type-A’ers, you simply can’t be maxed out in all areas of your fitness at the same time. Now, you may be thinking, “but I don’t want to be a million different types of “fit”.  I just want to be fast/lean/an Ironman/insert your fitness goal here. But consider this gang, if you’re injured, and trying to work around/through it, while also trying to be fast/lean/an Ironman…you’re trying to marry two ends of the fitness spectrum that don’t jive together well at all. If you want to be strong, like really strong, but also want to complete a marathon this year…again, two ends of the spectrum that don’t jive all that well. That doesn’t mean you can’t address and even achieve both goals in the same year, you would simply be wise to spread those goals out so that you can get your best results out of both, rather than mediocre results from doing both at the same time.

Look at the fitness/performance spectrum like this. Along the spectrum are various types of fitness – all the points along the spectrum are fine goals to work for, no one point is better than another. Some bleed over into others, or lend themselves to other fitness factors, and it is possible to achieve more than 1 point on the spectrum in a given year. But, there are aspects of  fitness/performance that are so far apart on the spectrum that you can’t achieve both goals at the same time, nor can you even come remotely close to having quality training sessions for both if you attempt both goals at the same time.

For example, if you’re working out of a decently large injury…it may not be the year that you work on cutting a minute off your per mile pace. Not to say that you can’t, every person is unique where they’re starting on the spectrum & what they’re capable of doing – the point is, the training methods & intensities for injury recovery/prevention are very different from those that you would do to get much faster in your running season. Trying to fix the injury AND get faster is a recipe for disaster. You end up never putting your best effort to either goal & you risk lengthening the amount of time it takes for you to heal from the injury, which further delays your aspirations of being a speedy demon in your races.

And this doesn’t just apply to injuries & performance goals. The adaptation required of the body to develop powerful strength to lift heavy things is different from the strength needed to have the muscles go and go for a multi-hour event. The work an athlete must do in their off-season is different from what they should be doing when in-season. Repeating the same kind of workout for general fitness or weight loss is a sure-fire way to overtrain, plateau, or die of boredom.

Every person’s fitness/performance training needs variations throughout the year. And not just swapping the leg extension machine for lunges in your workout.

Enter, the ‘ebb’ and the ‘flow’. In training, we call this periodization, & we (fitness pros, conditioning coaches, etc) can make the ebb & flow very technical & personalized to the individual reaching for fitness/performance goals. Olympic & professional athletes have extremely detailed training protocols. But it boils down to this: hit ‘x’ goal by ‘y’ date/event, marking checkpoints along the way that show the fitness for achieving ‘x’ goal is moving along in a consistent manner.

If you do it right, you’ll peak at the right time in your fitness/performance with whatever goal you were going for. The hard part is then letting that fitness/performance level go a bit so you can rest your body or work on a different goal. But you have to do it. Going along with repeated effort at repeated intensities doing repetitive movements = injury or burnout. 

I spent from Jan – end of August this year training for middle-distance running. My gym time focused around functional strength that developed endurance-strength for running half marathons. Endurance-strength is noted by the ability of the muscle & kinetic chain to hold up under repeated movements, greater than 1 hour. But when the season ended, as elated as I was with my performances, I could hear/feel my body telling me it needed to rest. My body was telling me it was ready to shift away from the endurance stuff for awhile, heal the tissue distress that running perpetually throws on you & try my hand at some true strength work.

So I took a week off to do nothing. No thing. The fastest I moved was a slow walk. I needed it. Not only to heal, but to build back the excitement to jump into the gym. Then I grabbed the strength standard test from a fellow micro-gym owner in California & on Day 1 of my new program, I tested my strength & skill level. And it was pitiful. (I grabbed someone elses’ strength & skill test because I didn’t want to test myself with my own test- knowing my own weaknesses, it would be easy to cop-out from what I “should” be able to do to meet my strength goals.) Sure, I had enough strength to run 13 miles, but I did not have the strength needed to deadlift my bodyweight at least 3x, nor did I have the strength to perform multiple bodyweight dips.

And there you have the fitness/performance spectrum. You can only focus on so much at 1 time, and some goals simply take you in too different of a direction to accomplish both at the same time. If I’d been deadlifting my bodyweight multiple times, I’d not have had the endurance in my muscles to complete the large volume of miles I needed to do each week. The goal would be to then address these other strength factors in the off-season, retain some of the progress I make from working on that strength, then shift back to endurance running stronger, more powerful, & better than last season.

But when you ebb & flow your training program like this – you must deal with the inevitable, “wow, I suck at this” thoughts that come up  early on as you struggle to get into the groove of the different movements…as you take note of just how weak you are compared to where you want to be. And this is where you need to be vigilant over your thoughts, reminding yourself that you, in fact, are not ‘weak’, you simply are not strong at this type of strength/performance. YET. You were quite strong at whatever phase of training or goal-accomplishment you just came out of, and that phase or goal was located down the spectrum a bit from what you are now reaching.

Workouts early on in a new phase of training can be disappointing if you’re not careful. You have got to manage your expectations accordingly or else you’ll end up in a tailspin of negativity. When I began my off-season strength program, I was unbelievably sore. I struggled through exercise movements I had not done in months. But guess what happened along the way to my off-season fitness goals? I developed coordination for the exercise movements, I built strength & power in my kinetic chain, I adapted, I got strong. I felt good. In case you’re keeping track, after 3 months of heavy lifting, I went from a max effort of 3 deadlifts @ 83% of my weight to 8 @ 100% of my weight. I achieved exponential growth in various other strength & skill tests. But that was only after I got through the initial mental challenge of “wow, I’m so not strong.” Reminding myself, “I am strong. I haven’t trained for these new goals, of course I’m not going to feel amazing with them yet. But I will be strong if I stay the course.”

And when I began my endurance program a few weeks ago, I was stupid-slow on my runs. My lungs and heart rate did not respond like they did back in my peak in August. And for a fleeting moment, I thought “oh this is bad,” then I focused only on completing the workout, and putting one foot in front of the other as I re-built my cardio base. I vowed not to put any attention to where I should be, my only focus was on “complete this workout Kate, & you’re one step closer to not sucking at distance running anymore.”

Ebb & flow folks, ebb & flow.

A quick update before we decide today if being gluten-free is ‘enough’! Since last post – I moved! I didn’t kill Drew or anyone else, although they likely wanted to end me at a few points along the way – but I’d say it was a reasonable success! We now live about 20 mins drive from our gym & very close to amazing running paths (perfect timing since it’s now time to turn these legs back into ‘running legs’!)

Ok, so let’s figure this out – is there ‘enough’ benefit from just going gluten-free? Last post, we determined that the food journal I’d kept was showcasing insulin-spiking foods, a lower amount of protein & very little fat. Here’s the food journal again to refresh your memory:
Bfast: Oats (steel cut) with berries and honey
Snack: Apple with almond butter, nuts (probably almonds or cashews)
Lunch: Caprese salad, asparagus
Snack: Gluten free crackers

To recap why I could have been doing much better than that: insulin-spiking foods make you perpetually hungry, they certainly don’t help you to lose weight, and they increase inflammation in your body. Eat enough insulin-spiking foods for long enough, and you break your signaling system (hello, type-II diabetes & metabolic syndrome).

Reason #2 that my food journal looked less-than-optimal: It contained foods with pro-inflammatory compounds in them.

I just wasn’t tuned in to this a few years ago. I’d stumbled across an anti-inflammatory diet once or twice, but never really looked at it or understood what the purpose of it was. So let me save you the time and mistakes that I went through, & let’s get you applying this information to your life right away.

We’re all united by “fight or flight”. Except plants. They just fight.

Every thing on this earth is fighting for survival so that it can reproduce and its genes can carry on for generations to come. For instance: if you come across a tiger, it will either run away or kill you. It’s instinctual to that tiger that it must protect its’ survival somehow – either by fleeing or by fighting. Plants are no different. Except that plants can’t flee. So what does a plant do to ensure that you or some other animal doesn’t eat it into extinction? It fights.

To fight for survival, it creates chemical compounds that, inside you, act like the drunk jerk-off at your party. They break the lamp, they instigate bad behavior from other guests, & they leave their mark after the party’s over.

If you’re eating gluten free, you already know about how gluten is one of the biggest jerk-off’s there is – every person on the planet reacts to gluten, those who react more significantly are the ones who test positively for gluten intolerance or Celiacs’. But be clear!…gluten does not break down in anyone’s body well. It unlocks the tight junctures of your stomach lining, allowing for tiny food particles to slip through into your bloodstream. These food particles go places they shouldn’t – like your joints, your ovaries, your pancreas, etc. Your immune system goes after them because, well, they’re not supposed to be there. And there you have rheumatoid arthritis, PCOS/infertility, cancer, and so on.

I can’t stress it enough. You do not function your best with gluten in your life. Period. 

Now, looking beyond gluten – there’s another jerk-off who broke your lamp at your party.

Who Invited The Jerk-Off?

Grains contain chemical compounds aptly called “antinutrients” because they are just that – anti-nutritional/opposite of nutritional. These chemical defenses include gluten, but also include lectins & phytic acid, which disrupt your digestion, cause inflammation, and prevent you from absorbing vital nutrients and minerals.

Mark Sisson clarifies: Lectins’ stickiness allows them to bind with the lining, particularly the villi, of the small intestine. The result? Intestinal damage(with impaired cellular repair potential), cellular death as well as compromised intestinal villi, which means reduced absorption of other nutrients, including minerals and protein.

Add to this altered gut flora, which can allow certain harmful bacterial strains like E. coli to run rampant. Furthermore, because the body is now responding full-time to the needs of the injured gut lining, proteins and other resources are redirected from other basic growth and repair processes. In addition, lectins have been associated with leptin resistance, a pre-diabetic condition linked to obesity.

If  we lost you in there, know this…lectins eff things up in your gut. Why would you invite that jerk-off into your gut? Your immune system is mostly housed in your gut, which lectins are messing with. Lectins, like gluten, open up your gut a la ‘leaky gut syndrome’ – setting the stage for autoimmune mayhem<–es no bueno. Antinutrients take up your body’s attention so that it can’t do growth & repair – growth & repair applies to how you recover from workouts, but even more so, it applies to aging. You look & feel old when your cells are no longer regenerating at the rate they were in your very young youth.

Maybe you’ll never develop these serious conditions…but sadly, at the rate of development in the US (like obesity) it’s likely you’ll end up in the sick & fat camp if you don’t do something about it now. But let’s just say you don’t get really fat or really sick. How can lectins bug you? Maybe, like gluten, you’re less sensitive to lectins than others – the cold you hang on to for 3 months…the excessive soreness in your body…the head fog you can’t shake some days…the menstrual issues that are painfully irritating…the ADD-like attitude of you or your child…maybe that’s all that will happen to you. But what if eliminating or significantly reducing your antinutrient intake allowed you to experience none of those things?

And if none of that gets you, maybe there’s vanity in you that doesn’t want to look like an old fart even though you are one! People who live a healthy lifestyle look younger. Period. No cream or potion is better than the effects of a good diet on your skin. 

But here we go gang, we’re bringing it home, here’s my plea to you:

How awesome do you want your health, wellness & performance to be? Do you want your life to be ‘fine’ or ‘optimal’? Do you want to be pro-active in fending off disease potential? How fit & healthy do you want your later years to be?

If you want to be as awesome in your health as possible, if you want to rise above ‘fine’ to be ‘optimal’, if you want to fight like hell to have a body that disease simply can’t live in, if you want to be 90 and rockin’ out to the Foo Fighters while driving your car around town, then you need to keep striving to make your exercise & nutrition more healthy.

As you learn new things about achieving optimal wellness, you need to apply them, so that you continually step up to greater heights of optimal health. And if that means taking another look at exactly what those ‘heart healthy whole grains’ are (not) doing for you, you should do it. What have you got to lose? And if you absolutely hate what going grain-free does for you, you can always go back to them.

If Not Grains, Then What?

If you’re a sedentary to slightly active person, you’re capable of sustaining your energy almost entirely from protein, fat & vegetables. General carb needs are less than 70g of carbs/day.

If you’re a into mid-length endurance activities, you’ll also do fine mostly running on protein, fat & veggies – but you’ll also have the room and the need for some starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes, and a bit of fruit. General carb needs are 100-150g of carbs/day.

If you’re a marathoner or Ironman-type triathlete, you’ll absolutely need starchy vegetables as a big source of carb energy to fuel training and recover from the calorie depletion. There are athletes doing these distances entirely grain-free- if you still insist of some kind of grain, consider significantly limiting the amount of grains you eat in favor of a greater consumption of sweet potatoes and other starchy vegetables. General carb needs are 150-200g of carbs/day.

For ideas on how to create meals that do not include grains, search through the archives of my Paleo category, as I have 30 days of meals listed there as part of the 30-day challenge I did in May of this year (while training for & PRing a 10mile race totally grain-free). There may be days that are uncomfortable as you transition from insulin-dependent grains to protein, fat & vegetables but keep in mind. As you’re taking out the grains, you’ll need to add in more of the other stuff. Getting more protein, fat & vitamins from veggies & fruits is a good thing!!

I’d love to hear what hurdles you overcome as you figure out how to eat grain-free! Please share your experience so the rest of us can possibly get some new ideas on great meals for living grain-free!

In addition to the busy-ness of the gym, I’m moving! And yes…getting threatened with stiff $ penalties if my apartment walls are not back to builder-white has been prioritized by me as greater than blogging. But I’m here now! So let’s get talking!

I was organizing the office last week, and while I was organizing the notebooks we have, one had the papers flipped so the back page was facing out. And on it had been written the first half of a day’s food journal – my food journal, actually. When I found that food journal, I read it and laughed while simultaneously shaking my head. “No wonder…” I thought. Here’s what my journal listed:

Bfast: Oats (steel cut) with berries and honey
Snack: Apple with almond butter, nuts (probably almonds or cashews)
Lunch: Caprese salad, asparagus
Snack: Gluten free crackers

Why do you think I laughed at this list & thought ‘no wonder?’…It looks like pretty decent food, right? I mean, it’s definitely not McD’s!

We’ll explore several variables that are ‘less than optimal’ with that food journal over a few blog posts (because you’ll glaze over if we do this all in 1 go) & it’s my hope that you’ll learn from my early mistakes & make more optimal choices for your meals and snacks.

So what’s wrong with that list of food? It’s just one big insulin-spiking roller coaster that contains very little protein or fat and a whole lotta carbs. It has approx. 34g of protein, 35g of fat and 100g of carbs. Remember I still had dinner to get through (where there would have been another grain + protein) to add to these totals. Compare that to today, when I don’t eat 100g of carbs in an entire day, I eat 2.5x that amount of fat, and eat 3.5x that amount of protein. And I’ve gotten significantly healthier since changing how I eat from that early food journal when I’d just gone gluten free.

Whether you’re on the Paleo bandwagon, the gluten free band wagon, or no wagon at all – one thing you simply must understand if you are to understand how food/lifestyle plays into health/wellness.

Inflammation is at the root of almost* all disease.

*the scientific theory does not allow for a definitive statement unless every variable has been proven/disproven. Since new diseases are still emerging, we cannot say all, but for the top killers of humans- heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even cancer – look to inflammation first.

Here are 2 ways to create inflammation in your body. (There are other ways, but we’ll leave those for another time)

1. Eat foods that spike your blood sugar, causing lots of insulin to be released into your blood stream.

2. Eat foods that contain pro-inflammatory compounds in them.

Let’s take apart #1: When you eat a food, it breaks down into smaller components as you digest it. Eat a food that breaks down as a simple sugar (carbs do this) & your body has to send out insulin to deal with the spike in blood sugar. Because, you see, you no live long time if you have sugar for blood.

You don’t eat many sweets you say, eh? How about your whole wheat bread (2 slices raise blood sugar more than 2 Tbsp table sugar), your rolled oats (because you already know those ‘instant’ oats are not as healthy)…sorry, same deal- blood sugar spike, your side of fruit along with your yogurt (sigh…sorry Charlie, fruit is full of fructose & most yogurts have 8g of sugar or more)…and all those cheery little gluten-free goodies like gluten free pasta/crackers/bread/cookies/etc.? oh this is so not good, those spike your blood sugar even more than the whole wheat bread. Total bummer right? Initially, I agreed…yes, bummer.

But when I looked at what those silly little gluten free foods were doing for my wellness and performance, I was willing to try something different. What wasn’t working for me? Well, at the time I wrote that food journal, I was gluten free, but I was unknowingly relying on sugar to keep me going all day. No, I wasn’t eating sweets at every turn. I was eating grains at breakfast daily, as a small part of lunch or afternoon snack (usually tortilla chips or GF crackers) and a few nights a week quinoa would show up on the dinner plate.

Grains break down as glucose in your blood stream. Whole9 says it well in their Grain Manifesto: “When too much blood sugar is present in the system, your body quickly runs out of places to store it as useful energy, and will store any excess as body fat.

In addition, when too much insulin is present in the system, the cells in your body become desensitized to the hormonal “message” insulin is trying to send. Since the message isn’t getting through, your pancreas is prompted to release even more insulin when your body doesn’t need it.

Finally, chronically high insulin levels lead to a condition in which your body has trouble releasing the energy already stored in your cells. This is a bad place to be. If (via a diet high in carbohydrates) this pattern continues, insulin levels continue to rise, fat stores continue to grow and the body becomes completely incapable of responding to its own directions.”

Does that make you re-think that pre/post-long run bagel or your gluten free crackers and cheese afternoon snack? *For the record: I’ve leaned out more since cutting the grains in my diet way, way down. No, it’s not hard, you just have to learn what you’re doing. Vegetables and potatoes provide ample carbs for the diet of even an active person.

I’m also not “hangry” anymore. Hangry: ‘hungry’ + ‘angry’ = “hangry” <–not a good thing for all parties involved. Hangry-ness happens when your blood sugar is plummeting after a previous skyrocket. Now, I get hungry, but it’s a deep, real hunger of needing nutrients – not a response I’m feeling from my ‘here & then gone’ simple carb snacks. I can go several hours without eating, and am not wrecked from it. I used to eat literally every 90mins some bite, snack or meal would go in my mouth because of the blood sugar roller coaster I was on.

We’ll get to method #2 for creating inflammation in the next post. We’ll look at how you can limit the amount of pro-inflammatory compounds you eat & find more optimal foods that will fuel your body better. Till then, take a good look at what you’re eating – maybe do a food journal for a few days, and see what types of foods you’re eating most. If it’s a carb-heavy diet, take a serious look at how that’s making you feel, look, and perform & consider how a change to your diet could improve on those things.

First, I’ve been MIA lately because other priorities have kept me away…as I’m reminded at times, writing my blog doesn’t earn me money {YET…people who give out book deals, are you listening?} so I’ve been heavily involved in projects that are totally awesome, and do happen to make me money. Girl’s gotta pay the bills, right?

You may know that I’ve been working with Drew to open our first gym, if not, you do now! It’s called ProKine Performance, and is a performance training facility that caters to individuals who want to achieve optimal performance in their sport, in their life, and in their health. You can learn more about us here & here. We “grand open” on Sat. Nov 12th & our classes begin Nov. 14th, so suffice to say, from before the sun comes up till well after it goes down, my time has been tied up.

But I’ve missed writing. When I don’t write,  I try to tie up those around me (usually Drew) in what is essentially a verbal Op-Ed piece of why I think (x) is crazy or how I wish folks understood (y) so they could have a healthier/fitter life. It usually involves wild hand movements & elevated voices (mine). It’s entertaining, but is commentary that could be used far more constructively. So, let’s get to the topic I’ve chosen for today, you can read up, & if you live anywhere in IL, I hope we’ll see you at our grand open party on Sat! Contact me through the contact page of this blog, on Facebook, Twitter, or email if you’d like info.

Here we go! So, it would be logical to assume- if you want a crystal clear lake to swim in or fish in, you need to not let the local sewage line run into it, no one can be allowed to dump in the lake & you need a good ecosystem so you don’t get a layer of algae across the top of the lake.

Take that same analogy to your body & it’s performance (performance being ‘health’ ‘sport’ or ‘lifestyle’) & draw some parallels. Not letting the sewage line run into it your body means keeping to a minimum the toxins that enter your body. Think:

• cleaning products with harmful chemicals in them
• phthalates & sulfates in your moisturizer & soaps
• toxins on and IN your non-organic produce

Sure, you may only use the cleaning product with harmful chemicals in it once a week, but that exposure builds up over time, & your body must process it in some way.

And what about absorbing phthalates through your skin? Many chemicals in beauty care products are endocrine-disruptors, meaning they upset the balance of hormones, & they absolutely can interfere with your health. From something as minor as perpetual skin irritations from the chemicals, to cancer, phthalates & their synthetic chemical buddies really should be minimized to reduce potential risk to your health. Use this site to check out your beauty & body products to see if they’re safe.

As for organic vs. non-organic, sure sometimes, you may not be able to swing it cost-wise. But there are a Dirty Dozen that you should ALWAYS strive to buy organic, or buy extremely infrequently if buying non-organic. And you can’t just look at organic vs. not. You must also be educated about GMO produce – genetically modified food, the alteration of which, usually includes a pesticide growing within the fruit or vegetable. Did you know that if you’re not buying beets that are organic (which means they are non-GMO), you’re eating beets that have a pesticide growing from within them, which means you must ingest the pesticide, and that the pesticide can attach itself to your gut lining. FYI – your gut does not like having pesticides in it.

So you’re not going to let the sewage line run into your lake, then you must also not allow dumping in your like…that means your mouth is not a garbage can. Don’t stuff it like it is one.

• Obviously, junk food like fast-food, candy, and fried stuff should be out.
• Did you know some of those “healthy” foods you eat are actually filled with antinutrients? (yeah, ANTI-, meaning ‘AGAINST’)

Think of this analogy: If a tiger feels like you’re threatening it, it will either kill you or run away to save itself. Everything in nature has a defense system to ensure it reproduces. Plants system involves having toxins in them that irritate the annoying person or animal who ate them, to discourage them from continuing to eat them, and thus allowing the plant to continue to reproduce.

Apple seeds have cyanide in them & a hard protective shell, wheat (and other grains) have antinutrients called phytic acids, which binds to minerals and makes them unavailable to the body. Specifically, it binds to things like calcium, magnesium, zinc, and iron. And lest you forget, gluten (found in all wheat-based products, also in wheat-related grains) unlocks the tight junctures of your gut – no matter who you are, no matter if you have an immune response to gluten or not – meaning you develop a ‘leaky gut’ when you consume gluten. So…you’ve got that going for you! Read a more detailed write-up of antinutrients here.

And once we’ve ensured we have addressed the ‘no sewage lines’ thing for our lake & we’re not dumping in our lake, we’ll make sure the ecosystem is spot-on so all the good stuff can flourish & the bad stuff doesn’t overtake it.

• Think probiotics, digestive enzymes, hydrochloric acid to support digestion/absorption.
• Think fermented foods like sauerkraut to further support the probiotic culture in your gut
• Think fish oil for your omega-3′s & minimizing nuts & oils like canola, safflower, soybean & sunflower which are high in omega-6′s.

Because 99.995% of the country has had vaccines, antibiotics, birth control, recreational drug use, and/or excessive consumption of sugar and yeast in their lives – our guts ain’t what they should be – what they were when we were born (if we were breast fed….if we werent’…we’re up a creek from the get-go, so this is even more important).

A probiotic lays down the right bacteria in your gut so the food coming in can be absorbed properly. I take 1 with each meal. I also buy one that is shelf-stable, and that has 20 billion strains per capsule. You can read what I do, then decide what’s right for you.

A digestive enzyme does what it says, brings the right enzymes into your digestion so you can break down foods and get the nutrients out – because it does you no good if you just poop ‘em out! I take 1 with each meal, NOW Brand makes a ‘digestive super enzyme’ that is pretty spot-on.

HCl (Hydrochloric acid) is needed for most folks because we simply do not make enough HCl on our own to, again, breakdown and absorb food. I take 1 with each meal, and again, NOW Brands makes some enzymes that include HCl or ‘ox bile’ which is exactly what it sounds like.

Fermented foods were the probiotics your great-grandma used before we capsulized everything. Store-bought sauerkraut is fine, just make sure you read your label & it didn’t have any junk added to it. They last about 4 months in the fridge, once opened. There’s other fermented foods to eat, but why worry about them when you get to eat sauerkraut

It’s been found that most folks omega 3:omega 6 ratio is 1:100 or worse. *It should be 1:1 or 1:2 at the most.* When you eat food in restaurants that is always cooked an industrial seed oil high in omega-6, eat lots of nuts or nut flours (if you’re eating nuts every day, I’m talking to you), or eat processed foods that use these industrial seed oils – you’re getting way, way, way too much omega-6. A good omega-3 supplement (Carlson brand is a good one) is needed to combat this, as is minimization of omega-6 foods/oils. Why too much omega-6 is bad: omega-6 is pro-inflammatory, omega-3 is anti-inflammatory. Inflammation is at the root of most diseases. So you decide – nuts now but disease potential later? or a varied diet rich in oily fish and fish oil supplement now and reduced risk of disease via inflammation later?

So yeah, there’s a lot of stuff you can and should be doing to keep your health that relates to your gut. Without your gut, your immune system is compromised since most of it resides in your gut, as do most of your happy-hormones (i.e. serotonin). You can workout all you want, eat a reduced calorie diet or do hot-yoga till the cows come home – but if you don’t care for your “lake” that is your gut, you’re missing out on a key part of life-long health.

And the best part? It’s really not hard once you get in the habit of eating the truly healthy foods, supplementing correctly, and avoiding those toxic, pro-inflammatory, antinutrient filled foods.

Have you heard about the Paleo diet and were curious about how to get started? Or maybe you’ve been trying Paleo for a while but have questions or aren’t sure what the right exercise program is for you? Or maybe you just want a 30-day meal plan and shopping list to make things easier? Then Robb Wolf’s 30 Day Total Transformation is for you.

Here’s what you’ll find inside Robb Wolf’s 30 Day Total Transformation Guide

Totally transformed: real people, real results

Totally true stories (with before and after pictures) of people whose lives, bodies, and health have been transformed by the Paleo diet.

What is the Paleo diet?

A primer on the Paleo diet. What is it? What foods can you eat and what should you avoid?

Why does it work?

Listen to audio files of Robb Wolf talking about why the Paleo diet works – including his thoughts on sleep, stress, neuro-regulation of appetite, and why the Paleo diet turns your body into a lean, mean, fat-burning machine.

Part 1: Real food & real life

What does a week of Paleo eating look like? What considerations should you know about over the next 30 days? And why you should throw out your scale right now.

Part 2: Nutrition

How to eat. Robb will answer your questions about carbs, protein, fat, and fiber. He’ll tell you how to shop, and an easy formula for cooking meals.

Part 3: Exercise

How to move. Includes an exercise matrix to form endless combinations of smart workouts, as well as video demos of what you’ll need to know how to do.

Your first 30 days

Putting it all together. Cleaning out the pantry, what to toss in a pantry cleanout, and how to get ready to shop.

A month of Paleo meals

A 4-week meal plan with options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.

Shopping List

A shopping list broken down day by day to help you along your first 30 days.

Troubleshooting

If you’re not losing weight, we’ll help you figure out why.

Recommended reading & resources

Blogs, podcasts, sites, more guides, and other cool stuff like shirts and kitchen gear to help you along your journey.

**Robb has quite the personal story of near-death to optimal-health using the Paleo diet & lifestyle & is incredibly smart when it comes to putting it all together to create an optimally healthy life by utilizing his background in research biochemistry, as well as his time under the mentorship of ancestral health master, Loren Cordain. I highly recommend anything he is working on because I know he’s put a lot of science & research behind his  guidance.

Think this E-book is for you? Click below or on the “Transform your Life” picture on the side bar of my site to purchase your copy & get started today!

I’ve got a theory. And it may ruffle your feathers.  If it does, all I can say is, “if the shoe fits…”

I get the blessing of working with folks who want something better for their life – whether in sport, in daily life, or in both. And while sometimes they get a little off-track, in general, every time I see them for a training session, it’s clear what they are reaching for, and the direction they want to be going.

This is, sadly, not the norm for society these days. IDEA, an industry group for fitness pros that I belong to, recently noted studies that show less than 5% of the population does all of the ‘top 5′ things to reduce cardiovascular disease risk (that list includes things like: move for 30+mins/day, don’t smoke, & eat 5 servings of veggies & fruit/day). Nothing crazy! And not even 5% of the pop. is doing all 5!! People….this is just so disheartening.

IHRSA, the industry group for health clubs & gyms, says that of the 33 million Americans with gym memberships, they use their membership an average of 1.7x/wk. That’s it!! Not even 2x/week do the folks who are paying for a place to go workout, actually GO! And what about the 274 million who don’t have a gym membership? I’d hope they’re working out at home, but I’m not holding faith that all 274 million are. There are some doing it – fitness – without a gym membership, but there are definitely not 274 million…if there were, our obesity & Rx drug stats wouldn’t be what they are.

Clearly – we’ve not yet reached the tipping point where most Americans are doing lots of things to live a healthy, high-quality, life of vitality. It’s now the ‘norm’ to be 20lbs overweight – making it seemingly less dangerous because it so commonly accepted as just a ‘part of life.’ FYI – getting slow, senile, fat, and sick is not how humans are supposed to age. The Blue Zones around the world are proof that you can be vital till you’re 100 or beyond! Note that those living longest are the least transitioned to the SAD (Standard American Diet) & Western way-of-life.

So after all this setup, what’s my theory?
That a large majority who are not making daily choices for optimal wellness & performance are living in fear.

If you never have to try something that you may not succeed at, you’re ‘safe.’ If you never have to face the fact that the choices you’re making aren’t the best, you can stay in your bubble (no matter how untruth-y your bubble may be.) You never have to pick up the pen to write the book of your life. It will write itself via your inaction. How very ‘blah’…..

I think folks feel safer if they don’t think about the choice they are making for their life when they choose to be sedentary & feed non-foods into their stomachs. And guaranteed, the most common response someone will have to why I could be wrong about this? It will be some self-less statement about how ‘someone else comes first’ (no one comes before you, you’re the one who has to upkeep the body that houses your mind & soul)…or how ‘there’s just no time’ (there’s no time for anything after the age of 10, you’ve got to make time for whatever you value)….or how it’s ‘just not important to them to be fit or hike a mountain’ (BS, all anyone wants is to feel good & you cannot feel your best if you’re sick, broken, and limited in how you can move because of your health & fitness).

If you’re inactive, eating crappy foods, and/or are on multiple Rx meds that could be eliminated by changing your lifestyle – you’re the equivalent of a kid with his fingers stuck in his ears pretending not to hear whatever it is he doesn’t want to hear. We won’t all agree on exactly HOW you should workout to be  healthy & fit,but there’s no denying that you MUST exercise to be healthy. While you may disagree with me  on exactly what types of foods you should eat, it’s a fact that you MUST eat whole, unprocessed foods to improve your health. And pharmaceutical drugs do serve their best purpose in crisis-care- but you CANNOT be your healthiest if you’re taking drugs daily & likely, need to combat the side effects of those drugs with other drugs! You’re not a chemistry set – use drugs where they’re needed to save your life today, but don’t rely on them to prop you up for another 20 years.

There are proven non-negotiables that each human must do in order to care for their body. And far too many folks are doing none of them. Own your life. Own your body!

Decide you’re going to have a life dictated by wherever your heart takes you, not one that is limited by wherever your body cannot take you.

Nobody is asking you to have six-pack abs. Shit, no one even is asking you to complete a marathon. Both of those are fun goals to work for, sure, but they’re fun mostly because of the sense of accomplishment and positive emotions that the feeling of ‘discipline’ brings. But, to commit to accomplishing something means you must invite in the possibility that you may not succeed in your commitment. And that usually ushers in enough fear that a person washes their hands free of any of that.

But the confident among us rarely give this any thought though. They simply go out & make it happen. And from there, they write their story…you know, your story, the thing that will shape your life & the future choices you’ll make. You’ll write your story either way – whether you take action on your health & wellness or not – so decide whether commitment & discipline to your body, your genes, & your wellness is going to be a part of that.

I’m telling you – fear holds back far too many from living the life they desire. So rather than desire that totally awesome life, it becomes much easier to settle for what’s right in front of you. So step to the plate & choose commitment…commitment to something you cannot see, touch, or hold – but that impacts your life every single day. It is a bigger commitment you’ll make to yourself than almost any other you’ll make in life.  And it is so worth it.