Happy Monday, Team!
One month into 2011 and you can now celebrate taking a big step towards your health and well-being. Right now is when we start to see the New Year’s Resolution of “get in shape” and “lose weight” fade away. Health clubs that were filled to the brim just two to three weeks ago are now collecting dust on their treadmills and Nautilus machines. This is unfortunately expected yet so easily fixed. Did you set a goal for 2011? How are you doing in working towards that goal?
On Tuesday we will meet again in Building 43. Bring your questions, comments, and experiences from the weekend and we will share them with the group. Please bring your nutrition logs and your lunch.
The main topic of the day will be fitness. Specifically, your nutrition timing and functional fitness. I will be providing you with information on how, what, and when to eat regarding your fitness regimen. We will also discuss what you do for activity now and I will give you a brief overview of a fitness plan that will help you get started or update your current workout. If there is time, we will also discuss goal-setting; though this may have to wait until Friday.
Starting next week, we will begin discussions on specific food choices such as grains, beans, and dairy. We will also talk about vitamins, minerals, and supplements. Also on the docket are such topics as digestion, insulin/resistance, fructose, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, sleep, and play. Please start thinking about what topics you want to discuss first. I will present those on a majority rules basis.
Nutrition Tip of the Day: Last week, I made a slip of tongue that has seemed to confuse a few of you. I made a poor example of Apple and Nuts as a snack being a bad choice. This is not true. Specifically, what we were discussing that you do not want to consume only carbohydrates and fats at the same time. Really, what we are looking at is that it is best to not take in a large hit of glucose and unhealthy fats such as you would find in a starchy food (i.e. french fries or pasta). This can also happen with foods on the approved list as well such as dates, squash, yams, or the like. Remember, insulin is a fat storage hormone. Many of you are not insulin sensitive so your body releases a huge amount of insulin every time it senses the intake of sugar. Once it cleans out the glucose from the bloodstream any insulin left will latch onto the fats you just ate and immediately store them. Obviously, this is a bad thing.
Taking in Protein with your Carbs is okay. Taking in Protein and Fats is a better choice. Taking in all three in a balanced Zone portion is a better choice as well. Examples: Cottage cheese with berries and almonds; Hard-boiled egg with apple and almond butter.
Now – where was the confusion? It comes with Fructose. Fructose is a sugar that is naturally occurring in fruits. It is a simple sugar (which we are encouraging you to eat) that has more than double the sweetness of glucose and 1.75 the sweetness of sucrose (table sugar). Here’s the rub. It does not spike your insulin like a starchy sugar or an excess of simple sugars will. Of course, if you eat a lot of it at one time you will spike your insulin no matter what. There are other issues with fructose (it is extremely glycating) which we will cover at another time. It is best to moderate your fruit consumption to one or two servings a day. Always try to eat it with a balanced set of protein and fats until we kick your insulin resistance – possibly two months or more.
I apologize for any confusion. Please bring up any questions on this when we meet again.
Remember, take this all in stride! Do not let the tremendous amount of information available to you knock you over and cause frustration. It took me years to learn this – you’re getting it in a matter of weeks. It is best to continually learn this material on your own accord using this instruction as supplementation. You are doing the best thing for your health and your family by even making one small change. I look forward to hearing of your successes tomorrow.
To your health,
Mike.
P.S. See below for an extremely motivating post! Also, attached is a 30 day plan of meals with recipes for anyone who did not get it before and for anyone wondering…what the heck should I eat?
Copied here, in its’ entirety, is a recent post on marksdailyapple.com
This post is an extremely motivating story of one man’s experience with eating healthy. This was unique because Matt did not just say, “Hi. I’ve been doing it for six months, lost a bunch of weight, and have better blood labs.” No, Matt took real accounting of his life and came up with 97 ways his life has become better after only six months of living a primal lifestyle. (Note: Primal is the term used by followers of Mark Sisson’s Primal Blueprint, which includes eating whole foods and being moderately active.) Be sure to click the link and read all of the great comments people made regarding their own experiences. And of course, check out the rest of Mark’s blog. It is extensive and chock full of great information. You will get more posts from him through me in the coming weeks.
http://www.marksdailyapple.
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