Posts Tagged ‘personal training’
HCG…Should I? No!
I have been asked by several of our athletes and prospective clients what I thought about the HCG diet. I am extremely vocal about fad and crash diets and say so all the time. I didn’t know much about the HCG diet, so I did some research. Here are some of the things that I found. I listed my resources so that you too can read up and form your own conclusion.
What is the HCG Diet?
This diet plan was formulated by Dr. Albert T Simeons, who stated that a hormone HCG, can help men and women lose unwanted body fat, thereby assisting in weight loss.
The human chorionic gonadotropin hormone is a glycoprotein hormone naturally produced in pregnant women by the placenta, to nourish the growing fetus and provide nutrients.
The function of the HCG hormone is to signal the hypothalamus gland in the brain to mobilize fat stores and release the fat from the reserves. The hormone thus fuels the body with required energy by using up the fat from the reserves in the body.
Okay, okay enough of the science…
The HCG diet plan claims that it can help a person lose 1-3 pounds of weight per day. A person on the HCG diet plan is required to take HCG hormone (125 i.u. to 200 i.u. of Hcg everyday) on a daily basis. The number of days in this particular weight loss will depend on whether a person is taking injection or drops and the amount of weight wants to lose. Mostly, this diet plan runs over a period of 23 days.
One of the many things that scares me is that a person on this diet is strictly allowed to consume only up to 500 calories. Thus, besides taking HCG hormone, one also has to supplement the hormone intake with an extremely low calorie diet. The diet comprises of raw, steamed or grilled vegetables like spinach, celery, cabbage, etc. Organic fed veal, beef and skinned chicken are also permitted.
But is this diet plan safe?
HCG Diet Side Effects
Nevertheless, there are some human chorionic gonadotropin side effects that people on such a diet face. They are as follows:
Some HCG diet side effects in women are stomach ache, swelling of extremities, pelvic pain, etc. which occur due to Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS), that has been caused as a result of an HCG diet. People on HCG diet injections are also seen to experience additional side effects of HCG diet, such as muscle cramps, lumps, gynecomastia, premature puberty in men, etc.
Another side effect is sudden weight gain. What!!!
Well, an HCG diet calls for consumption of only 500 calories a day, which is not enough for supporting normal brain function. The body compensates the deficit by using up the stored glycogen, protein and fat. The additional hormone will suppress appetite, however, once one is off the diet and begins to eat normally, the weight lost is gained back. Moreover, since people have starved for over 3 weeks (500 calorie diet!) they usually tend to eat more once the diet program is over.
Irregardless of the alleged HCG diet side effects, it is important to remember that even though the HCG diet proposes to help with weight loss, it is yet another crash diet and is not a healthy way to lose weight.
Here is what our Food and Drug Administration has to say about HCG as a dietary supplement,
It is not FDA approved for weight loss at this time for the following reason, and I quote ” It is not possible to obtain uniformity in the reporting of results solely through the use of a common standard, since hCG is a complex molecule.”
To lose weight in a healthy manner there is no shortcut. Eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly is mandatory for losing weight the right way!
Just get yourself to the gym and do Boot Camp! Call me at 254-247-4999
American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/29/9/940.pdf
American College Of Bariatric Physicians http://www.asbp.org/resources/uploads/files/HCG%20Position%20Statement.pdf
http://www.dietsinreview.com/diet_column/06/hcg-diet-reviewed-by-fullbars-dr-michael-snyder/
Welcome New Fighter!
We welcome Laura Cook to our little fighting family!
Fit Test Results Are In!
No, I’m not going to throw your names out there…LOL But we had good results last week. I’ll post the results at class tomorrow! But here is the tale of the tape…
- A total of 5+ inches lost
- A total of 12+ pounds lost
- An average of 5 push up improvements
- An average of 7 sit up improvements
- An average of 4 squat improvements
Do YOU need to lose weight? Do you want to be stronger, leaner and more healthy? Come check out Killeen’s Best Fitness Boot Camp! Call Jim at 254-247-3668.
Kettlebell Basics, Part 2 – The bend
Kid’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Class Forming Now!
Kids? BJJ? You better believe it! Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a popular martial art that blends science, philosophy and physical application toward self defense. Kids learn motor and reactive skills at an early age under quality BJJ instruction. Many times in our society, martial arts are misperceived as simply a ritual of greetings – bowing to attribute respect and attending class as a means towards rank; but this is simply not so in our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class.
At Absolute Self Defense, our Brazilian Jiu Jitsu kid’s classes is for ages 5-15. The kids BJJ class initiates learning physical training to develop a child’s stamina and strength. The children learn techniques of BJJ for the purposes of self-defense, future sport competition; and to develop motor skills via more hands on athletic training through monitored Brazilian Jiu Jitsu sparring.
BJJ has no room for egos, the style eliminates ego very quickly. Our gym nurtures and establishes bonds of communication along with the athletic “team” approach for children. Martial arts has used the pitch of the “bully” sale for decades; in which guaranteeing children ability to overcome a bully is sold as long as the parent’s pay dues. At Absolute Self Defense, there is more to our approach, corrections, new techniques, constant mat time, sparring with different bodies and speeds that make a difference in children. This enables your child to face approaches of a confrontational situation in life.
Classes begins April 5, 2010. Call Jim at 254-247-4999 for your child’s spot!
Red Snapper Vera Cruz
What You Need:
4 red snapper fillets (4 ounces each)
1/4 c fresh lime juice
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 t chili powder
1 plum tomato coarsely chopped
4 green onions, sliced in 1/2 inch lengths
1/2 c chopped Anaheim pepper
1/2 c chopped red bell pepper
cilantro for garnish
Place red snapper in a shallow baking dish. Combine lime juice, lemon juice and chili powder in measuring c. Pour over snapper. Marinate 10 minutes, turning once or twice. Sprinkle onions, tomato and peppers over snapper.
Cover. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or just until snapper flakes in center. Let stand, covered, 4 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh cilantro.
Congratulations Lorene! You Are The Mayor!
Mayor Lorene Spurlock Ruiz
Congratulations to Lorene Spurlock Ruiz for winning our Foursquare Mayor contest last month. She had the most check-ins of the entire family and wins the Crown!
She receives the Official Mayor’s Certificate Of Office and a gift certificate for a Manicure/Pedicure from T’s Nails.
Not sure what I am talking about? Follow these steps and be good to go.
Step 1: Go to Foursquare and join. Download and install the application on your smart phone.
Step 2: Friend me on Facebook.
Step 3: Check in on Foursquare each and every time you come to the gym and TRAIN. Go to “places”, look for Absolute Self Defense and Fitness. Check in then. Not when you drive by or late at night. 
That’s all there is to it…
So, who will be next? You?
Welcome New Fighters!
I want to welcome new fighters to our Self Defense and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu team:
The Limon Family!
Do You Journal Your Fitness Efforts?
Everybody should invest in a notebook and write in it everyday. There are many, many reasons to keep a journal. It is a great tool in the organization of thoughts and ideas. It is an invaluable tool in charting your progress in life. For the athlete, a journal is a necessity and should be in your gym bag along with your shoes, towel and other workout gear. I have long neglected the religious journaling of my training, my workouts and other important details of my life and now kick my self for it.
I have forgotten so much of what I have learned over the years in my Martial Arts and Fitness travels. Furthermore, I have many achievements and accomplishments that have gone unjournaled and have thus faded into distant memories. It is unfortunate, but it is not too late.
I encourage you to keep track of your workouts or fit test results, but that simply isn’t enough. You need to keep a copy with you. You should record what you did during your whole workout: warmup, workout, cool down, scores, times and weights. You should record your impressions of your workout. If you felt good or bad or injured or energized. You should record strategies that worked and did not work.
Thoughts and ideas on how to improve your performance between workouts or to improve on your performance on a specific workout. If you learned some great detail that improved your form or time, you should write that down so you do not forget.
There is no limit to what you can write about in your journal. The important thing is that you write in it consistently and refer back to it to see your progress. If you are working on a goal (and you all should have a goal) like weight loss for example, then you should state your goal in your journal. Outline your plan and then record the steps you are taking to fulfill your goal.
Perhaps you read a good article on improving your eating habits and are trying to follow the program. You can cut it out and tape it into your journal or write down the details in your journal and then see if day by day, week by week, you are following the program. Not all programs are one-size-fits-all and so if you are not finding success you can analyze where it might be going wrong and thus make some adjustments.
Remember it is your journal and you should feel free to write in it, personalize it, make it as interesting and enjoyable and user friendly as possible. Many people tape inspiring pictures in their journals of six-pack abs that they want to have or inspiring athletes that they idolize. Here is one tip that I find works really well. Use two pages that face each other and track your workouts in columns going across so that you can fit several weeks of workouts on those two pages.
Having several weeks worth of work staring you in the face makes it easy to look at your recent progress. This is especially true if you are working a progressive goal like those pullups. You can see from left to right how many pullups and other assistance exercises you did for those weeks and quickly see if you are progressing.
If you are doing a fitness and body composition test every Friday, then you might have 4 weeks of tests on those pages staring at you and thus you can see if the program was working that month.
There are no limits. I haven’t even touched on food journaling. If you are following the Paleo plan and zoning, it is a must that your write down everything you eat. Charting your fuel and performance will allow you to really see how everything works together. Getting really personal is also good because you can see how your emotions effect your diet and exercise. If you are a good journaler, you might notice patterns that help or hinder your performance.
You might notice that every time your boss gives you a new assignment, you eat a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and you don’t workout for 3 or 4 days. You might notice that every time burpees are posted on the WOD board, you come down with a cold, a sore back or some other reason not to give it your all.
Hmmm…interesting.
Nutrition, Nutrition, Nutrition…
That’s what they always say, isn’t it? Maybe not, but if the key to a successful business is location, then nutrition is the key to complete functional fitness. Unlike finding the best spot for your business, nutrition is not as complicated as it sounds.
One little thing that can make a huge difference is to skip the added fat. Even though buttering up may work on your boss, it won’t leave a good impression on those problem areas or your heart! Try new spices and seasoning on those veggies, but try to avoid blends that contain salt. They can add a sneaky amount of unnecessary sodium to your food.
If you are accustomed to tossing a tablespoon of butter in the pan before cooking try olive oil instead. Yes, it’s fat, but GOOD fat. Don’t go crazy because too much of a good thing can still be too much. When it comes to meat, think lean. Lean protein is the best protein. Chicken and turkey breast, lean pork, lean beef, fish, and low fat dairy are a few excellent sources of lean protein.
Another tip to keeping your nutrition well balanced is in the fine print (or the lack thereof).
It may sound crazy, but whole, nutritious foods have less ingredients then processed foods. When you are shopping, read labels; not the front of the package. The more processed, meaning the more they mess with it, the more ingredients they need to make it “whole” again. The more the food is processed the more nutrition is lost. In turn, the more you have to eat to get all the vitamins, minerals, and healthy stuff your body needs. Which means, drum roll please, more calories! BOO!
So, just look for whole foods from the beginning.
My favorite nutrition tip is to eat every 2-3 hours. That doesn’t mean that if you are taking your kids to soccer and you are approaching the 3 hour mark you can swing through the drive-through and grab a burger. It does mean that you can have 6-8 small meals every day. This helps ward off hunger pangs that can lead to binge eating, and low blood sugar that can lead to “see-food” eating.
Don’t forget to plan ahead! If you know you are going to be busy have a few on-the-go snacks ready and waiting. Raw fruits and vegetables are excellent on-the-go snacks that require little to no prep work.
Last, but not least, don’t ruin your awesome nutritional meal with a soda, fruit juice, or any other high calorie drink. An excellent substitute for the ladder is green tea with honey. Even better than that is green tea without honey. The best of the best, however, is water. Yup, water is what we should all be drinking. No matter what the latest “in” healthy beverage is; there is no substitute for water.
So…eat lean, whole, minimally processed foods, and drink water! That’s nutrition in a nutshell. Keep checking back for more healthful information (in fact, you can bookmark this page) For a more comprehensive, personal nutrition plan call 254-247-4999 and talk to Jim!
