Seven Day Food Cycle

– Cycle One –

Monday through Wednesday: 3500 calories roughly (low maintenance level)
5 meals per day
Pre-workout shake (2 scoops Isagenix Meal Replacement, 1 scoop Isagenix Whey
Post-workout shake (2 scoops Isagenix Whey)
Biggest meal at breakfast
Front load starchy carbs, from brown rice and oatmeal
No starchy carbs after 5 pm, just protein and veggies
Last meal of the day is a 2 scoop Isagenix Whey protein shake with a Tbsp of Flax seed oil
1 to 2 Tbsp of Flax seed oil with each meal
1 Tbsp of coconut oil with each meal

Thursday: Roughly 2800 calories – focus is on eliminating a meal or two at end of day to increase fasting time before breakfast on Friday

Same pre workout and post workout shake
Only breakfast meal includes starchy carb (oatmeal)
All meals and calories before 17:59
Fast from 17:59 through breakfast on Friday

Friday: Roughly 1800 to 2200 calories – focus in on cutting starches and fats to reduce calories and to fast from 18:00 forward

same pre workout and post workout shake, but post workout shakes is 1 scoop of whey instead of 2
NO starchy carbs at all.
Protein, veggies, flax seed oil and coconut oil only
All meals and calories before 17:59
Fast from 17:59 through breakfast on Friday

Saturday: Re-Feed day, roughly 5000+ calories – focus is to replenish glycogen stores, increase metabolism and Leptin. Show the body that there IS an abundance of food and everything is OK.

Re-Feed day includes one BIG meal of fruit alone. Apples, cherries, raspberries, blueberries etc. All on an empty stomach and given an hour to process before eating anything else. This is based on the proper consumption of fruit principle (see point #2 here on the principles of Food Combining).
Double servings of starchy carbs: ie: 1 cup of raw oatmeal cooked into a pot, 2 cups of rice at each meal WITH Ezekiel wraps (chicken).
3 Meal Replacement Shakes with 2 scoops The Best Meal Replacement + 2 scoops The Best Whey Protein for 600ish calories each with walnuts or almonds in them for extra fat.
2 Tbsp Flax seed oil with each meal
2 Tbsp coconut oil with each meal
(digestive enzymes before each meal)

Sunday: 3 meals, 6 hours apart.
Only purpose is to increase time between meals.
Ideally, no starch at last meal

— Cycle Two –

Mon-Wed: identical to cycle 1

Thur-sun: 4 days, no starch, all meals, shakes etc consumed by 17:59
Fast from 18:00 through breakfast meal the next day

Monday following cycle 2: Refeed day. 5000+ calories, with Tue and Wed being maintenance levels

Each day includes 5 grams of creatine in am, first thing, along with 5 grams after each workout for 3 servings of creatine per day. Each day has 5 grams of Glutamine following each workout and right before bed. BCAA’s are included in the Meal Replacement and the Whey protein.

Alcohol: I really really enjoy red wine,. However, during this phase, and from what I can tell, I’ll be considering this for a longer period of time, what I’m doing is allowing myself one weekend a month for alcoholic beverages. A night out for beers with the guys and then a night of great wine. This is working for me in a really good way so I’ll keep it up. I plan the night I’ll be enjoying the beverages 30 days out. I know where it will be and with whom. It’s not by accident or random. When alcohol is in the body, fat loss stops. Alcohol is also estrogenic which is not what any guy really wants, so I keep a safe distance when I’m shooting for a specific goal.

Nothing is ever permanent for me when it comes to eating styles. I cycle them, just as I cycle my training, based on goals, holidays or what have you. During a down-cycle in my training, I cut back on calories. I must reiterate, this style of eating is what I’m doing now.. it’s not what I do all the time.

Training System

While I wont get into details of it, the overview is this: 2 workouts each day. Mon, Wed and Friday Am and PM are EDT workouts of 2 PR zones each workout. Tuesday and Thursday AM workouts are body weight circuits and kettle bell drills. Tuesday and Thur evening workouts are 20 minutes of stairs. Both AM and PM workouts on Tue and Thur are timed events with the goal of reducing the total workout time each session. ie: improve with each session by going faster and faster while increasing strength on each lift.

I highly recommend the Escalating Density Training (aff) program, its methodologies and way of thinking.

Ingredients

6 Yams or Sweet Potatoes
7 cups distilled water or home made vegetable stock
2 Tbsp (or more) of fresh ground ginger root
6 Tbsp lime juice
2 cans coconut milk (NOT the lite version)
1 tsp fresh ground celtic sea salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp coriander

1. Dice the yams into bite sized chunks and then place them, the ginger root and distilled water into a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, simmer until yams are cooked. (stick em with a knife or fork to check for tenderness).

2. Blend

3. Return ginger yam soup mixture to the pot and then mix in, the coconut milk and remaining spices and lime juice.

4. Re-heat.

I rely on food systems and have learned to prepare enough food at once for a few meals. This LARGE pot of coconut yam soup is perfect for separating into single or double size serving containers and freezing. Take out of freezer a day in advance and re-heat in a pot on the stove. Do not use a microwave (never use a microwave actually). Spice up the soup with cayenne, chili oil, or any other favorite method you like. Excellent with a piece of chicken, some steamed broccoli and a slice of coconut flour bread

Soup Thickness: Your soup may turn out as yam soup concentrate. This may be good or bad depending on your needs. When freezing the soup, freeze the thick soup, then add your desired amount of water when you re-heat on the stove (not the microwave, remember?). Otherwise, add distilled water to create your desired consistency. You’re a grown human being, use your own judgment here.

Calories: unknown
Carbs: good ones
Fat: excellent fat content
Taste factor: awesome
Servings:14 to 20 depending

Understanding The Fat Content

First: Fat does not make you fat. Eating more calories than you expend causes fat gain, eating fewer calories than you expend creates a calorie deficit, or put another way, will allow your body to tap into body fat reserves. 2500 Calories worth of oranges consumed by someone requiring only 2000 calories per day will cause fat storage. Fat itself does not make you fat.

Second: Coconut milk, coconut oil, and coconuts in general are one of the healthiest foods anyone could put in their body, on so many levels. Coconut milk is a very healthy fat, so a generous portion of it per day is very good for you. Lauric acid in coconut oil for example is a natural antibiotic and kills candida. Coconut oil is a medium chain triglyceride and is immediately used for energy, not stored. It increases metabolism, helping to reduce body fat, while making you feel good at the same time.

Third: Fat calories per serving are between 70 and 100. 2 cans of coconut milk, equal 1400 calories. 144 grams of [beautiful, loving, coconut] fat (a plant remember), 26 grams of carbs and 12 grams of protein. This breaks down to between 70 and 100 calories per serving from fat (or 7 to 10 grams per serving). If it really becomes an issue for you, cut the amount of coconut milk in half. But then, why bother with a coconut yam soup recipe? Why not just make butternut squash with almond butter soup?

Adding Vegetables To Your Coconut Yam Soup

Soup Addition Notes: When I steam my broccoli, I rarely use the stalk. I save them for soups. When I have enough, I peel the thick outer edges off, slice them or dice them and then cook them in with the soup bases I make. Broccoli is an excellent source of Vitamin C and has enormous anti-cancer properties. It’s also full of fiber. I added 6 broccoli stalks and a good thick slice of green cabbage to this soup when I made it.

Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable which has anti-estrogenic properties among it’s repertoire and cabbage is also very good for your bum. As I eat a lot of cabbage (as juice in blended salads, as sauerkraut and as cole slaw), I always have some on hand. A nice thick slice made its way into the soup. Btw, broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable as well.

Initial Preparation

In preparation to make Kombucha tea, one must have ready a few simple items and to keep in mind to use only glass and plastic, not metal.

• White sugar
• Tea
• Glass container
• Cloth material
• Rubber bands
• Kombucha SCOBY
• Kombucha starter mixture

How to Make Kombucha tea, an Overview

Clean pure water will be heated to boiling on a stove, at which time a specific amount of sugar will be added. Heat is turned off and sugar mixture stirred to ensure it’s completely dissolved. Tea bags are added and allowed to steep until water has cooled naturally. Once at room temperature, the sugary tea mixture is transferred from heating pot to a glass container where it will remain undisturbed for an entire week. Kombucha starter mixture is added into the liquid and stirred gently. Kombucha culture (SCOBY) is placed in the mixture, cloth material is placed over the opening and fastened in place with a rubber band.

Place glass container in a spot that can remain undisturbed during its transformation time and leave sit for at least 7 days.

How to Make Kombucha tea, Detailed Instructions

1. Heat your desired amount of pure clean water to boiling – I personally use and recommend distilled water, but reverse osmosis (ro) water would be fine too. I use distilled water because it’s just H2O and nothing else. Once boiled, remove from heat. No picture of this, because it would be pretty boring. Imagine a pot of hot water.

2. Add Sugar – Use 1 to 1.5 cups of white sugar for every gallon of water. A gallon is 4 litres more or less (it’s not really, but it’s close enough). In metric, the numbers are thus: 2 to 3 ounces for each litre, or 8 to 12 ounces per gallon.

Stir the sugar until it’s completely dissolved. Then stir a little more.

Sugar is the food source for the Kombucha culture and is consumed during fermentation.

3. Add the tea bags – For best results, use only black tea. 2 tea bags per litre, or 8 per gallon. Tea adds nitrogen for the culture, allowing it a happy environment to produce the beverage. Steep the tea until the mixture cools, so basically put them in and walk away. Once cooled to room temperature, wring the bags out into the mixture and discard.

4. Pour sugar tea solution into clean glass container - Pour nearly to top, leaving room for a little Kombucha starter solution to be added.

5. Test the temperature - make sure that the sugary tea solution has cooled to room temperature.

6. Add the Kombucha starter – You should already have starter Kombucha from a previous batch or from a friend who’s provided it. It’s possible to begin Kombucha from scratch using some starter, but it takes a little longer and requires more care.

How much Kombucha starter to begin with depends on how much Kombucha you’re making. Ideally, you should use 10 to 25% of the final amount desired. 1 cup per litre for example.

Kombucha loves a sugary, nitrogen filled, low pH environment. The starter should be on the lower end of the pH scale (more like vinegar) when added to your new batch. See my article on Best Way to Make Kombucha for more info on pristine conditions.

7. Add the live Kombucha culture (SCOBY) to the mixture – take careful consideration of the temperature you’re putting the SCOBY into before making this move. The bacteria yeast culture is very temperature sensitive. Your mixture should be at room temperature, or slightly above. Best fermenting temperatures are between 21 and 29 degrees Celsius.

This was the first time I used this 2 gallon glass container so I added 3 scoby’s from my previous smaller batches.

In the background, you can see my starter Kombucha tea with a few scoby’s in it.

8. Cover the container – The container must be allowed to breathe, but not allow anything into it. Fruit flies love Kombucha tea, so cover it with a cloth material that allows air to move back and forth, but nothing in. I used cheese cloth originally, but was told that fruit flies could still get through it. Consider cutting up an old shirt, measuring before you cut so that the piece fits over the top. A wider mouth opening allows for better air exposure and a better fermentation.

9. Use a rubber band to seal the material on top.

10. Place in a warm area and allow to ferment – Avoid direct sunlight, but allow for room temperature to above room temperature conditions, and allow for an undisturbed setting for at least a week. Fermentation times vary according to conditions, but a week is typical.

Kombucha loves warmth, and goes dormant in the cold. Ideal conditions are 21 to 29 degrees Celsius. Direct sunlight can harm the culture and reduce its life span, but it does not need to be kept away from light, just direct sunlight.

Secondary preparation

Bottles….

You’re going to need bottles to store the finished product, so begin collecting them over the week while the Kombucha is fermenting. Glass bottles are preferred and should be able to be capped with a strong fitting. Wine bottles with screw tops work well as are specialty beer bottles with the resealable corking system. Canadian Pellegrino sparkling water bottles come with a screw top, but US versions have single use caps. Rubber corked wine bottles can be re-used but be aware that Kombucha under pressure can push through the cork or even pop them out. This happened one time in our RV and scared the crap out of my cat!

Also, a funnel is considered a good tool to assist in bottling Kombucha, so find and purchase a funnel if you don’t already have one.

When to Bottle the Kombucha tea

Starting with a very sugary tea mixture, the Kombucha culture consumes the sugar over time into the beverage we drink. Over the course of 4 to 14 days (or more), the beverage becomes lower and lower pH (more acidic) and moves from sweet to sour. Knowing when to bottle Kombucha is based both on taste and on desired health benefits. Gunther Frank and I both agree that drinking Kombucha should be based on health benefits first and taste second.

Good Kombucha tea should taste like a cross between apple cider and apple cider vinegar.

Somewhere around the 7 day mark, pour off a few ounces of tea and taste it. See if it’s to your liking. When you do this test with your first batch, it would be hard to discern between sweetness levels, not having experienced how sour it can become. Simply make a judgement call and go with it. If it’s too sweet yet, leave it another day and test again.

It’s that simple.

Bottling Kombucha

Bottling for the purpose of this article is very straight forward.

I like bottles that have the resealable corking systems like this beer bottle but any glass bottle will suffice. I’ve found beer bottles like this one in two different sizes. This is the smaller of the two.

Pour the tea into your bottles but save 10 to 25% for your next batch.

Keep the SCOBY culture with this starter tea. If you aren’t able to make more for a few days or longer, cover and put in the fridge. It will become lower pH and more vinegary, perfect for your next batch of tea.

Notes:
The Kombucha SCOBY may float on the surface of your jar, or it may sink to the bottom. Either way is fine and a new baby SCOBY will form on the top of your working mixture. They may join together producing a thicker and thicker culture. This is normal.

Treat your SCOBY with care. It’s heat sensitive. If you aren’t using it for an extended period of time, keep it with a little starter and put it in the fridge in it’s own container. Preferably glass.

It’s best to start with smaller quantities of Kombucha, no larger than 2 litres (half a gallon) until your SCOBY becomes more robust and able to handle larger amounts.

Escalating Density Training is hard work, but it pays off.
Co-authored by Alwyn Cosgrove, CSCS

Since the inception of the Escalating Density Training system, one of the most common inquiries we receive at the office is “When are you going to write about EDT for fat loss?”

How about right now?

As it turns out, Escalating Density Training is perhaps the simplest and most effective training technique available for body composition training. I was recently talking to my colleague Alwyn Cosgrove, owner of Results Fitness Training in Newhall, California has been using EDT-inspired training programs to facilitate rapid losses in bodyfat with his clients for several months now.

In fact, Alwyn claims an average loss of 2% bodyfat per month with no dietary changes at all. However, there is a price to be paid for quick results, and this program does exact a heavy toll.

Cosgrove joking refers to it as “Rambo training” it’s not for wussies. I agree, but at the same time, this is about as fun as hard work can be. Have a look:

The Escalating Density Training Program For Fat Loss

This EDT cycle is simple, brief and yet quite brutal. You’ll perform (3) 15-Minute “PR Zones” where you’ll attempt to accumulate as many total reps as possible and then improve upon that number every workout (see “EDT Loading Parameters” for more details).

Each and every workout you know how long it’ll last and you also know exactly what you need to accomplish. It’s that simple. Here’s your program, make exercise substitutions if equipment or injury restrictions warrant.

Monday

First PR Zone (15 Minutes)
A-1: Chins
A-2: Hack Squat

Rest: 5 Minutes

Second PR Zone (15 Minutes)
A-1: Rows
A-2: Seated Leg Curl

Rest: 5 Minutes

Third PR Zone (15 Minutes)
A-1: Overhead Press Machine
A-2: Incline Board Sit-Ups

Wednesday

First PR Zone (15 Minutes)
A-1: Dips
A-2: Back Extension

Rest: 5 Minutes

Second PR Zone (15 Minutes)
A-1: Incline Press Machine
A-2: Leg Extension

Rest: 5 Minutes

Third PR Zone (15 Minutes)
A-1: Flat Dumbbell Bench Press
A-2: Reverse Trunk Twist on Ball

Friday

First PR Zone (15 Minutes)
A-1: Dumbbell Deadlift
A-2: Push Press

Rest: 5 Minutes

Second PR Zone (15 Minutes)
A-1: Preacher Curl
A-2: Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extension

Rest: 5 Minutes

Third PR Zone (15 Minutes)
A-1: Standing Lateral Raise
A-2: Prone Ball Roll

COSGROVE: Note that you can also reduce the rest periods between PR zones thereby further increasing the density. I also prefer to have a bigger rep “buffer.” In regular EDT, I allow 20% more reps before I increase the loads.

In Fat Loss EDT, I don’t increase the loads until you perform 30% more reps. I think the higher volume helps with fat loss (this assumes a good load selection initially). Another rule I use is that the eccentric phase should be controlled, the concentric should be accelerative.

EDT Loading Parameters

For those not yet familiar with EDT’s unique loading parameters, here’s the nuts and bolts:

Escalating Density Training is based on the concept of doing more and more work from workout to workout. Therefore, it’s critical that your exercise biomechanics (i.e., technique) is consistent on every workout. If you perform strict curls on one workout and loose form the next, you aren’t really doing more work (for the arms at least!)

* I recommend 10-15 minutes of light to moderate cardio, followed by 10-15 minutes of light stretching on ìoffî days for the purpose of promoting active recovery and reducing soreness.

* Each workout in this cycle consists of (3) PR Zones of 15-minutes duration separated by a short (5-minute) rest periods. In each PR Zone, you’ll generally perform two exercises, for a total of 3-4 exercises per workout.

* In each PR Zone, you’ll typically perform two antagonistic exercises in alternating fashion, back and forth, using the same weight for all sets, until the PR Zone has elapsed.

* After warming up the first exercise(s), select a load that approximates a 10RM for each exercise. Ideally, the weight used for each exercise should be equally difficult.

Sets/Reps/Rest Intervals: This is where EDT is truly unique. Most people will find it most productive to do higher repetition (but not maximal effort) sets and shorter rests at the beginning, and then gradually progress to fewer reps per set and longer rest intervals as fatigue accumulates.

As an example, you might begin by performing sets of 5 with very short (10-15 second) rests. As you begin to fatigue, you’ll increase your rest intervals as you drop down to sets of 4, then 2, and as the time limit approaches, you might crank out a few singles in an effort of accomplish as many repetitions as possible in the time allotted.

NOTE: Do not perform early sets to failure, or even near failure. My recommended starting point is to do 1/2 of what is possible (e.g., 5 reps with a 10RM weight) at the beginning of the time frame. As the time limit approaches however, you’ll find yourself working at or near failure as you attempt to break your rep record.

Progression: Each time you repeat the workout; your objective is to simply perform more total repetitions in the same time frame. As soon as you can increase the total number of reps by 20 percent or more, start the next workout with 5 percent more weight and start over. Similarly, if you manage to improve upon your last performance (for the same workout) by 40 percent, then you’ll increase your weights by 10 percent on the next workout.

PROGRESS ACCELERATION TIPS:

I like amino acids as the post workout meal – an hour later I have a shake with fiber when training for fat loss.

Aerobics: avoid like the plague – they cause you to lose muscle, and they help you to become more efficient at burning fat. So how would you like your fat burning machinery to get smaller and more efficient when you are trying to lose fat ? Thought so.

For the EXTREME RAMBO HARDCORE ADDICT: Do EDT using hybrid lifts – see below. Another very cool yet brutal tip is to do TWO 15 min periods in the workout but perform TWO EDT workouts per day. Brutal but it’ll carve you up.

Day One:

First PR Zone (15 Minutes)
A1 Alternating max lunge
A2 Seated Cable Rows

Second PR Zone (15 Minutes)
B1 Step Up
B2 Push up-prone tuck combo

Third PR Zone (15 Minutes)
C1 DB Squat and Press
C2 Close Grip Pulldown

Day Two:

First PR Zone (15 Minutes)
A1 Bulgarian Split Squat
A2 Push Press

Second PR Zone (15 Minutes)
B1 SHELC
B2 Seated Row to neck

Second PR Zone (15 Minutes)
C1 Good morning squat hybrid
C2 Incline Db Press

Day Three :

First PR Zone (15 Minutes)
A1 Deadlift
A2 Pullover

Second PR Zone (15 Minutes)
B1 Lateral Lunge and touch
B2 Arnold Press

Third PR Zone (15 Minutes)
C1 DB Swiss Ball Crunch
C2 Bent Over DB Row

Fuel For EDT

To maximize the effectiveness of this EDT fat-loss program, employ the following nutritional strategies:

1) Reduce consumption of refined carbohydrate (breads, pastas, white rice, potatoes, grains, cakes, cookies, etc.) to a bare minimum, especially later in the day.

2) Virtually all meals should contain a fiber source, expect for post-workout meals, which should ideally be a fast-absorbing protein/carb shake. Check out a cool product called Fiber Smart. This is a unique, dietary fiber made from flax seeds and other top quality ingredients to support proper function and health. It also contains Acidophilus and Bifidus to promote a health bacterial balance and amino acids to support a healthy digestive lining.

2) Eat every 3 hours for a total of 5 to 6 meals per day. No exceptions. Schedule meals as if they were appointments with yourself, because that’s what they really are when you think about it.

3) Calculate or estimate your lean body mass (total weight – fat weight) and eat one gram of animal-source protein per pound of lean bodyweight per day, divided into 5 or 6 meals. For an individual who weighs 200 pounds and is 15% body fat, this would mean 170 grams per day, which would equate to 5 meals containing 34 grams of protein per meal.

4) Hydrate! My recommended water intake is 60 percent of your bodyweight in pounds, converted to ounces, per day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, drink 90 ounces of water per day.

5) Watch out for “hidden” sources of fat and sodium such as various salad dressings and condiments.

6) Educate yourself on the caloric value of what you eat. If you’re not losing weight (fat) you’ll need to eat slightly less calories, and/or increase caloric expenditure (via exercise). There may be some trial and error at first as you learn more about how many calories you’ll need to create an energy deficit. COSGROVE: this is key. Violate this rule and you are toast.

7) Develop strategies to cope with difficult situations, such as family get-togethers and going out to eat. COSGROVE: Fast food? Yesó it’s called grilled chicken sandwich. Fries, no.

Virtually all breakfast cereals are to be avoided – they almost always contain high levels of calories, sugar and non-existent protein and fiber content – the worst possible type of food. COSGROVE: the only cereal you can have is oatmeal. Nothing else.

9) Some saturated fat is OK, but it’s easy to take in more than you realize – be careful with salad dressings, condiments, grilled meats, fried foods, Chinese food, gravies, etc.

10) Stop analyzing everything to death and get down to basics – it’s not that difficult to figure out how to eat right. Which brings us to…

11) Staley on “simplexity”: OK, let’s get down to brass tacks here – EAT LESS! I’m often asked about the fat loss value of various foods like grapefruit, cider vinegar, etc. My patented response is “Any food will make you lose weight- if you eat too little of it.”

A little trick is in order here – the next time you feel hungry, instead of giving in to it and feeling deprived, tell yourself “OK- this is good – it’s a sign that I’m doing the right thing.” Trick yourself into believing that being hungry is desirable.

12) Here’s what Cosgrove has to say about cheating:

If you cheat: DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT change your next meal. I see many clients who overeat at one meal and then under eat at the next meal as a kind of “payback.” All you did now was screw up TWO meals.

If you cheat: get right back on track. A lot of people think after cheating – I’ve blown it – so I might as well REALLY blow it! Let me ask you – if you get a flat tire do you get out of your car and slash the other three? Hey, you have a flat tire – might as well have four, right?

13) Cosgrove on hunger: Hunger is a sign that your body is lacking in energy. At this point your body will use stored fat as a fuel source. It’s a good thing. While I agree with Dr. Eric Serrano that calories are not created equal – it’s tough to argue that eating less calories will cause anything other than weight loss. It’s the law of thermodynamics.

About The Author

Charles Staley…world-class strength/performance coach…his colleagues call him an iconoclast, a visionary, a rule-breaker. His clients call him “The Secret Weapon” for his ability to see what other coaches miss. Charles calls himself a “geek” who struggled in Phys Ed throughout school. Whatever you call him, Charles’ methods are ahead of their time and quickly produce serious results.

Click here to visit Charles’ site and grab your 5 FREE videos that will show you how to literally FORCE your body to build muscle, lose fat and gain strength with “Escalating Density Training,” Charles’ revolutionary, time-saving approach to lifting that focuses on performance NOT pain.

¼ cup water
1 onion
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
4 cups peeled and chopped butternut squash
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
4 cups vegetable broth
½ cup almond butter
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp braggs liquid aminos
½ tsp crushed red pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Pre-preparations include peeling and chopping the butternut squash, so it’s assumed that part is already completed. Place the water into a large pot. Add the onion and garlic and cook stirring frequently for about 2 minutes.

Add the squash, cumin and coriander. Cook stirring frequently for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients except the cilantro and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until squash is tender, stirring occasionally to make sure ingredients are well combined.

Puree in a blender, Vitamix or food processor. Add any additional water so that it’s at a consistency that you like. Garnish with cilantro before serving.

A common practice with any soup is to make a double batch of it and freeze the left over portions for another day.

Options:

I like this soup recipe quite spicy, so frequently add cayenne pepper, fresh ground black pepper and a very special Habanero oil garlic sauce I have access to here locally. Ginger would also add a nice kick in the colder fall and winter months. Experiment with your flavors. Turmeric would be a great addition to this recipe as well.

If you like, add 2 Tbsp of ground chia seeds before blending for additional fiber, nutrients and Omega 3 fat’s.

Coconut flour is gluten free, high in fiber and low in carbohydrates. 5 Tablespoons of coconut flour has 30 grams of carbohydrates to it’s 27 grams of fiber resulting in 3 net carbs. It’s slightly sweet too, so the bread is more of a heavy high protein compliment to a soup rather than for use with sandwich meats.

How To Make Coconut Flour Bread

This is so drop dead simple, even the worst cooks can make this at home. It uses 4 ingredients, 2 of which are from coconuts.

6 eggs
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup coconut flour

Ideally you’d want to use pasture eggs from your local farmer rather than supermarket eggs because of the improved nutritional profile pasture eggs have. Do what you have to do though.

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a small bread pan wiped down with a little coconut oil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Empty the bread out onto a towel or plate and leave it to cool for a while. Lining the bread pan with a little coconut oil should make the job easier.

Because the bread is so dense, it doesn’t rise very high as you can see in the picture. When you prepare your bread pan with the oil, pay attention to the bottom portions of the pan.

I shared my 6 egg omelet recipe through a tweet and then thought I should share the images I took a few months back while I made it one morning. These were originally uploaded to facebook and taken with my blackberry, so excuse the quality. I’ll replace them with higher quality images later.

How Many Eggs Is Normal?

So what’s considered the normal amount of eggs to consume in a day? Each of us should have our own definition of normal as @ink_slinger asked. And that’s just it isn’t it. We now know that eggs are good for us, that the “cholesterol confusion” around them has been solved and that eggs do not raise cholesterol and are not a cause for concern at all.

Eggs are finally getting the respect they deserve, yet some still fear consuming them.

Are they only for weight lifters, sports enthusiasts, people who exercise hard?

Or can egg consumption actually help people lose weight, make them feel better and improve their health?

again, depending on how you were brought up, how your eggs are produced (or where), egg consumption can have different impacts.

I remember reading a story about an interviewer asking a man who had lived to be 100 years old about his habit of consuming up to 40 eggs a day. He responded “I never thought twice about it”.

It’s just an egg. It’s the most bio adaptable source of protein for the human body and it’s what all other proteins are compared to when describing their quality.

Regardless of what your take is on this whole question, here is my 6 egg omelet recipe.

Fresh Greens Fried In Coconut Oil

I begin with slicing and dicing onion, red, yellow or orange peppers, broccoli (about a cup), 2 kale leaves de-stemmed and cut into small pieces and then fry them a little in coconut oil. Near the end, I might put a little water in the middle and then cover it with a lid to steam it a bit at the end. Fresh mushrooms would be good to add here too, I just use mushrooms as often as I should.

Add 6 Eggs To Greens

I put in another little drizzle of coconut oil and then either beat 6 whole eggs ahead of time and pour in, or just crack them individually over the mixture. I make a “mans omelet”, with none of that fancy steaming or whatever. I just scramble them up and let them cook, turning them over once, little pieces at a time. I don’t bother with a one off “flip” of the omelet. Too much trouble. At this point, I grind some black pepper over it, along with sea salt and sprinkle on a good amount of cayenne pepper. Pepper and Cayenne help to perk up the metabolism as well. Nice little weight loss tip.

Topped With Raw Spinach

I add a big heaping bunch of raw spinach. Can you have too much spinach on your omelet? I think not. Pile it high on half of the cooked eggs and get ready to fold the other half over.

Finished Omelet

Here it is done, with the other half of the omelet flipped up over the spinach.

I would then add various versions of hot sauces to this and might even add another side of steamed asparagus or more broccoli. The whole thing is then washed down with chia gel and I’m set for my morning.

So what’s your take on this question? How many eggs should be consumed in a day? I’d love to hear your responses.

…you always seem to have MORE POWER than you think, don’t you?

But what if you don’t HAVE an adrenaline-jacked training buddy?

Never fear! Here’s…

How To Increase Your Reps On Any Exercise

Stupidly simple yet amazingly POWERFUL, this “quick tip” works every time for generating a bit more power…

…and it’s all PSYCHOLOGICAL!

All you have to do is, instead of counting your reps 1-2-3-etc.

Count BACKWARDS!

(Told you it was stupidly simple)

Here’s Why It Works

Just as having a spotter who’s jacked on adrenaline and caffeine forces you to dig down deep and push your body beyond any MENTAL blocks you have…

…counting BACKWARDS also “tricks” your brain to get more power out of your muscles.

Knowing that you’re getting closer and closer to the “end” of your set, your brain will almost MAGICALLY flip the switch on the afterburners and you’ll be able to get more reps than if you’d been counting the “traditional” way.

Your “Champion For The Average Joe & Jane”

The “Muscle Nerd”
Jeff Anderson
Author of Combat the Fat Workout and Hardgainer Project X

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Darlene doesn’t sing. She has a great voice, but she’s deathly afraid of singing in public. Last week she did some Karaoke with friends at a local club here but this time she really stretched herself by doing it on video. I’m so proud of her.

Why is this here on a weight loss blog, well, because she’s my fiance and because I simply could not get this video to play on my other website. So here it is for your commenting pleasure. As well, Band Aid’s marketing “Canada’s Stuck on Band Aid” is donating $1 to KidSport Canada for every video you upload to them. So, you enter to win a chance at $8000 and help kids at the same time.

If you’re downtown Edmonton for this next week taking in the Taste of Edmonton festival, be sure to check out Darlene’s art and do your own video for the new Band Aid Jingle.

I’m currently on workout 3 of 4 in this pec routine and the results have been so impressive that I decide to write it up for you before I even finish the final workout next week.

Considering I’m on a calorie deficit in a cutting phase, I’m especially impressed with the increase in my chest size and development after 3 workouts. You’re not going to gain much if any muscular body weight if you are in a caloric deficit, but NO DOUBT, you can improve the development of a muscle group even while cutting up. This is a perfect example. I’m going to return to this program again for sure on my next mass phase. This chest workout program is called…

Multi-Angular Rest Pause With Pump Finisher

Here’s how it works. You select two exercises. For exercise one (the main course), I chose a basic pec mass exercise that can be done at any angle from steep incline to flat bench. That’s the primary exercise you stick with for all 4 workouts. Incline Dumbbell Press was the natural choice. I set up on a fully adjustable bench that allows multiple angles of incline.

For exercise two (dessert), I chose an isolation exercise for a pump finisher, and it changes with every workout.

Here’s the sequence:
A1 Incline Dumbbell Press – steep incline
about 65-70 degrees
6 reps
rest 10 seconds

A2 Incline Dumbbell Press – medium (regular) incline
about 45 degrees
6 reps
10 seconds

A3 Incline Dumbbell Press – low incline
about 20-25 degrees
6 reps
10 seconds rest

A4 Dumbbell Press – flat bench
6 reps

Now rest 2 – 3 minutes.

That’s one “set.” Technically of course, that is FOUR SETS, done in rest pause fashion, so lets call it one “round” for clarity’s sake.

Yes… that was round ONE. Now do it two more times.

Note: It helps a lot if you have a training partner change the bench angle so you can stay seated and keep the dumbbells in your hands. Doing it alone is slow and cumbersome.

For poundage, you’re going to have to go MUCH lighter than usual. Although I don’t train heavy pecs anymore, last time I did, I was doing 6 reps with 125s on the incline. So for this program I took about 50-60% of that; 70 lbs on workout 1, 75 lbs on workout 2,and 80 lbs on workout 3. On the last one, I had to drop to the 75s to finish all 3 rounds and even then I needed some forced reps towards the end.

You may need to decrease the weight on the 2nd or 3rd round, but if at all humanly possible, do NOT reduce the weight during each round. Doing all four angles at the same poundage is the whole idea.

What may happen, especially if you even slightly overestimated your starting poundage, is that reps may drop with each angle change within a round. First angle – 6 reps is easy. second angle, a little harder, but still no problem. Third angle, you might only squeeze out 5 reps or hit honest failure on the 6th rep. 4th angle (flat), you might hit total failure on the 4th or 5th rep.

Now this is also where a training partner comes in. This routine should not be attempted without a spotter. Sorry, but you are a dork if you try to do this without a spotter. This program causes HONEST muscle failure (I’ll explain that in more detail shortly), so you need the spotter for safety, but moreover, you will need a spotter’s assistance to complete forced reps, at least on the final round or two, if not the first round. In general, forced reps should not be overused, but they play an important part of this program.

Ok, where were we? Oh yeah, you just finished your 3rd round. You might be finished! Yeah. some people will be DONE, KAPUT, ZONKED, BONKED, NUKED, GAME OVER, after 3 rounds of that (think about it – that was 12 sets, disguised as 3 sets!) However, for those who want the full course…. come with me and lets finish off those pecs with the pump (oh, you thought were already pumped… heh.. just wait…you’ll see what a pump is!)

The second exercise (exercise B) is going to be an isolation exercise.. ie., DB flye, cable crossover, machine flye (pec deck), etc., and you will perform 20-25 reps, non stop in piston-like fashion. use a steady quick tempo, but not so fast that you use momentum.

This isolation /pump exercise will change with every workout:

B1 Workout 1: standing cable crossover
2-3 sets, 20-25 reps

B1 Workout 2: machine flye or pec deck
2-3 sets, 20-25 reps

B1 Workout 3: decline dumbbell flye
2-3 sets 20-25 reps

B1 Workout 4: flat bench cable flyes in cable crossover machine
2-3 sets, 20-25 reps

That’s it! That’s the whole program. Three rounds of multi-angular rest pause, then finish your workout with 2-3 sets of 25 reps on a pumping, isolation movement.

This routine is performed within a standard bodybuilding type of split, so it should be done once in 5-7 days, no more. You would probably do another body part after chest,such as biceps or triceps, depending on how you organize your split routine.

I would recommend advanced bodybuilders use this program a couple times a year if and when they need a boost in chest development. This is not the type of program you would use all the time. You would burn out and overtrain.

There’s one more very important part of this routine – progression.

Progression

On the Incline Dumbbell Presses, you will increase the poundage with every workout. Keep in mind, you will not be able to complete all 3 rounds at all 4 angles for 6 unassisted reps. Its going to get harder each time, even as you get stronger. You may have to use a spotter more with each progressing workout. You may also find that on workout 1 or workout 2, you can complete all 3 rounds with the same dumbbells, but on workout 3, by the 2nd or 3rd round, you have to drop the weight or you’ll barely be getting 2 or 3 reps.

Now let me re-emphasize the importance of a spotter. There’s something that’s going to happen when you do this routine that does not happen often. You will hit what my training partner and I call “HONEST FAILURE.” This means that your muscles literally fail, or give out right underneath you. Mind you, this is not something you would usually aim for, but that’s just the nature of this program and this is only a 4-workout high intensity “shock” type of routine.

Expect Failure – Honest Failure

When I say your muscles will give out, I mean that literally. On the last rep or two of 3rd or 4th angle, of the 2nd or 3rd round, your arms may literally buckle underneath you. That’s honest failure.

You see, there are several types of failure… First there is “sissy failure”.. that’s when there is a lactic acid burn or a fatigue in the muscle (you’re tired) and because it hurts or you’re tired, that causes you to stop. That’s sissy failure (sarcasm).

Then you have positive failure. This is where you can no longer push the weight up in a concentric motion, but you are still able to lower the weight and exert an upward force against the weight. For example, you’re bench pressing and you hit the “sticking point,” but you are holding that bar at the sticking point (its not coming back down), and you’re still exerting force to push the bar upward, but the bar simply isn’t moving up!

Then you have honest failure. This is where the muscle simply gives out.. it buckles. you have reached concentric and eccentric failure. This type of failiure is rarely discussed. In fact I don’t recall anyone ever writing about it except for Arthur Jones and Ellington darden and the rest of the High Intensity Training (HIT) camp.

Chest Workout To Bust Plateaus

Rarely does any bodybuilder tread in this territory, and for good reason, as it is really not necessary and can be dangerous for anyone but a veteran who knows what the heck he is doing – and all the kidding aside for a moment, Im serious about this. Its no joke if your chest and arms give out from underneath you and you dump a 70 or 80 pound dumbbell on your face. (you do like your teeth, don’t you?)

However, as a technique you use on rare occasion for a shock routine that breaks through progress plateaus helping you build a bigger chest fast, that untrodden territory is there… for those who dare. There is something about this particular chest workout program (multi angular rest pause) that takes you there. You’ve been warned! Train hard, but be safe!

Now, go out there and get jacked!

Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Lifetime Natural Bodybuilder
www.BurnTheFatBook.com

Rob’s Carrot Kale Cocktail with Chia seed

I have a drink I liked to call Rob’s Carrot Kale Cocktail which was basically just a special concoction I made up in a blender but it’s now morphed into this wonderful drink that also contains nut milk and chia seed. It’s still Rob’s Carrot Kale C,ocktail, but it’s version 2.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of sunflower seeds – pre soaked
10 to 15 almonds – pre soaked
1 carrot
1 kale leaf
a little parsley
1 or 2 Tbsp Chia seeds (see note)
1 tsp Dark maple syrup or a little stevia

Preparation: Soak 1/4 cup of sunflower seeds and 10 to 15 almonds in water overnight to activate the seeds.

Make the nut milk:
Pour off the soak water and put sunflower seeds and almonds into blender cup.
Add a cup of distilled water.
Blend.

I prefer the Magic Bullet because of it’s unique blending format which forces the liquid down onto the blades. Blend for about a minute or two. Add another cup of water to thin it out a little more. I find that blending in less water allows all the seeds to hit the blades more effectively.

Add a Tablespoon or two of chia seeds, stir into nut milk and allow 5 minutes for the nut milk gel (chia gel) to set up.

Make the Carrot Kale Cocktail
While the nut milk gel is setting up, cut the carrot into small bits so it doesn’t break the blender. De-stem the Kale and cut leaves into small bits (about an inch or so, just so it blends a bit better)

Put the carrot parts into the nut milk. Blend again until carrots are fully mixed in.

Add Kale and parsley, Blend again.

Taste.

If required, go ahead and add a tsp of Dark maple syrup for flavor. Maple syrup is optional. I suggest dark maple syrup because it has more minerals in it. Stevia may also be used. Taste it first though, you might find you like it just the way it is.

Note: Chia seeds will really gel this up if you use too much. Play with the amount of seeds to the amount of water. You should be able to sip it, not have to spoon it out.

Fiber Content:
The nut milk itself will provide a few grams of fiber. So will the chia seeds, so I’d approximate the fiber in this to be at least 5 grams (or more).

Blended salads are a great way to add nutrient dense foods to your day, as a mid afternoon snack, a post workout supplement or added to a meal instead of other beverages. Kale is a nutrient powerhouse – one of the preferred dark leafy green vegetables. Carrots add important vitamin A while the chia seeds add so much to the mix and slow down the absorption of it all keeping you full. Chia also provides important Omega 3 fats. The nuts and seeds of course provide protein, fats, fiber and many minerals.

I’ve got an exercise and nutrition plan in place, clearly outlined, for the entire first 6 months of 2009.

I have a plan in place detailing

• What exercise program I’m following
• Planned increases in the work load
• Planned time off from training
• Planned changes to the program for diversity and muscle confusion
• What nutrition program I’m following
• Scheduled cleanse days
• Scheduled back to back cleanse days
• Planned single refeed days
• Planned double refeed days
• Planned reward meals
• Planned reward beverages (red wine)

Before I sat down to schedule in these various parts of the program, I took into account holidays where food might play a role, a 5 day mini vacation to Las Vegas, a wine tasting event I wanted to attend, a social get together we put together, and a possible vacation to Peru.

I find that I can focus on short intervals of time, such as 9 days or 30 day type programs, so I plan and commit to programs I create with those type of time frames in mind.

I do however, keep the bigger picture in mind so that the 9 day and 30 day minicycles piece together into larger 90 day macrocycles.

I begin with the larger picture in mind, in my case 6 months, Jan 1 2009 through July 1st, 2009. I know I’ll be away in February for 5 days, on February 17th, so I first tackle the days from the new year through February 17th, or roughly 47 days.

I calculate in a rough “working break” while I’m in Vegas, expecting to do some sort of travel workout using body weight for convenience, but allowing myself some freedom that week. It’s essentially a week off from training intensely, while switching to a lighter workout maybe twice that week. I’m also allowing for deviance from a strict nutritional program, and while keeping my goals in mind, factor in the food in Vegas. Meal replacement shakes fit the bill allowing me to keep nutritional intake steady.

I consider the first 47 days phase 1.

It seems like the trip to Vegas, creating a week off, to be a natural place to recover while preparing for phase 2, where I increase my training intensity and modify my nutritional program.

So here it is

My Exercise Program for 2009

For the first 6 months of 2008, I will be training using the Seven Minute Muscle Workout program designed by Jon Benson. (also known as 7 Minute Muscle)

The Seven Minute Muscle Workout takes me back to my earlier days of exercise when I first began working out at my lowest weight of 187 pounds. In looking back at my training journal from 1993 through 1995, it was the principles Jon outlines in the Seven Minute Muscle Workout that I was following.

The logic behind it is sound, and it’s the intensity of it that I’ve been craving for the past two or three months.

It’s also short – very short, so it works into my business goals as well. I’ve found that it takes me longer to get to and from the gym than the time I actually spend IN the gym, and yes, it’s really only a 7 minute workout. At least that’s phase 1. It does get more intense.

The 7 Minute workout program also calls for 3 minutes of abs and 9 minutes of cardio.

That’s it.

This allows me to achieve 8 hours of sleep, a drive to the gym, a quick workout and then be at my desk on time to start work. It’s quite brilliant.

In a short 26 minute audio clip, you can listen to Jon explain how the 7 Minute Muscle Workout works.

As for my nutritional program, I’ll leave that for another post.

Phase 2 Of My 2009 Training Program

After my scheduled down time in Vegas, I begin phase 2 of the Seven Minute Muscle Workout. I increase the training time to 14 minutes. Jon explains that the training time can either be doubled during one visit to the gym, or can be broken into 2 parts with one in the morning and the other in the afternoon or evening.

I plan to break them up allowing for maximum intensity during both training sessions. Breaking them apart also allows for me to increase my metabolism at two different times in the day helping to burn more calories and improving my mood from the endorphins that get released.

Phase 2 will last for a full 2 months ending one week prior to the end of April when I have another scheduled 5 day break from training.

Phase 3

Phase 3 gets more intense yet as I begin the busiest time of the workout. Phase 3 is a full 21 minutes of training per day, which I will break into 3 parts. A morning workout of 7 minutes, and afternoon workout of 7 minutes and a third workout in the evening of 7 minutes for 21 minutes total.

The third session is unlike the other 2 and again, Jon’s brilliance comes to light where he fully loads both fast twitch and slow twitch muscle fibers (type 1 and type 2) at each workout making sure the muscle has been fully loaded and fully thrashed, sparking new growth and while being able to do it on a calorie restricted nutritional program.

Training three times a day requires a great deal of commitment.

• Drive time to and from the gym
• Attention to laundry duties while sweating through so many clothes
• Setting priorities with training coming first, movies or social gatherings second
• Making sure to get enough sleep each night facilitating Human Growth Hormone output
• Pre-preparing meals in batches to reduce cooking times
• Factoring in shopping time for fresh vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds

Because the 7 Minute Muscle Workout can be scheduled to be a Monday to Friday program, this allows the weekends for cleansing, or catching up on other duties left out while training 3x a day. Basically, I can catch up on the weekends or factor in my cleanse days.

The third phase of my program may be 30 days long, May 1st through June 1st, or it may be 45 days long – continuing through June 15th when I’m done the Transformation contest . The unknown factor is a trip to Peru we just found out about. My fiancé has been asked to lead a photo tour of Peru with Red Lotus Tours, and I will be her assistant. We do not have a final date set for that yet.

July 1st brings phase 4, where I completely change things up and begin an Advanced Mass Building program a little different than this program, but with the same goals.

The overall goal of this training program is to gain 15 pounds of muscle and achieve single digit body fat, whatever number that may be when the time comes.

I’m having body composition measurements taken on a monthly basis by my fitness club using the laser method. This will keep me informed as to progress as I move through the various phases and help me tweak my nutritional program as required.

I trust the Seven Minute Muscle Workout. It’s sound and I will follow the principles as outlined. I wanted to jump forward to the 14 minute workout, but after a discussion with Jon, he advised me to begin at the beginning and so I am. Funny, he sounds like me. Just what I tell my own clients when they ask me how to start.

For the record, my Fiance, all 102 pounds of her, is beginning this same training program with me. It’s NOT for muscle heads and Darlene will prove that she too can begin with the beginner program for 4 to 8 weeks. Because she HAS trained before, she will be doing this for 4 weeks and then moving to the 7 minute muscle workout. Her goal is an increase of 8 pounds of muscle and to achieve 16% body fat.

As I said, it’s not for muscle heads, but apparently a professional body builder was not able to complete the 21 minute portion of it. So yes, it would kick the ass of a body builder too.

1. Lose weight by exercising
2. Give up salt

Focus On What You Want

Being absolutely clear with yourself and your brain is a critical part in getting that which you want. It’s fairly easy to set the resolution “to lose weight”, but being clear about how you’re going to lose weight is much more powerful. It’s the action steps that are going to take you there, so focus on them and you’ll get what you want.

The words we choose are powerful, so be clear about what you intend on doing.

“Exercise more” is general where “Walk 30 minutes a day, five days a week” is more action oriented
“Drink more water” is a good idea, where “I resolve to measure out four litres of water each morning and consume the entire amount over the course of the day before going to bed” is a lot more specific.

New Years Resolutions That Make Sense

I’m sure you’ve wanted to make changes to your lifestyle each year and have full intention of keeping them. With that in mind, would you be open to some new ways of thinking? Would you like some ideas for resolutions that make sense? Resolutions that you can take action on and get the results you’re looking for?

The list of new years resolutions that follow offer some ways of thinking that come from a place of focusing on your health rather than weight loss. Weight loss should be thought of as a side effect of becoming more healthy. Focus on making changes to how you eat, how you can improve the functioning of your body and you’ll get the results you’re looking for along with a lifetime of benefits.

Pick from a few of these and write them out on a piece of paper. In fact, for the first 30 days of the new year, write them down repeatedly saying them aloud as you do so. Say them with passion as if your life depended on it. Speak passionately, not loudly. Speak to yourself as if they were the most important and loving commitments you’ve ever made to yourself. This is you talking to yourself each and every day about the most important steps you’ll ever take towards your new self and the new direction you’re taking in your life.

• Resolve to walk for at least 30 minutes every day – and while you’re out moving, focus on taking in deep full breaths. Consider walking to be about oxygenating your blood rather than moving your legs. More often than not, walkers tend to consider the amount of calories burned during the exercise, but I’d rather you focus on the metabolism boosting function of having more oxygen in your body. Fat gets burned in the presence of oxygen, but it also improves your mood and allows your cells to do what they do best, produce energy. Walking is also one of the best ways to move your lymph system, which helps in the elimination of waste material. In essence, walking helps you clean your body from the inside out.
• Resolve to begin exercising your body using body weight exercises such as push ups or body weight squats – challenge yourself to do some of the most basic movements such simply getting into the squat position and lifting your body weight up and down a few times per day. Challenge yourself to do more per day, more per week, or more in a given amount of time. How many squats can you do in 2 minutes? Keep doing squats on a daily basis and repeat the challenge every week to see if you’re getting stronger. Working the leg muscles and making them stronger / more muscular is one of the easiest ways to get leaner and stronger all over your body. Join our body weight challenges for more inspiration.
• Resolve to measure out 4 litres of water (1 gallon) each morning and to consume it at regular intervals throughout the day so that all of it is consumed before bed – Water is your life and it’s not just enough to say “I will drink more water in the new year”. Water plays a role in almost all the functions of our body including digestion, elimination and energy production. It’s generally agreed upon that the correct amount of water to consume, on a daily basis, is half our body weight in ounces. If you weight 200 pounds, you should be drinking at least 100 ounces of water – per day, every day. If you exercise, you should drink more and if you live in a hot climate, even more again. Read this article on 50 ways to drink more water
• Resolve to eat less salt and more potassium – a very little thought about concept is the correlation of sodium to potassium that you have in your body. Our ancestors ate 10:1 potassium to sodium where the average North American today eats 1:4. We eat too little potassium and eat way too much sodium. Eating more potassium and lowering your sodium intake improves your bodies ability to hydrate itself, release retained water, lower blood pressure and cholesterol and generally improve the ability for your body to move nutrition into your cells while removing wastes. Read more about potassium containing foods and the role of potassium in your body. Just eliminating any salt you add to your foods is the best place to start. Then eat more vegetables and dark leafy green vegetables as well and your body will do the rest.
• Resolve to focus on what you want, not what you don’t want – The words you use have power, so focus on the things you want vs the the things you dont want. If you want to quit drinking pop, then focus on drinking more water. If you want to lose weight, focus on getting in daily exercise. If you want to watch less television, then focus on reading more books or going out for a walk in place of the TV.
• Resolve to replace the words “I can’t do that” with “How can I?” – One phrase turns the brain off, while the other turns the brain on. One statement ends the conversation while the other begins searching for solutions to that which you ask. There’s power in simply asking a question

Some people swear by new years resolutions and others hate them. Some experts find them useless because they’re set without any proper though given to the methods to achieve them and my friend James Jordan says “A day is a day and a moment a moment NewYears resolutions are for wankers who cant keep promises to themselves”. I think new years resolutions are a tool to new beginnings – and if you’re serious about them, you’ll write them down and look at them every day, regardless of the time of year. Any day can be your own personal first day of the year, it’s action and follow through that make all the difference.

During weight training you release fatty acids, and cardio immediately after weight training can burn them off as energy before being “recycled” into places you don’t want them to go.

What? Me? Dehydrated?

I make it a point to be very conscious about the amount of water I drink. Water is critical to so very many functions in the human body, and given the amount of training I do, I’m drinking even more water to account for water lost during sweat and other exertion. I’ve always thought that I’ve been very aware of how much I’ve been drinking, but a recent body composition analysis told me that I was dehydrated.

You’ve GOT to be kidding me. I tend to piss people off because I keep talking about water all the time and encouraging them to drink more, and now I’ve found that I’m not drinking enough water.

That got my attention very quickly.

I made some changes to my daily routine and actually began keeping accurate water logs. I also decided to look at some science behind water absorption and how to increase water absorption. I took a three fold approach:

1. Drink more water
2. Measure the amount of water I’m drinking
3. Increase water absorption

Increasing Water Absorption

So what are the right conditions then, and how do we improve them and increase the absorption rate of the water we’re drinking? Great question.

Without getting into a huge amount of detail about it, lets just say that there are a lot of minerals involved in an ideal balanced blood chemistry for human health. Our hunter gather ancestors got on average, 11,000 mg of potassium per day and 700 mg of sodium. That’s a a ratio of almost 16:1. They acheived that by consuming a diet super rich in plants, fruits, nuts and seeds. Compare that to today’s average intakes of 2500mg and 7000mg or a ratio of (nearly) 1:3 potassium to sodium.

So, based on our origins, the natural approach to increasing water absorption is based on our diet and that being, a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds and completely excluding any additional salt.

Step by step, here’s how to increase your water absorption

1. Eliminate all additional salt in your diet – DO NOT add salt to anything.

2. Increase your vegetables, nuts and seed consumption – with an emphasis on dark leafy greens such as Swiss chard, collards, mustard greens, spinach. This will increase potassium in your diet as well as amounts of fiber.

3. Eat Chia Seeds – Chia seeds absorb 12 times their weight in water. In addition to being a fantastic source of fiber and Omega 3’s, Chia absorbs water and carries it into the colon where it can be passed along into the body at a slower rate. Instead of drinking water and hoping some of it is absorbed, eating your water can be a way to slow the process down and allow it a timed release. Much like timed release of vitamins, you can time release your water. Chia seeds are an amazing food and part of my Desert Island Foods.

4. Supplement with Glutamine – Glutamine is one of the most over looked and under used weight loss supplements I’ve ever seen. It’s used by every cell of the body for energy, immune system function and as craving control for both carbohydrates and alcohol. Where water intake is concerned, glutamine improves water uptake into the cells because it depends on sodium for transport. Glutamine is one of the amino acids that controls the volume of water in the cells and osmotic pressure in other tissues.

In layman terms, what that means is that glutamine plays a role in the ability of water to cross from the bloodstream into the cells and vice versa. The side bonus of this is that glutamine also plays a role in the cells ability to release toxins and molecular garbage. Glutamine plays a role in detoxification (in which water plays a highly important part as well).

Added Benefits of This Approach

Water is used in many ways in the body. We retain water if we don’t drink enough and if our sodium potassium ratio is off. If we’re not allowing water into the cell, we’re not allowing wastes out of the cell either and that most certainly is not healthy.

The additional benefits of the four approaches above is that we should release some retained water, allow our body to clean itself, improve our energy levels, improve our mood and become more regular at the same time.

Water is critical to health. By improving the quality of our water as well as our ability to improve the absorption of the water we do drink, we improve how we look and how we feel.

There are 38 ingredients in a McNugget; many of them made from corn. Further down the list there are the mono, diandtriglycerides, and the emulsifiers that keep the fats and the water from separating. More corn flour is used to make the batter, and the hydrogenated oil in which the nuggets are fried can come from soybeans, canola or cottonseed, depending on the market price.

It gets worse: a number of the ingredients come from petroleum products, to keep the items from spoiling or ‘looking strange’ after months in the freezer or on the road. If you are truly worried, look up these ingredients: sodium aluminum phosphate; mono-calcium phosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, and calcium lactate. These are used to keep the animal and vegetable fats from turning rancid. Then there are “anti foaming” agents like dimethylpolysiloxene. According to the Handbook of Food Additives, this material is a suspected carcinogen and an established mutagen, tumorigenic, and reproductive effector. It is also flammable.

The most alarming ingredient in Chicken McNuggets is “tertiary butyl hydroquinone,” or TBHQ, derived from petroleum. This is sprayed directly on the nugget or the inside of the box it comes in to “help preserve freshness.” Again, according to A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives, TBHQ is a form of butane (lighter fluid) the FDA allows processors to use sparingly in our food. It can comprise no more than 0.02 percent of the oil in a nugget. Which is probably just as well, considering that ingesting a single gram of TBHQ can cause “nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, delirium, a sense of suffocation, and collapse.” Ingesting five grams can be fatal.

Do you really want to give your kids Chicken McNuggets?

Source: the Gerson Healing Newsletter – www.gerson.org

Water is the basis of all life, including your muscles, your brain, your lungs, your bones and your lungs. A fully hydrated body has more energy, increases it’s fat burning capabilities, has reduced hunger levels, better digestion and ages at a slower pace so you look younger while you’re feeling younger.

Most people reach for a coffee when they’re feeling low energy, when water would benefit so many other aspects of our health.

As I see it, the problem is twofold – firstly, that we must understand the need for drinking more water on a daily basis and then secondly, find ways to incorporate more water into our lifestyle. It’s often as simple as creating a new habit and sticking to it.

Here are 50 ways to create a new habit and drink more water.

1. Drink water first thing in the morning. Start every day by drinking a litre of water. If you have to sit down and finish the whole thing before you move on – do it.

2. Drink a big glass of water right before bed.

3. Every time you go to the bathroom, drink a glass of water. Replace the fluids you just lost.
Pre-fill enough bottles of water for your daily requirement in ounces. Keep them in various places around your house, office or workspace. Make sure they’re each empty before you go to bed.

4. Drink a glass of water each hour, on the hour while at work.

5. Set a countdown timer on your watch for a regular interval (such as an hour) and drink water every time it goes off.

6. Set a reminder in your electronic calendar to remind you to drink. Set your calendar or electronic organizer to remind you at noon and 3 o’clock. You should have consumed at least 1 litre of water by noon and at least two by 3 o’clock. If not, drink up right then and there.

7. Set “drink water reminders” around your house. If you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, turn over your salt shaker or other often used container. Have it remind you to drink a glass of water. Whenever you see a turned over salt shaker, drink a glass of water. Make it fun and mix it up – use something different every day so it catches you off guard. Set the reminder earlier on in the day before you even go to work.

8. Drink water while waiting in lines. If you know you’re going to be standing in line somewhere, take your water bottle with you and make it a point of drinking the entire bottle before you reach the front of the line.

9. Drink water in your car. Keep a bottle of water in your car and drink it while going TO work and coming home FROM work.

10. Drink more water while doing your skin care program. Drink, cleanse, moisturize, then drink again.

11. Take a glass of water to you when you shower. Drink half before you shower and half after you get out of the shower, but before leaving the bathroom.

12. Drink more water while you’re shaving. Drink half a glass before you shave and half a glass after you shave, but before leaving the shaving area.

Reduce or Remove Dehydrating Beverages

13. Replace coffee with water – coffee may act as a diuretic and place a larger need for water on your body. Eliminate and replace your coffee with water.

14. Replace soda pop with water – At the very least, have a big glass of water before you have the soda. If you’re going to drink something non nutritional as soda, first be pro-active and reach for the water.

15. Drink water before your meals.

16. Drink 2 or 3 ounces of water after your meals – but no more. Where water is required to digest food, too much water can dilute the digestive juices and hamper digestion. Limit your water intake after a meal to a few ounces only.

At the Gym

17. Drink a litre of water on your way TO the gym.

18. Drink a litre of water AT the gym.

19. Drink a litre of water on your way home (or to work) FROM the gym.

20. Drink enough water during your workout that you have to fill up your water bottle at least once.

Flavor Your Water

You can put some things into your water to flavor them while improving your quality of life at the same time. Where coffee and soda pop are acidic to the body, lemon and lime are alkaline forming in the body. By allowing your body to be in an alkaline state more often, you allow your body to absorb vitamins and minerals more effectively while eliminating wastes.

21. Add fresh squeezed lemon juice to your water.

22. Add a slice of lemon to your water.

23. Add cucumber slices to your water.

24. Add Apple Cider Vinegar to your water – Apple Cider Vinegar has been highly regarded throughout history. In 400 B.C. the great Hippocrates, Father of Medicine, used it for its amazing health qualities. Internally, Apple cider vinegar is rich in enzymes and potassium, supports a healthy immune system, helps control weight, promotes digestive and pH balance and can help remove toxins and lower toxicity. Dr Steven Gibb says “everyone in the world should be drinking Apple Cider Vinegar on a daily basis”

25. Add ginger to your water. Steep a little fresh ground ginger root in boiling water and then add it to your water bottles. You might also grate some fresh ginger and then simply put it into your cold water to cold steep.

26. Add salt to your water – however, use only sea salt. Dr Batmanghelidj of “The Water Cure” suggests:

It is very important you balance your sodium intake with your water consumption. Take 1/4 teaspoon of salt per quart of water – every 4-5 glasses of water. Be sure to get sea salt. The best is Celtic sea salt or Himalayan sea salt, both of which are readily available at any health food store.

Treat this flavoring with respect. Most people have too much sodium in their body as they’re getting salt from many many sources throughout the day. If you’re one of the rare individuals who does not add salt to their food, then this tip might be for you.

On the other hand, if you already add salt to any meal at all, then I would not advise adding more salt to your diet.

When heat goes up or your exercise output goes up, so must your water consumption.
If you’re more muscular, you need more water.

Track Your Water Consumption

Before you even begin the process of drinking more water, journal your water consumption for a few days or a week. Then set a goal number for ounces of water per day and continue to track it. Log how often you drink beverages that are NOT water and how much of them you drink.

It’s quite important to track that which you want to improve. Without knowing your starting point, or your progress, how will you know you’re getting results. Just as you track your body composition (body fat vs lean density) to understand your exercise and weight loss results, so should you track your water consumption.

One idea is to tape some plain paper to your favorite water bottle and track how many times you empty it each day. Put enough paper on it to last a week and then use little tick marks for each bottle you drink. Seems easy enough.

User Contributed Water Drinking Tips

Now you may have noticed that there aren’t quite 50 ways to drink more water here just yet. I’d like this to be a user contributed entry. Submit your tip of how you incorporate more water into your day and I’ll add it to the list. What have you found that works for you? What habits have you created around drinking more water?