inerTRAIN Blog
March 15, 2010
When Eating Out Is Not Just a Special Occasion
What are you doing for dinner tonight? If you are not making your favorite dish at home, maybe you are heading to your favorite local restaurant for a special occasion…
Or, maybe you are nowhere near home and will spending the next ten days moving at lightning speed with no time to cook or even think about eating healthy. You just have to get food and keep going.
If you often find yourself in this position, take note of these 7 simple tips for eating out. Try to incorporate them into any dining experience, whether you are on the road or in your neighborhood eatery.
1. Skip the bread or chip starters. Instead, ask if you can have some cut-up raw vegetables. This can cut hundreds of calories from your meal.
2. Always choose your protein entree from the menu first. It should be about the same size and thickness as the palm of your hand. Fish is always a good choice.
3. Always ask the waiter to replace the rice, potatoes, or pasta with vegetables.
4. Order a salad with olive oil and vinegar while you are waiting for dinner.
5. If you like, have a glass of red wine or ice water while everyone else is munching on the rolls or chips. If you need to tame your hunger more, do so with a hot drink like tea or coffee.
6. Split an entrée with your companion or order from the appetizer menu to get a smaller portion size.
7. If you really came to the restaurant to eat dessert, then do not eat any carbs during your meal. Eat just a lean protein, and then split dessert with your dinner companion.
These tips are not meant to discourage dining out whether you are on the road or going out with your family or friends. The purpose is to arm you with the right plan of action. Be proactive. Have a talk with the waiter because these days most restaurants will prepare foods according to your specifications.
Also, remember that you do not have to eat everything that is put in front of you. Enjoy the non-culinary pleasures of eating out, like the atmosphere, relaxation, being catered to, and socializing with your friends… it’s not just about the food.
In Health,
Doug
March 5, 2010
6 Fundamental Fitness Titles
This week I want to share with you some recommended reading for everyone: easy-to-read books which I consider essential for anyone interested in learning about the foundations of fitness and leading a healthy lifestyle. They are in no particular order.
 The Primal BlueprintBy: Mark Sisson
I like this book for several reasons; it dispels a lot of myths both with regards to exercise and eating. It also gives you a new way to think when it comes to your daily routine. Mark has an excellent website with loads of information (http://www.marksdailyapple.com).
 The Liberation DietBy: Kevin Brown & Annette Presley
This is another book that will change the way you look at modern diets. It is a simple read with a great message about the consequences of our typical approach to losing weight and getting healthy.
 Natural Health & Weight LossBy: Barry Groves
This book appealed to me because of the easy-to-understand language of what really constitutes a healthy diet. It contains a lot of great information on how to lose weight without counting calories as well as how to avoid diabetes, heart disease, and lead a long healthy life.
 Cereal KillerBy: Alan Watson
The author sheds new light on how government delusion, slippery science, and just greedy companies are making our children sick and obese. After reading this book you will understand why diabetes is soaring and obesity is an epidemic.
 Stretch BookBy: Jim and Phil Wharton
If you are looking for a way to feel better, recover from your workouts, and reduce stress, then this book is for you. It contains a great catalog of simple stretching routines.
 Real Food: What to Eat and WhyBy: Nina Planck
This is a good first-hand look at someone who grew up on real food, switched to vegetarianism, and ultimately switched back to real food. It also highlights the author’s role in the development of farmers’ markets in London, presented in a novel-like, easy-to-read fashion.
In Health,
Doug
February 24, 2010
5 Quick & Simple Fat Loss Tips
 Losing body fat requires discipline, motivation, and most of all, patience. Understanding how the process works is half the battle.
Fat cells are all over your body and everyone is prone to gains in different areas. Women usually begin their gains in the hips and thighs, and for men it is usually around the navel area and the sides of the waist (commonly referred to as the “love handles”). The last place to gain fat is usually in the face, chin, and the hands and feet.
You will lose body fat in the reverse order in which you gain it, meaning the first place you gain it is going to be the last place you lose it. Spot reduction is a myth, and no matter what kind of exercises you are doing, you will still lose fat in this order.
Here are 5 simple things you can do at different points throughout your day to help promote and accelerate fat loss and prevent fat gain:
1. Before breakfast, drink 1 cup (8oz.) of warm water with the juice of half a lemon to assist your kidneys and liver. This benefits bile formation, which is essential for optimal fat metabolism.
2. Before lunch, eat a small apple. It is one of the best appetite suppressants and eating one before your meal will really help curb your hunger (and you get the added benefit of a little fiber). Alternatively, you can try eating a handful of baby carrots. The chewing action will help knock out your hunger.
3. Hard-boiled eggs make a convenient afternoon snack. Have one or two eggs a day. Be sure to peel them while they are still warm and put them in a zip lock bag with a little salt if you like. Eggs are the highest dietary source of several amino acids which are needed by the liver to regulate bile production. Be sure to purchase the omega-3-enriched eggs, which taste better and have many antioxidants (lutein and zeaxanthin) for the eyes and brain.
4. Before dinner, go nuts! About twenty minutes before, eat ½ ounce of pecans, walnuts, or almonds with 8oz. of water. It will help fill you up so you will not need to eat as much during your meal to feel satisfied.
5. All day, drink more ICE COLD water. Water is the best fat burner; it helps empty stubborn fat stores because your liver is more efficient at utilizing stored body fat when your body is well hydrated. The reason you want to drink ICE COLD water is its calorie burning benefits. One gallon of ice cold water requires 125 calories to warm it up to body temperature which equals a one pound fat loss per month.
Try these quick fat deterrent tips and you will not only stop fat from accumulating but also shed fat that is already on your body!
In Health,
February 13, 2010
The inerTRAIN Feel Alive Five
As the cold weather continues throughout most of the U.S., it can make it harder to get out and do your training, so I thought I would provide you with 5 simple exercises that require little or no equipment, and you can do them right in your own home.
Getting started is the hardest part, but just go slowly. As your body warms up it will become easier, and once you get going it will actually be hard to stop! Begin with just a few repetitions and one or two sets. Then build up to 25 repetitions for 3 to 5 sets.
1. Supermans – This exercise helps strengthen the whole back side of your body, from the back of your knees to your elbows.
Start on your hands and knees. Alternate extending one arm and opposite leg out until they are straight. Hold for 30 seconds and switch sides. While holding, concentrate on lengthening your body by reaching forward with your arm and extending your leg straight back. Repeat 2 to 3 times per side.
2. Bike Abs – This is one of the most effective exercises for working all of the important core muscles on the front of the body. They will get your attention quickly.
Lay on your back with hands behind your head. Bring right shoulder and elbow up and twist as you simultaneously pull the left knee into chest. Don’t pull on your neck as you alternate twisting back and forth. To make them more demanding, extend your leg out further and further each time. Try to do between 25-50 reps.
3. Body Weight Squats – These will build strength and endurance throughout your entire lower body. You will see a big difference in your legs, and when you do higher repetitions you will also notice they help build lung power.
Start with a shoulder width or slightly wider stance, with the toes pointed out slightly. As you start to squat down keep your weight on your heels, back straight and look up slightly. Push the hips back as if you were going to sit down in a chair. Keep your knees wide and remember to stay back on your heels. Squat down slowly at first, going a little lower each time until your thighs are at least parallel to the floor. Try to do between 25-300 reps. Just build up slowly.
4. “Sun Salutation” Push-Ups – This exercise will strengthen and tone the upper body along with building endurance and increasing the flexibility of the spine, hips, and shoulders. (It is a variation of a push up extracted from the yoga pose known as “sun salutation”.)
Start with your hands on the floor, shoulder width apart. Your feet should be on the floor with your legs shoulder-width or wider apart, depending on your flexibility. The starting position is butt in the air, head looking back to your heels, with your body making an inverted “V” shape. Start off doing the straight arm version. Push off the legs, keeping the arms straight, and drop your hips towards the ground and look toward the ceiling. Then push back to the starting position.
Keep practicing the straight-arm version until you can do 25 repetitions; then start working on bending the arms more and more as you come down. If this feels too awkward, move your hands further away from your feet. Your goal is to work up to doing 25 reps while bending the arms on the downward phase.
5. Back Bend Over Ball – This is probably the single best exercise/stretch you can do for your body. When most people first begin to work on doing the back bends they experience a number of problems. Not only are you upside down and going backwards, but you cannot see what you are doing. Everyone who starts doing this exercise will notice how stiff they are in their lower and upper back, along with the shoulder area. This will quickly improve as long as you don’t give up! These benefits are hard to imagine when you are struggling trying to hold for longer times so make sure, at first, you stay within your comfort zone and build up slowly.
Start with your back lying on the top of the ball and reach your hands and feet out in a wider stance on the ground to balance. Let your body relax and completely loosen. Rock back and forth gently stretching, and do this a little more each time. While you are stretching concentrate on your breathing. Practice deep slow breaths. Inhale deeply through the nose, hold the breath for a count, then exhale, and hold for a count.
Focus on stretching the abs and arching your middle and upper back. Think about making yourself longer. Build up to holding the stretch for 3 minutes.
Once you are feeling confident with your back bends you can start letting more and more air out of the ball each time you do this stretch. This will force you to start taking more weight through your hands and feet. Eventually you want to get to the point where you are not using the ball at all – just holding on your forehead and hands and feet. Doing this on a regular basis will really build up a good strong flexible spine – the most important area of your body!
These 5 exercises provide a great, simple winter workout that you can do anytime, anywhere to get you warmed up and moving regardless of the weather, where you are, or time constraints.
In Health,
Doug
February 5, 2010
Finding your “why”
 Imagine that someone has just asked to film you for a movie role… and you would need to be wearing a bathing suit. Would you be ready?
What if you had three months to prepare? Then would you be ready?
Most people would not be ready for the shoot on the day they are asked. However, given some time to prepare, more people would definitely find themselves set to do it.
In order to accomplish something, it helps to have a reason and a deadline. When it comes to fitness, one of the most common reasons for people to get in shape is quickly approaching – Spring Break. Everyone wants to look good on their warm weather trips, and during the winter months, especially over the holidays, it’s so easy to let your fitness routine and good eating habits go.
First off, to get on the right track, project yourself into the future and visualize how you want to look for that Spring Break trip you will be taking. Be reasonable.
For example, if you have six weeks until you step onto the beach, do not visualize yourself losing 100 pounds. Not only is that not likely to happen, it would actually be a very unhealthy change in that short period of time. Something that large takes a lot of time and is a slow process if you are doing it right. If that is your long-term objective, put the bigger goal further down the road and pick an achievable, realistic intermediate goal, like losing a few pounds or toning, for the shorter term.
Once you have decided on your action plan, start working toward it. Do something every day that will bring you closer to your goal, even if it seems small. Some examples might be starting an exercise routine, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, making sure to eat a healthy breakfast every day, cutting back on your desserts, drinking an extra glass of water, or meeting with a personal trainer. Each of the little things will build on one another and will cumulatively result in achieving your short and long term goals.
Visualize yourself in the shape that you want to be in, begin making small changes, and you will be ready for that beach movie role, wedding, spring break, or anything else! Your ideal body will be reflective of your lifestyle and you will notice that the effort you put forth will become easier and easier.
In Health,
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