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Posts Tagged ‘fat loss’

Uncle Sam Wants You to Lose 20 Pounds

September 23rd, 2009

It's Family Fun Fitness Time!!!

Obesity costs America billions and billions of dollars each and every year.

And, in case you hadn’t heard it, America is having a little trouble balancing it’s books lately.

So, in an effort to trim the fat and earn some tax dollars, America is going to war against obesity.

And, damn it, this is a war that America is determined to win.

And here’s how they’re going to do it…..starting from the top and working our way down to your local city government.

President Obama

The President has said that he is in favor of of a sin tax on soda.

As well, he and the family have become unofficial spokespeople for both the local and organic food movements.

The Federal Government

Obesity will likely be addressed in the new healthcare bill, but to what extent is anybody’s guess at this point.

The CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity provides all sorts of information to help you lose weight and get in shape.

In addition to the info, they also fund 25 states to help them combat obesity on a state level.

State Governments

At the state level, the story is very similar.

Lots of info on a gov’t anti-obesity website.
Grants given to fat fighting municipalities.
Sin taxes are also being discussed
But unlike the feds, state governments are enacting anti-obesity bylaws.

(see Soda Tax, Restaurant Menu Bylaw)

Municipal Governments

On a municipal level, we get programs like Activate Omaha’s Kids

Programs designed by kind and caring people.

Programs with lots of information about how to lose weight and lists of the resources available in the community to help you actually do it.

As well, to some degree, you see municipal governments working with taxes and grants in an attempt to influence behavior.

On a personal note, up here in socialist Canada, our governments look after our each and every need (sarcasm).

Here’s what Toronto’s government is doing about making Toronto into Canada’s Fittest City.

Note - if you were actually expecting anything other than announcements and promises, I am sorry to disappoint you. Our government is just as ineffective as your government.

My Conclusion

It’s all a bunch of crap.

Every overweight person alive knows that in order to lose weight, they need to stop doing what they are currently doing and start doing what their physically fit neighbors are doing.

Being overweight doesn’t make you stupid.

All of the money and effort being spent on information programs and taxes and websites is a complete waste unless….it is acted upon.

And that is the problem that no one is addressing.

How do we get people to actually get up off their butts and get their move on?

We need to realize that reducing obesity is in the best interest of everyone, not just the people that need to lose weight. Lowered taxes, higher productivity, etc…
We need to realize that overweight people really, really, really want to lose weight. For a bunch of reasons, they are just not very good at it.
Calling them lazy isn’t going to help. It’s just going to make them sad and the next thing you know, they are drowning their sorrows in a pint of Chunky Monkey.
We need to reduce the barriers to exercise and healthy food. Make healthy food cheaper via the redistribution of government food subsidies. Offer free community fitness classes…that’s right, I said free. Make lots of those classes available at peak hours. Offer free transit to and from the classes.
Keep providing helpful weight loss info on those flashy gov’t websites…or just send them over to HealthHabits. your choice.
We need to make healthy eating and exercise cool. Here’s where the gov’t can spend some money trying to brainwash us ala Canada’s 1970s Participaction ads [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdFxYe6vmq0]
We need to pay for results via tax incentives

If anyone has any other suggestions or knows of any interesting grassroots campaigns or just thinks that I am full of it, please leave a comment.

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Just in case America isn't fat enough…

September 21st, 2009

As the debate over President Obama’s healthcare proposal rages on, Taco Bell continues to give Americans exactly what they crave….melty, crunchy, spicy and heart attack inducing.

I especially love the tagline at the end…

Of course, I would change it just a little bit.

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THE OBESITY TIME BOMB

I don’t know what this says about me, but as soon as I saw that headline, this picture popped into my head.

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The Official "Make Ryan Reynolds your Beeyotch" Workout

September 14th, 2009

A few months ago, I created a Squidoo Lens about Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool Workout.

The lens was essentially an introduction to the workouts that Reynolds had to endure in order to transform his naturally thin (aka scrawny) frame into a muscular, ripped physique worthy of superhero status.

Since then, I have received a ton of emails from guys eager to build their own Deadpool bodies.

The only problem was that I was underwhelmed by the original workout.

It was good, but it wasn’t great.

Sure, it would help you look like a superhero, but it wouldn’t help you perform like a superhero.

So, I re-invented the Deadpool workout and spent the summer beta testing it on some willing victims up here in Toronto.

And, if I say so myself, I have come up with a seriously kick-ass training program.

Over 3 months, my 4 scrawny test subjects:

Gained between 5 and 14 lbs of muscle
Increased their max strength between 55 & 197% (Front Squat)
Saw their speed, power & anaerobic endurance go through the roof (Hill Sprints)

And, oh yeah, they also lost a ton of baby-fat in the process.
The average body-fat percentage at the beginning of the test was 21%.
At the end of the 3 months, the average body-fat was down to 9% (a Bod-Pod was used to measure BF%)

In short, by the end of the summer, my little guinea pigs didn’t just look like superheroes.

They were superheroes.

So, without any further ado, I would like to present…

The Official “Make Ryan Reynolds your Beeyotch” Workout

(Because this workout is too detailed for one post, I am going to break it into chunks – today’s chunk will outline the theory behind my madness)

Like the original workout, my MRRYB workout had two distinct phases.

Phase 1 – Muscle Building

The key to the success of this phase was the focus on the nervous system and the development of fast twitch muscle fibers.

Using a combination of high speed movements and plyometric style loading, my GPs forced their fast twitch muscle fibers to engage during part 1 of their 2-part supersets.

(Here’s how I activated their fast-twitch muscle fibers)

Once I had the fast twitch fibers turned on, I moved them immediately to part-2 of the superset.

In part 2, the GPs were able to handle loads much heavier than normal because of the activation of their hard to activate fast twitch fibers.

Taking advantage of this situation, part 2 of the superset consisted of explosive concentric movements combined with slow eccentric movements. The GPs were not allowed to pause at either the top or bottom of the lift.

And yet, due to the activation of the fast twitch fibers, the GPs were able to lift more than ever before, add more muscle than ever before and yet experience only moderate muscle soreness.

Depending upon the exercise, the muscle group and the techniques used, reps for each part of the superset ranged from 3 to 8 reps.

Phase 2 – Getting Ripped

Phase 2 is all about melting the baby-fat off of the newly built muscle.

To do that, I introduced the GPs to some particularly nasty HIIT and HIRT workouts.

And while I expected fairly rapid fat loss, I did not expect what happened.

For some reason, in the first week, each of the GPs lost over 6 lbs of fat.

And this is after almost 2 months of very intense training and a strict diet. They had already lost fat during phase 1.

I can only speculate on the reason behind the very rapid fat loss, but to be honest, I don’t care. I am more than happy to leave the science to the scientists. All I know is that this workout hit one out of the park.

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In the next installment of this series, I will get into the nuts and bolts of the workout.

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Did You Play Today?

September 11th, 2009

The U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services and the Ad Council today launched a new series of PSAs designed to address childhood obesity. Featuring characters from the upcoming film Where the Wild Things Are, the PSAs are an extension of HHS’ Childhood Overweight and Obesity Prevention campaign with the Ad Council, which encourages children and families to lead healthy lifestyles.

These PSAs cost millions of dollars.

But do they work?

Will this PSA get your kid to put down the Wii controller and go outside and play?

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Here Come the Soda Tax

September 9th, 2009

Last month, I predicted that America will soon be paying 5 bucks for a can of Coke.

And it looks like that prediction may be coming true.

In an interview with Men’s Health magazine, President Obama was asked “would he consider so-called sin taxes, on soda and other sugar-laden products, or on activities that sabotage the health of the masses?

His response:

“I actually think it’s an idea that we should be exploring,” the president says. “There’s no doubt that our kids drink way too much soda. And every study that’s been done about obesity shows that there is as high a correlation between increased soda consumption and obesity as just about anything else. Obviously it’s not the only factor, but it is a major factor.”

But even the most powerful man on the planet needs to keep an eye on what’s politically feasible:

“Obviously there is resistance on Capitol Hill to those kinds of sin taxes,” he says. “Legislators from certain states that produce sugar or corn syrup are sensitive to anything that might reduce demand for those products. And look, people’s attitude is that they don’t necessarily want Big Brother telling them what to eat or drink, and I understand that.

It is true, though, that if you wanted to make a big impact on people’s health in this country, reducing things like soda consumption would be helpful.”

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Somehow, I don’t think that this is the type of change that the people at Jones Cola had in mind when they came up with their Orange “You Glad For Change” Cola to commemorate the inauguration of President Obama.

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The Lazy Man's Guide to Getting Ripped

September 8th, 2009

A few weeks ago, I was talking to a potential client. He told me that he would love to get fit, but he just doesn’t have the time.

He’s just too busy with work, kids, internet porn, etc…

B.S.

He’s not busy…he’s lazy.

And he’s not alone.

According to the WHO, there are 3.6 billion lazy guys sitting on couches all around the world.

And the trainer who can help those lazy buggers transform their lazy asses from….

…is going to be rich.

Filthy…Stinking…Rich

So, here we go. The lazy man’s guide to getting ripped….or as I like to call it – My ticket to becoming filthy, stinking rich.

(BTW, this story is based on a real client. We have been training for one week. He has already lost 5 lbs.)

DIET

Meal # 1 – Breakfast

1 Tbsp of Fish Oil
3 medium sized Apple or Pears
3 fried or hard boiled Eggs
Water or Tea
5 grams of Leucine

Meal # 2 – Morning Coffee Break

My client works in an office. Each morning, he has a mandatory group meeting. Coffee & pastries are served.

1 Coffee (with cream)
15 Almonds (brought to work in a little Ziploc baggie)
Water

Meal # 3 – Lunch

Big Salad – consisting of

Salad Greens (pre-washed, pre-chopped)
1 can of tuna or salmon, or 3 more hard boiled eggs, or leftover meat from last night’s dinner
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice or Vinegar
Salt & Pepper
5 grams of Leucine
Water

Before our hero goes to bed at night, he rips open the bag of greens and dumps it into the tupperware container. Same goes for the protein. In the morning he pours in the oil, lemon juice & salt and pepper. Come lunch time, he shakes the container and presto he has his Big Salad

Meal # 4 – Afternoon Snack

1 Coffee (with cream)
15 Almonds (brought to work in a little Ziploc baggie)
Water

Meal # 5 – Workout Nutrition

1 serving of Biotest’s Surge Workout Fuel, combined with
5g of Creatine, and
1 serving of Progressive Nutritionals VegeGreens
1.5 liters of water

Meal # 6 – Dinner

Another Big Salad or steamed vegetables prepared with a microwave steaming bag
BBQ – steak or chicken or fish or pork or lamb or….
5 grams of Leucine
1 Tbsp of Fish Oil
Water

TRAINING

I have designed a training program specific to his needs, injuries, muscle imbalances, etc…

But the basic design of the program is:

3x per week total body HIRT workouts
2x per week HIIT/Cardio workouts on his stationary bike
1 x per week active rest – long walks with his wife, soccer with the kids, etc…
Dynamic stretching at each workout designed to correct imbalances & prevent injuries

THE RESULTS

As I mentioned above, the client has lost 5 lbs in the first week.

And while that certainly is good news, what really excites me is the fact that he has been perfect on his meal compliance.

He said that it was easy…EASY!!!

But, that was the first week. Let’s see how he does this week. I will report back on Sunday.

BTW, if anyone needs some help setting up a plan like this one, I would be glad to help.

[contact-form]

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Your Omega 3 Prescription

September 4th, 2009

By this point, you should already know that you need more Omega 3 fatty acids into your diet.

The question is: how much?

A teaspoon of fish oils?
A tablespoon?
3 pills?
or a great big slab of smoked salmon?

Well, according to this study, researchers believe that “a 200 mg dose of DHA per day is enough to affect biochemical markers that reliably predict cardiovascular problems, such as those related to aging, atherosclerosis, and diabetes”.

This study is the first to identify how much DHA is necessary to promote optimal heart health.

The Study

To determine the optimal dose of DHA, the researchers examined the effects of increasing doses of DHA on 12 healthy male volunteers between ages of 53 and 65. These men consumed doses of DHA at 200, 400, 800, and 1600 mg per day for two weeks for each dose amount, with DHA being the only omega-3 fatty acid in their diet. (No EPA)

Blood and urine samples were collected before and after each dose and at eight weeks after DHA supplementation stopped. The researchers then examined these samples for biochemical markers indicating the effects of each dose on the volunteers.

They found that supplementation with only 200 mg/d DHA for 2 wk induced an antioxidanteffect.

They concluded that “low consumption of DHA could bean effective and nonpharmacological way to protect healthy menfrom platelet-related cardiovascular events”.

Conclusion

If this study is correct, you need only 200 mg of DHA per day to reap the cardiovascular benefits of the Omega 3 fatty acid DHA.

And how do you get 200 mg of DHA?

1/2 tsp of fish oil
2 of these kiddie chewable DHA supplements
5 Krill capsules
2 oz of fresh/frozen salmon or tuna

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The "I don't have time to workout" Workout

September 3rd, 2009

No more excuses.

You do have time to exercise.

workout

If you only have 5 minutes to spare, do 1 of these workouts.

10 minutes = 2 workouts

15 minutes = 3 workouts….

…You don’t even have to go to the gym.

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The Rules

Each workout lasts 5 minutes (the set/rep combinations are suggestions based upon my experience with clients)
If you get to 5 minutes before you get to the end of the workout…STOP. 5 minutes max means 5 minutes max.
Each workout involves 2 or 3 different exercises
Perform 1 set of exercise A, then move on to exercise B
No rest between sets – the workouts are designed to be performed with no rest
If your form gets sloppy…slow down. Catch your breath. Good form is more important that getting one extra rep. Injuries suck.

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5 Minute Workout # 1

1. Air Squats - bodyweight only – 5 sets of 30 reps

2. Hindu Pushups – 5 sets of 15 reps

Try and complete all 10 sets in 5 minutes

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5 Minute Workout #2

1. Dragon Flag – 5 sets of 5-10 reps or 5 minutes (whichever comes first)

2. Shuffle or Scissor Lunges – 5 sets of 40-60 reps (20-30 per leg) or 5 minutes (whichever comes first)

Try and complete all 10 sets in 5 minutes

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5 Minute Workout #3

1. Spiderman Lunge – 5 sets of 12 reps (6 reps per side) or 5 minutes (whichever comes first)

2. Hip Thrust/Bridge – 5 sets of 40-60 reps (20-30 per leg) or 5 minutes (whichever comes first)

Try and complete all 10 sets in 5 minutes

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5 Minute Workout #4

1. Swing Snatch – 5 sets of 10 reps (5 reps per arm) or 5 minutes (whichever comes first)

2. 1 Arm Dumbbell Press – 5 sets of 10 reps (5 reps per side) or 5 minutes (whichever comes first)

3. Siff Lunge – 5 sets of 10 reps (5 reps per side) or 5 minutes (whichever comes first)

Try and complete all 15 sets in 5 minutes

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5 Minute Workout #5…my personal favorite

1. Jumping Bulgarian Squat – 5 sets of 20 reps (10 reps per leg) or 5 minutes (whichever comes first)

2. Band Woodchops – 5 sets of 20 reps (10 reps per side) or 5 minutes (whichever comes first)

3. 1 Leg Stiff Leg Deadlift – 5 sets of 10 reps (5 reps per side) or 5 minutes (whichever comes first)

Try and complete all 15 sets in 5 minutes

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Bonus Workout…if you have a partner

5 minutes of this…

BTW, Marv is another personal trainer from Toronto

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Spice Month Round Up

August 29th, 2009

For those of you who are regular followers of the site, now you will no doubt be experts in using spices from that infamous spice rack in your kitchen. For the entire month of August I gave you guys recipes containing the most popular spices requested. What I’ve decided to do today is give a run down of what we made as well as highlight some other recipes that I’ve used containing your requests. Now it’s time to tuck into that rack (that didn’t sound so good, did it?) and get cookin’!

We kicked off the proceedings with one of my faves….
Allspice. I did a Jerk seasoned trio of recipes with this bad boy just so everyone could try it out with no excuses! Tell me, who made the jerk sauce? I also busted out a Banana Buckwheat Muffin recipe using allspice for all my baking buddies. Now, these were the business even though I’m not renowned as a ‘Pat the Baker’.
Other GM (Gavan Murphy) allspice recipes:
Healthy fresh baked apple tart
Homemade ketchup
Lamb Burgers

Next up was a bit of a surprise but Dried Thyme got the nod here. I had had a request for a healthy chowder recipe so being all about giving, as I am (by my own admission) that’s what I did. This is my no dairy/no butter version which turned out really well. I must prefer to use fresh thyme over dried since nearly all of my recipes call for fresh. Not to worry, remember our conversion? (If not, click chowder link to refresh your memory).

The one spice I thought would come in first place (I guess isn’t as hard for people) was Turmeric. By the way, is there a reason why we pronounce it TOO-Mer-ic? I really enjoyed working with it and figured since turmeric is a Middle Eastern spice, making an Indian dish was the best way to go. I made a Spiced Bindi (Okra) (Above) dish as well as Turmeric roasted mini potatoes with Arugula (or Rocket known across the pond–that one’s for you Eske). Because I was into using this so much I popped out a third recipe, Moroccan Quinoa Salad. This is gooood and a great healthy grain to boot. Still looking for help on my sad little Tikka Salmon, though…any takers?

Continue reading the full recipe and don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the NEW Healthy Irishman Newsletter!

Fueling your body with healthy food. Fueling your mind with the wealth of health.

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Posted in Diet/Nutrition, Recipe, fitness, health, healthy recipes, nutrition, obesity, weight loss

Tags: curcumin diet Diet/Nutrition fat fat loss fitness food Gavan Murphy health healthy cooking healthy food healthy recipe Indian food inflammation Irish Irish chef los angeles low-fat cooking Moroccan food nutrition nutritional nutritious obese obesity protein Spice month The healthy Irishman turmeric weight loss

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Health Habits

Posts Tagged ‘fat loss’

Uncle Sam Wants You to Lose 20 Pounds

Related Posts

Just in case America isn't fat enough…

Related Posts

Obesity Time Bomb

THE OBESITY TIME BOMB

Related Posts

The Official "Make Ryan Reynolds your Beeyotch" Workout

The Official “Make Ryan Reynolds your Beeyotch” Workout

Phase 1 – Muscle Building

Phase 2 – Getting Ripped

Related Posts

Did You Play Today?

Related Posts

Here Come the Soda Tax

Related Posts

The Lazy Man's Guide to Getting Ripped

DIET

TRAINING

THE RESULTS

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Related Posts

Your Omega 3 Prescription

Related Posts

The "I don't have time to workout" Workout

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Related Posts

Spice Month Round Up