I don’t know about you, but I’m getting tired of hearing every day about how bad our economy is. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to complain. I think if you’re listening to the news on a daily basis (which maybe you shouldn’t be), you hear enough complaining and negativity.

What I do think is that all of this is actually a great metaphor for your commitment to your health, fitness, and weight loss goals.

How could that possibly be?

Well, let me explain…

I hear complaints almost every day from both clients and society at large about how hard it is for them to eat right, exercise more, and stick to an exercise and nutrition plan that will get them results. It never seems to happen fast enough for people. And do you know why? Because they’re focused on the wrong things.

I’m sure you can relate to this to some degree. After all, most of us in some way or another usually feeling like we could do a little better when it comes to our pursuit of peak health. For example, right now I know I personally would benefit from a little more sleep, a little more water, and a little less snacking on pretzels at night. Yes, those are small changes, but I’m not perfect either.

The point is, that we should always be working on self-improvement. It makes us better as individuals, and then in turn contributes to society’s well-being too. The bigger point though is this…

Change takes time, especially when it comes to turning the economy and your health around. Even though we hear every day that the current economic problems in the world are not going to subside quickly, there is still a strong tendency for all of us to place too much emphasis on small changes that are either good or bad.

The same holds true for your pursuit of your health and fitness goals. I can’t tell you how many conversations I have with people week to week that are focused around their obession with that little number on the scale, or body fat machine, or tape measure. Yes, this is a good thing to an extent. Because just as in running my business, when it comes to your health, you need to watch the numbers. But there is one very important thing you must remember at all times…

You are NOT your numbers!

The only way to achieve true and lasting change, and ultimately your goals, health and fitness or otherwise, is through a constant and steady improvement in all aspects of your life, your personality, your habits, and your exercise and nutrition program.

So, let’s turn the current economic state into a positive right now shall we? Every time, you hear bad things about the economy, simply take a moment and connect with the fact that we all know that it’s going to take some time to turn around. Use that knowledge and awareness to your advantage in the following two ways:

First, don’t react to every bit of bad news that comes your way. And if you need to, turn off the news in your life from time to time. Spend some alone time with your thoughts.

Secondly, use those moments to remind yourself that your pursuit of peak health, and your fitness and weight loss goals will happen faster when you are less attached to the day to day results, and more focused on your vision and pursuit of long term and postive change.

Yours in health,

Clint Barr
Raising The Barr, Inc.
www.bestjacksonpersonaltrainer.com

Americans have grown fatter and sicker than ever. People don’t move, they eat poorly, and in many ways seem unwilling to do much about it. And as the crisis worsens, we seem to grow ever more confused about how we got here, and ever more polarized about setting things right.

There is a quote from one of the experts in the movie, “Supersize Me” where the scientist makes the point that back in the 1800s, people wished for a constant supply of food that was easy to access and plentiful. Well, be careful what you wish for the old expression goes… Because we have that endless supply now, and our culture doesn’t look so good.

Not only have we become as unhealthy as ever, but the confusion that’s now present about what to do about it seems to feed people’s denial about needing to take some action. When people are confused about what to do, action stops. People are also busier than ever, so it becomes easier to eat lots of packaged and processed food, sit behind the desk, and complain about our growing waistlines.

Let me give you an example of how far out of shape the confusion has become…

I’ve had more than one client tell me that they are actually afraid of potatoes. This is mostly a result of their understanding that too many simple carbs are bad for them, which is true.  And there are lower glycemic choices, but here are the facts about potatoes (a whole food)…

They’re a better choice than anything you’ll get in a package (bag or box), and if you eat it with the skin, the round little thing contains as much fiber as oatmeal.  It only packs 150 calories (if it’s not one of those giant ones and you don’t load it with butter, sour cream, and cheese).  It also contains plenty of vitamins and minerals. If you had a complex carb like broccoli on top, you’re doing even better, because the complex carb on top slows down the digestive process even more, adds more nutrients and helps you get closer to your greens goal for the day.

There are literally countless ways to balance the equation in your favor. The energy balance equation that is. If you burn more than you take in on a regular basis, you’re going to lose weight, increase your energy level, and live a better healthier life. It really is that simple, until you attempt to wade through all of the evidence and recommendations.

For now, I’ll leave you with just a few simple suggestions for more healthful eating. If you’re a current client, you’ve heard this stuff before, but I know it’s worth repeating. If you’re not a client yet, I encourage you to click on the Free Consult link to the left so that we can discuss how we can apply these strategies to your individual needs and get you living a better healthier life starting now!

Here are the strategies:

1. Stop eating Junk! Including those big giant pretzels with cheese I see people eating at the concession stands and pretty much everything else you might find there. It’s all junk! By giving up junk for whole foods, you can shed hundreds of calories per day. OK good, you’re already heading in the right direction.

2. Eat vegetables in abundance. There isn’t a diet guru on earth who disagrees with this. You just don’t hear it often enough because the advertising budgets for big food companies are in the billions while the “5 A Day for Better Health” campaign put out a few years back for example only had a million or so. Only about 1 in 4 adults eats their vegetables. I guess it starts as a kid and never improves. That’s a shame.

3. Drink a lot of water. Often when you feel hungry, you’re actually just thirsty. Water of course has no calories so simply making sure to stay hydrated will help you shed some extra calories for the day.

4. Prevent the excess.  Portion sizes are critical to taking control of your health.

5. Eat a great, well balanced breakfast every day.

Yes, of course there are more strategies, but if you simply stuck to these you would be doing better than most of the rest of the population, especially if you pushed that chair back from behind your desk, stood up, put your coat on and went for a walk once a day!

Yours in health,

Clint Barr
Raising The Barr, Inc.
www.bestjacksonpersonaltrainer.com

Hello Everyone,

This week has been a tough week for me in regards to my own nutrition.  Wait… I know what you are thinking… you’re a personal trainer and you always eat right and exercise everyday.  But less you forget, I am still human.

Any way, I guess you could say I have been lazy with preparing meals and planning ahead.  Sometimes I just get tired of trying…  sound familiar?  I found myself lacking fresh foods over the last couple of days and my energy has been sluggish to say the least.

One of the main things I noticed is that I was consuming foods that were processed, had saturated fats, and contained simple sugars.  All of which are metabolism killers!

That small blip in my eating habits has reinforced my commitment to getting back to the healthy eating I am used to.  I wanted to share that struggle with you, and share the 3 foods that literally promote fat storage and turn off your fat burning capabilities.

1) Simple Sugars - things like cookies, candy, soda, fruit juice, cakes, and table sugar are metabolism nightmares!  They cause your body to secrete the hormone insulin which is a storage hormone and effectively throws the water on the coals of your fat burning furnace.  Your body simply refuses to burn fat when insulin is present in the blood stream.

2) Processed and Refined Carbohydrates – white rice and pasta, pre-packaged foods, granola bars, basically anything in a bag or a box.  Processed foods and refined carbohydrates are absorbed by the body very quickly and therefore easily converted to fat.  You should be getting your carbohydrates from fresh, organic (if possible) vegetables and whole grains.  These foods take longer to digest, thus require more energy to be broken down by the body which gives you a significant boost to your metabolism.

3) Saturated Fats – These are easy to identify.  Saturated fats are solid at room temperature, like the marbles of fat in a sirloin for example.  Things like fast food, salad dressing, dairy and other animal fats are very high in saturated fats.  Not only does this type of fat cause a health concern for your cardiovascular system, but they also slow down your metabolism and train the body to store fat rather than burn it.  You can kiss that new body you have been working so hard to get good-bye if you consume these types of foods.  Go for more healthy sources of essential fats in the form of nuts, fish oils, and flax seed oil.

As you can see, if I allowed myself to fall to far off the wagon this week I would have a daunting up hill climb to overcome just to get back to where I was.  Luckily I snapped out of it soon enough and so can you.  Just make a commitment to start eating healthier, fresh foods and stay away from the snacks in a bag and the meals in a box.

You will definitely feel better, I know I do.
Yours in health,

Clint Barr
Raising The Barr, Inc.
www.bestjacksonpersonaltrainer.com