So, the popular question lately goes a little something like this, "Nick, what do you do to stay fit? What do you eat? What exercises do you do?" I usually reply with the very basics because even if I told you what I really do most of you wouldn't put it to use. You COULD, but you won't because it took hard work to get to this point and that is what it will take for you as well.
Nonetheless, I am going to give you the secret. Not the secrets of how I got to this point, but the actual plan I am currently following because that is what You want to know. Without further adue...
1. I try to go to bed at the same time every night so I can get enough sleep and wake at the same time every day between 2 and 3 am. This allows me to get my school work done before my pre-workout workout. I drink a bottle of water during this time.
2. At around 3:30 (sometimes 4 am) I stretch and go for my morning run or practice hand to hand combat / self defense.
3. At around 4:45 - 5:00 I do P90X (Except right now because I am training for a race)
4. At 6:00 I eat my first meal, a banana smoothie with kale (it actually pours 3 1/4 full glasses of smoothie) and take my vitamins (fish oil, vit C, magnesium, cod liver oil, and Vit B-12)
5. I leave for work around 7 and pick up fresh organic fruit from the grocery store. (Usually red pears)
6. I take a bottle of water with me to work and continually drink it throughout the day. (I pee a lot, but it keeps me well filtered and gives me a chance to get up and move from my desk.)
7. At 8:00 I eat my second meal of the day, usually a pear or banana. (Sometimes I use a bag of Sunmaid dates if I really want some extra calories. One bag is 660 calories total. Because of the 20 something grams of sugar, I eat chia seeds before eating dates to help slow the digestion of the release of the sugar into my blood stream which is how you avoid diabetes.)
8. At 10:30 I eat my third meal of the day, usually a pear or banana. (Sometimes Raisins)
9. At 1:00 I eat my fourth meal of the day, usually a salad with a dressing made of only a few ingredients. I also sometimes put almonds or walnuts in my salad if I need extra calories.
10. At 3:00 - 3:30 I eat my fifth meal of the day, usually a pear or banana (other fresh fruits can be substituted as well.) By this time I have drank 5 - 6 bottles of water.
11. At 5:00 I get home and go for a run if I didn't run in the morning, and when I say run, I mean run. I run sprints on off days and run 4 - 6 miles on the road every other day (Note: I do take a day off from running once or twice a week)
12. At 6 - 6:30 I eat my 6th meal of the day. This is usually another banana smoothie for the calories but I also sometimes eat chicken / fish or other boiled vegetables.
13. Between 8 - 8:30 I'm in bed.
Think you're too busy to do all of this? I am currently reading 9 books throughout the week and have no grades lower than a B in any class. Several of the books I'm reading are personal books. I have time for a bit of television and time with my girlfriend. I check facebook, reply to e-mails, WRITE A BLOG and plan for day, month, and yearly goals... ect. Still think you don't have time? You may just need to re-evaluate your time management habits (but that is for another blog)
There you have it. My current diet and exercise routine (with a little extra stuff thrown in.) The first key is persistence and a determination to gain something more out of life. The second key is READING to learn the ways you can make this a reality. If you've tried every diet and exercise plan out there and it ISN'T working, it ISN'T the plan, it IS YOU. Until you change yourself, NO PLAN WILL WORK!
This is my schedule, my workout, my Machine, my Life!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Know It Alls
So, you think you know it all huh? You're an expert in every field. You constantly give out diet and exercise, financial, emotional, and other advice. But look in the mirror. Is this really the truth? Something tells me it probably isn't. Something tells me when you look in the mirror you will realize two realities. A - You don't follow your own advice, which leads to B - Your advice doesn't work.
So you want to be happy, good with people, healthy, financially stable? Does this sound like you. Well guess what. I DO have the solution.
All you have to do... Is pick up a freaking book and read, people... I know it is a tough concept, but if you begin reading you will begin learning. Personally I would narrow it down to the area of your life you want to work on most. Look up reviews of books on that subject online to find what others recommend and then buy it. Then dedicate just a little bit of time to reading it each day to reading and studying until you have sucked in the knowledge it has to offer. It doesn't take much and soon you will have real information which you can use to make knowledgeable decisions.
If you don't read, you won't have anything to base your opinions on other than experience which from what I have seen has failed the general population. All of this reminds me of something that happened a few weeks ago in my local whole foods store. I overheard an over-weight woman telling her friend how she doesn't buy soy because its bad for blah blah blah. I thought... Seriously?!?! If this woman knew anything about leading a healthy lifestyle she wouldn't be as large as she is, and yet she is giving advice to someone else!
Read... Read and learn and know and grow. You CAN have the things you want in life, but you can't have them until you start learning how to achieve your goals. Books are the door to practical methods that can be tested to find out what works for you. Do yourself a favor.
So you want to be happy, good with people, healthy, financially stable? Does this sound like you. Well guess what. I DO have the solution.
All you have to do... Is pick up a freaking book and read, people... I know it is a tough concept, but if you begin reading you will begin learning. Personally I would narrow it down to the area of your life you want to work on most. Look up reviews of books on that subject online to find what others recommend and then buy it. Then dedicate just a little bit of time to reading it each day to reading and studying until you have sucked in the knowledge it has to offer. It doesn't take much and soon you will have real information which you can use to make knowledgeable decisions.
If you don't read, you won't have anything to base your opinions on other than experience which from what I have seen has failed the general population. All of this reminds me of something that happened a few weeks ago in my local whole foods store. I overheard an over-weight woman telling her friend how she doesn't buy soy because its bad for blah blah blah. I thought... Seriously?!?! If this woman knew anything about leading a healthy lifestyle she wouldn't be as large as she is, and yet she is giving advice to someone else!
Read... Read and learn and know and grow. You CAN have the things you want in life, but you can't have them until you start learning how to achieve your goals. Books are the door to practical methods that can be tested to find out what works for you. Do yourself a favor.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
Am I healthy? Are you Healthy? And what is Health anyway?
Health... A subject nearly everyone is an expert on despite the fact most don't have a clue. There are countless claims for this, that, and the other being healthy... "Take this pill - lose 12 pounds", "Eat more french fries, you are too skinny", "Don't eat pizza, it will make you fat". Well folks, I'm here to help you on your journey to total body health and hopefully help you understand the difference between what is and is not "healthy".
To understand the concept of health, you first need to understand that we are not discussing how much you should or should not weigh. Weighing too much leads to cancer, heart disease and various other problems. Weighing too little on the other hand can be just as dangerous. Weight is commonly thought to be the overall measure of ones health, and in some instances it can give a pretty good view of the direction a person is headed. It is easy to say "that person is over-weight/under-weight" and be correct (or so we think). However, the fact remains that weight alone doesn't determine health.
Health is determined by multiple factors which combined creates a person's lifestyle. It is a word for what your body either is or isn't based on a few relatively simple factors: 1. How often you eat. 2. How much water you drink. 3. What enters your body and fuels it. 4. How physically active you are. 5. How much stress you have. These 5 factors determine both your state of body and state of mind and to be healthy you must have each one of them under control.
I recently encountered a situation where a person was "known" to be underweight and therefore unhealthy. I took the information of the concerned party into consideration and thought about what I know about the underweight person and formed an analysis.
This "underweight" person generally eats 5 times a day, consuming healthy whole foods such as fruits and vegetables along with an occasional dinner of lean chicken / fish and plenty of water. This hasn't always been her lifestyle pattern but it IS NOW. In the past she did not eat healthy and because of this gained weight (not to the point of looking overweight but to the point of being overweight). The problem was that she felt overweight and thus felt the need to take extreme measures in reducing that weight. This lead to a plethora of physical problems, all of which were very likely related to her lifestyle. Her body experienced weight gain due to the bad foods and a great deal of stress because of the physical and emotional pressure to lose weight. Her methods of losing weight caused a lot of problems for her because they involved eating usually once a day along with other tactics that depleted the supply of important vitamins and nutrients in her body.
Luckily, she is now following a healthy lifestyle and all of these problems have ceased to exist. As she has changed her diet to include multiple healthy meals a day her body has reacted by speeding up her metabolism and easily burning off excess weight. This has caused her to appear much smaller than before (leading some to believe she is malnourished although this is not the case). What IS the case is that she has a lot more energy and is generally in a better mood. She is a lot less hungry and doesn't want the fatty foods because she is full of good foods. Her body is receiving the vitamins and nutrients it needs and therefore isn't causing problems trying to compensate. Her weight is down, but it isn't abnormal for her size. In fact, the reason many would consider her underweight is due to their own denial about their weight.
You cannot determine health by a person's weight. I will say it again. You CANNOT determine health by a person's weight. Health comes with eating multiple times a day. Health comes with physical activity. Health comes with whole foods and lean meats. Health comes with reduced stress and plenty of water. If you have a lifestyle which involves these 5 ideas then you are probably well on your way to being a pretty healthy person.
But what is not healthy? I will give you some examples of what is not healthy so you can start making the determination for yourself. When you eat refined sugar, white flour, high fructose corn syrup and transfats you are on your way downhill. When you drink soda, coffee, sports drinks (gateraid/poweraid), tea or even fruit juice that contains a ton of sugar you are headed down the wrong path. When you stress over every little thing in life, your brain reacts by increasing the cortisol levels in your body which leads to being unhealthy. When you don't exercise your body will become weak and frail which can lead to being unhealthy.
Now to expand. Refined sugar, white flour, high fructose corn syrup and transfats are the things most of you are eating every time you eat out or even eat in. All of these have been determined to be detremental to your health and all can be found in almost everything you consume. Refined sugar and white flower are in virtually all bread and pastries. High fructose corn syrup can literally be found in just about everything. Transfats are found in unhealthy meats such as red meats. These fats clog your arteries and cause a lot of health problems over time. If this sounds like the things you've been consuming (probably for a very long time now) then you are probably on the path to destruction.
There is only one known way to change and get headed down the right path at this time and that is by changing your lifestyle. You can begin by detoxing your body with a fruit and vegetable diet for a couple of weeks and then by slowly adding back in other foods as you experiment to find out what is right for your body. If it makes you feel bad, then it probably is bad for you and if it makes you feel good or energized it is probably good for you.
As long as you are eating a bad diet like the one described above, it will be difficult to really tell what makes you feel bad. You live in a state of feeling bad all the time so you can't tell the difference. Although from the perspective of a healthy person it would only take about 5 minutes to say whether you are feeling bad or not. Those of you who complain of joint pains, back problems, illnessess, weakness, stomach aches, chest pains, headaches or pretty much any other aleness are doing so because of the lifestyle you lead. If a flight of stairs practically kills you, that is probably a pretty good sign. If carrying your groceries in has you huffing for air, once again, probably a good sign you need to change something.
Eat healthier and eat often, reduce stress by getting plenty of rest and relaxation, exercise at least a few times a week (this can even be as simple as taking a walk each day), drink plenty of water (carry a water bottle with you instead of a bottle of soda). If you can take just a few of these simple steps you WILL see a healthier you.
Continue reading as I hand out more FREE suggestions in upcoming blogs how you can change your life and be healthy. What have you got to lose? You WILL live longer. You WILL live happier. You WILL feel better. Give it a shot. You will see I am right, and your perspective will change forever for the better!
To understand the concept of health, you first need to understand that we are not discussing how much you should or should not weigh. Weighing too much leads to cancer, heart disease and various other problems. Weighing too little on the other hand can be just as dangerous. Weight is commonly thought to be the overall measure of ones health, and in some instances it can give a pretty good view of the direction a person is headed. It is easy to say "that person is over-weight/under-weight" and be correct (or so we think). However, the fact remains that weight alone doesn't determine health.
Health is determined by multiple factors which combined creates a person's lifestyle. It is a word for what your body either is or isn't based on a few relatively simple factors: 1. How often you eat. 2. How much water you drink. 3. What enters your body and fuels it. 4. How physically active you are. 5. How much stress you have. These 5 factors determine both your state of body and state of mind and to be healthy you must have each one of them under control.
I recently encountered a situation where a person was "known" to be underweight and therefore unhealthy. I took the information of the concerned party into consideration and thought about what I know about the underweight person and formed an analysis.
This "underweight" person generally eats 5 times a day, consuming healthy whole foods such as fruits and vegetables along with an occasional dinner of lean chicken / fish and plenty of water. This hasn't always been her lifestyle pattern but it IS NOW. In the past she did not eat healthy and because of this gained weight (not to the point of looking overweight but to the point of being overweight). The problem was that she felt overweight and thus felt the need to take extreme measures in reducing that weight. This lead to a plethora of physical problems, all of which were very likely related to her lifestyle. Her body experienced weight gain due to the bad foods and a great deal of stress because of the physical and emotional pressure to lose weight. Her methods of losing weight caused a lot of problems for her because they involved eating usually once a day along with other tactics that depleted the supply of important vitamins and nutrients in her body.
Luckily, she is now following a healthy lifestyle and all of these problems have ceased to exist. As she has changed her diet to include multiple healthy meals a day her body has reacted by speeding up her metabolism and easily burning off excess weight. This has caused her to appear much smaller than before (leading some to believe she is malnourished although this is not the case). What IS the case is that she has a lot more energy and is generally in a better mood. She is a lot less hungry and doesn't want the fatty foods because she is full of good foods. Her body is receiving the vitamins and nutrients it needs and therefore isn't causing problems trying to compensate. Her weight is down, but it isn't abnormal for her size. In fact, the reason many would consider her underweight is due to their own denial about their weight.
You cannot determine health by a person's weight. I will say it again. You CANNOT determine health by a person's weight. Health comes with eating multiple times a day. Health comes with physical activity. Health comes with whole foods and lean meats. Health comes with reduced stress and plenty of water. If you have a lifestyle which involves these 5 ideas then you are probably well on your way to being a pretty healthy person.
But what is not healthy? I will give you some examples of what is not healthy so you can start making the determination for yourself. When you eat refined sugar, white flour, high fructose corn syrup and transfats you are on your way downhill. When you drink soda, coffee, sports drinks (gateraid/poweraid), tea or even fruit juice that contains a ton of sugar you are headed down the wrong path. When you stress over every little thing in life, your brain reacts by increasing the cortisol levels in your body which leads to being unhealthy. When you don't exercise your body will become weak and frail which can lead to being unhealthy.
Now to expand. Refined sugar, white flour, high fructose corn syrup and transfats are the things most of you are eating every time you eat out or even eat in. All of these have been determined to be detremental to your health and all can be found in almost everything you consume. Refined sugar and white flower are in virtually all bread and pastries. High fructose corn syrup can literally be found in just about everything. Transfats are found in unhealthy meats such as red meats. These fats clog your arteries and cause a lot of health problems over time. If this sounds like the things you've been consuming (probably for a very long time now) then you are probably on the path to destruction.
There is only one known way to change and get headed down the right path at this time and that is by changing your lifestyle. You can begin by detoxing your body with a fruit and vegetable diet for a couple of weeks and then by slowly adding back in other foods as you experiment to find out what is right for your body. If it makes you feel bad, then it probably is bad for you and if it makes you feel good or energized it is probably good for you.
As long as you are eating a bad diet like the one described above, it will be difficult to really tell what makes you feel bad. You live in a state of feeling bad all the time so you can't tell the difference. Although from the perspective of a healthy person it would only take about 5 minutes to say whether you are feeling bad or not. Those of you who complain of joint pains, back problems, illnessess, weakness, stomach aches, chest pains, headaches or pretty much any other aleness are doing so because of the lifestyle you lead. If a flight of stairs practically kills you, that is probably a pretty good sign. If carrying your groceries in has you huffing for air, once again, probably a good sign you need to change something.
Eat healthier and eat often, reduce stress by getting plenty of rest and relaxation, exercise at least a few times a week (this can even be as simple as taking a walk each day), drink plenty of water (carry a water bottle with you instead of a bottle of soda). If you can take just a few of these simple steps you WILL see a healthier you.
Continue reading as I hand out more FREE suggestions in upcoming blogs how you can change your life and be healthy. What have you got to lose? You WILL live longer. You WILL live happier. You WILL feel better. Give it a shot. You will see I am right, and your perspective will change forever for the better!
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