Break the Plateau

One of the best things you can do for yourself if you've been exercising hard and eating right for a period of time is to take a week off.

As you're exercising and noticing positive changes over the course of 3-4 months it can be counter-intuitive, but  a week of limited activity and lots of rest can do wonders. If you do any research on time management and productivity regarding work, everything you come across will tell you to put forth highly focused effort for anywhere from 1-2 hours and then to take 10 minutes to recharge your mind so you can come back for another 1-2 hours, etc. The same rule applies to your body. If you've been consistently exercising 4+ days per week, eating right, avoiding the temptation of sleeping in or the temptation of the office bagels for 12 weeks, that is a lot of wear and tear on your body physically and mentally.

Giving your body a week to get a little extra sleep and not be broken down by physical activity will allow it to recover a little more. I would suggest doing some stretching and foam rolling to enhance the recovery benefits even more during your off week.

Once you get back to your routine after the week off your body will once again be "shocked" and over the course of a few weeks you should bust through any plateaus you were on before and achieve even great positive results.

Workout Nutrition

“A man too busy to take care of his health is like a mechanic too busy to take care of his tools.” 

~ Spanish Proverb

Nutrition is easily 80%+ of the battle when it comes to weight loss or weight management. No matter how hard you work, if you're not eating the right portions of the right foods at the right times you will not reach your maximum results potential. 

Before I really dove into the fitness industry to study and learn the craft and become a personal trainer I was always a bit unsure about what to eat before and after my workout. I'm sure you fall into the same boat. You can read one thing one place, and then another thing another place. 

The American Council on Exercise recently published a great blog post on pre/post workout nutrition based on the different times of the day you may work-out. Check out the article HERE. 

Everybody's preferences and how their body reacts to foods will be different, but the general idea of the protein vs carbohydrate mix and timing are the same. 

For me, I workout early morning and I've found that my body best responds pre-workout to a simple container of yogurt. Now that I'm going wheat free (previous post here) and found out my precious fat-free yogurt has modified food starch I've had to switch it up and I go with a scoop of whey protein powder and a piece of fruit about 45 minutes before I workout. 

My post-workout 99% of the time is within 15 minutes of working out and is 1-2 scoops of whey protein powder mixed with either water or milk and two pieces of fruit (typically banana or apple).

Since I've been eliminating 90% of my carbs due to the wheat free aspect I haven't noticed much of a drop off in my exercise energy production (or hunger). If you time your carbohydrates right (pre and post workout), restrict them the rest of the day, and get healthy fats and proteins it's very doable to still perform at your peak and achieve fantastic results. 

If you're fighting the weight loss battle, before you go out and buy a better pair of shoes or decide to exercise for twice as long, take a step back and look at your diet. What are you eating? When are you eating it? I highly recommend meeting with a nutritionist to plan out your diet before you start planning your workout. 

What kind of pre/post workout meals do you find help you preform at your best? Your sharing is welcome! :)

Wheat Belly

About 2 weeks ago a colleague of mine attended a seminar put on by a local cardiologist, Dr. William Davis. He claims that the reason obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc are so high is due to our diets that are filled with abundant sources of wheat. Basically, whole wheat/whole grains are making us fat. When I first heard about this I rolled my eyes and told my colleague to let me know how it goes. Having a personal training and fitness background I was skeptical...but that quickly changed after I talked with her about the seminar.

After hearing her glowing remarks about what Dr. Davis said I checked out the website, Wheat Belly. After reading about how mutated and genetically altered our current wheat supply is and some of the negative effects it has on the body I decided to give the "wheat free" diet a try for a few weeks to see what happens.

Within 3 days I immediately felt great. My energy level was higher, my stomach (wheat belly) felt smaller, I was rarely ever hungry, and wasn't having night time cravings. There were definitely difficulties, including a huge headache on the 4th day and high irritability. I gave in and downed my fair share of pizza on the night of the 4th day and my headache instantly went away and the irritability was gone. The next day I woke up and felt hung over - swollen, headache, tired, kind of nauseous.

Another few days went by and my "Wheat Belly" book arrived. As I started reading those first few chapters I was shocked to read that what I had just experienced the past 4-5 days was outlined right there in the book. Wheat is like a drug and it tricks your body into wanting more, even when you're not hungry. No wonder I've been eating healthy whole grains and needing to eat every few hours because I'm hungry. By removing the wheat I'd removed the hunger, which was why after even 5-6 hours I was barely hungry. The irritability and headaches - similar to detoxing from a drug addiction.

I've now been at it for close to 2 weeks and I feel really good. I've have a few lapses over the 2 weeks, and my body immediately pays for it with that swollen feeling, a lack of energy the next day, and stomach "issues". It's definitely not easy, but it's also not very difficult. Trying to keep the mindset that this is a lifestyle change for my health and well being and not just for weight loss has been a big focus of mine, which I think has helped me stay the course.

I don't want to go into tons of details at this point, but I highly encourage you all to pick up a copy of "Wheat Belly" and give it a try. At some point in the next month, as I finish the book and make more progress, I'll blog about some other information in the book as well as my results.

Please feel free to leave any comments about results you've had and what your thoughts are. Thank you!

Positive Footprint

“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.” - Shannon Alder

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about Your Legacy. Given that this is an important week in the Christian faith I feel the need to again talk about leaving a lasting positive story. 

After talking with one of our club groups owners a couple weeks ago I came to find out that he volunteers his time each week to instruct  martial arts classes. Here's a guy that is working tons of hours and is financially in a good spot, but decides to donate even more of his precious time to teach others. He has a passion for martial arts and said volunteering to instruct is his way of giving back. 

What are you doing to make sure the footprint you leave when you pass is a positive one? You don't have to be wealthy and leave a fortune from your estate to cancer research. Giving to others isn't about having the most money; it's about having the most heart. Time is just as valuable, if not more valuable, than money. You won't be remembered for having lots of money, but you will be remembered for having lots of heart. 

Your name and good deeds may not live on for eternity as Jesus' will in The Bible, but they will live on with the people that matter the most - your family and friends. In the year 3015, when your great great grandchildren are showing their children pictures of you from the "old days", what do you want them to know about you? 

Delivering WOW

"Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends" - Walt Disney


"Wow"...how many times have you said that after you were given great customer service? In the present day where service is driven overseas, you wait on hold for what seems like forever, have to go through at least 5 different "press 1 for this; press 3 for that", and then when you finally get through to somebody they sound robotic and unemphatic reading their script; my guess is not often.

The good news about how poor customer service has become is that companies that deliver great service can easily build loyal customers. Delivering WOW is one way the best companies set themselves apart from their competition. When you "wow" your customers they recommend you to their friends and family; and in this day and age where news is spread to hundreds or thousands of friends, followers, or connections, your word of mouth marketing can deliver big time.

WOW is when you go above and beyond what is expected. For example, a company I've talked about in the past, Zappos, delivers WOW by surprising people that order from them with free next day shipping. Imagine yourself buying something on-line and getting the standard USPS shipping where your product will arrive in 3-5 business days. OK, you say to yourself, that's how it is everywhere. What would you say when you get home from work the next day and see your package sitting there for you at your doorstep?.........My point exactly.

One way we deliver WOW at Wisconsin Athletic Club is through top notch service. For example, picture a mother with a young girl saying "I want a water, I want a water", and the mother who is visibly stressed is trying to carry the girl's younger brother in one arm while rifling through her purse with the other arm, which results in items falling out onto the floor. "I'm sorry, I don't have any cash on me" the mother says to her daughter, which results in the little girl throwing a fit....causing the mom to be embarrassed and even more stressed. In comes a WAC employee who grabs a bottle of water, gives it to the little girl, and tells the mom to not worry about it and that it's on us..."wow".......again, my point exactly.

Delivering WOW doesn't have to cost a lot of money. Simple kind acts that go above and beyond what people expect deliver smiles, deliver WOW, deliver positive word-of-mouth, and deliver profits.

What does your company do to deliver WOW? Do you or your people even know what WOW is? Are you given the authority (empowered) to deliver WOW?

Set yourself and your company apart from your competition and put a smile on somebody's face by making it a priority to make your customers say "wow".......my point exactly :)