New research is flooding fitness and health magazines.  This research claims that chocolate milk is a great recovery drink for sparing muscle and replenishing muscle glycogen. So what do you think most fitness enthusiasts are doing?  They are estatic that they can drink a sugar-filled drink after their workouts and feel justified that science has deemed it “healthy” and helpful in building muscle.

However, when you read the details of the study, it is clear that there are some major flaws in extrapolating the information from the study and using it to build a strong, healthy body. First, the study only looked at 8 subjects.  Conclusive research would require many more participants.  Second, the exercise they did was running (not bodybuilding or weight lifting).  Third, the control group drank a carbohydrate-only (C) beverage. 

Previous research has already shown that a liquid meal composed of carbohydrates AND protein (C+P) is best for sparing muscle and replenishing muscle glycogen.  Comparing a C+P beverage to a C-only beverage is NOT a fair comparison.  For example, could a fruit smoothie with hemp protein product a comparable result without the health consequences of consuming processed dairy products and refined sugars?

While it would be great to get results and build a healthy body consuming junk food, if you take an honest look at physiology and the body’s needs, it just isn’t possible.  I wonder how much of that research is funded by the dairy council.

Before you blindly adopt conclusions from research, make sure you take a look at the methodology of the experiment and make sure that is sound.   Drink your chocolate milk if you want to have a treat, but don’t consume it thinking that it is the best option for your health or building a strong physique. 

To your ULTIMATE HEALTH!

When you seek to improve your health or your physique, what do you focus on?  If you are like most, you look to start exercising or changing your nutrition habits.  If you are already fairly healthy and fit, you may research other exercise plans or diets that promise better results or improved health.  The focus is usually on what you are DOING.  But how often do you actually review how you are BEING and your habitual thought patterns?  Those of you who have read my book, “The RAD Triad: Transform Your Mind and Body,” know that the foundation of health (rest, activity, and diet) is not complete without the right attitude.  The right mindset is required.

I just finished reading “Evolve Your Brain.”  It discusses why humans get caught up in repeating the same patterns, even when they are not in our best interest.  Simply put, our bodies and desires are controlled by our minds, which are controlled by our brains, which are driven by the neural connections established by our repeated actions, thoughts, and emotions.  If you think thoughts about your lack of discipline, act out of impulse, and then feel guilty, you ingrain those thoughts, feelings and actions and make them stronger so that it is even more likely that you will think and act that way in the future.

To change, then, requires that you program the mind differently.  You must see and feel yourself acting differently.  Just like an athlete who repeatedly envisions him/herself winning the race, making the shot, getting the goal, you must see yourself with the body and the health you desire.  You must picture yourself as you want to be.  As the vision of the “new you” becomes more and more real in your mind, the circuits in your brain will start to re-pattern and re-wire, making it easier to think, feel, and act in a way that is more in line with the “new you.”

So, what are you waiting for?  Get out a journal and write down EXACTLY what you want (keep your focus on what you do want, not what you don’t want or what you want to stop doing).  Then, spend fifteen minutes each morning envisioning what you wrote down.  End your day doing the same.

The mind is a powerful tool that can be used for you or against you.  Just as you train your muscles in the gym, strengthen your mind so that it works to help you achieve your ideal body and radiant health.

Every day, life offers us time.  How we use that time is up to us.  We can take steps to move towards our goals, we can do nothing, or we can take actions that are contrary to our goals and how we want to live.

Often times, people choose the 2nd or 3rd option, thinking that the first (moving towards your goal) will take too much time, effort, discipline, etc.  But what they don’t realize is that time is going to pass and the results that you have now are based on the actions you took or did not take in the past.  If you want your life to be different, you must choose to act accordingly.  Small changes are the key.  Drastic changes will only throw your body/mind/spirit through a loop and cause resistance. 

By making very small, subtle changes, you can “trick” your body/mind/spirit into thinking that not much has changed.  Then, slowly over time, those small changes add up to big changes and you are reaping the fruits of your effort.  This applies to weight loss, health, finances, relationships, or any other endeavor in life.

Today, you have 24 hours…can you dedicate even 10 minutes of that to pursuing an action that will help you reach your dreams?

• Bicycle at 10 miles per hour (6 min/mile) for 2 hours and 20 min
• Jog at 10 miles per hour (6 min/mile) for 1 hour and 15 min
• Walk at 4 miles per hour (15 min/mile) for 3 hours
• Weight train with 60 sec between sets for 90 minutes

And that’s just for breakfast!  You can see that eating out can be very costly to your waist-line, and while you are getting plently of calories, you are NOT getting vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.  Becasuse these nutrients are essential to your health, your body will drive you to eat more, even after you have had all of these calories at breakfast, until you have eaten something that has the nutrients it needs.  This explains why people who eat a lot of processed foods are hungry all the time.  Their body is getting calories but not the essential nutrients.

Of the many things I could do in life, my coaching business is my passion, as I feel an immense amount of joy from seeing others reach their goals and accomplishing things they never thought were possible. Not everyone grows up in an environment that is encouraging and I love being the one to encourage them and help them see that their goals are possible. And when their dreams become a reality, a light shines within them. They are beaming and to see that light, that joy, is truly one of the best things about what I do.

Not only is coaching a joy for me, but I believe it is a necessary component in our society.  There is so much information available about nutrition and exercise, but knowledge does not equal change.  My coaching is focused on taking that information and helping each client incorporate that into their lives by taking daily steps to reach their health and fitness goals.