Perception is Everything.

The best lesson in perspective I have ever received was from my 3 year old daughter. As frequent Costco shoppers, if we don't get ice cream, the highlight of the trip for my daughter is getting our receipt checked. Usually a pleasant face woman at the door draws her a smiley face and she lights up with excitement. On a particular day she handed the lady our receipt, who marked a quick line and on we went. I wondered in my mind what she would say and prepared for her disappointment. Her eyes lit up, a huge smiled penetrated her lips and she exclaimed, "Look dad a Snake!" Perception is what creates the world we choose to live in.

Why Me?

When your kids have you at your wits end think of  mourning parents of a deceased child or a woman longing to be a mother but never will. When you think your house is too small or poorly decorated think about the families living in shacks, projects or outdoors. When you feel too fat, skinny, ugly, have bad hair or not enough make up think about those who wonder where their next meal will come from. When you stare in a closet and have nothing to wear think about those who are happy to have one set of clothes to protect them from the elements. When you hate your job feel for the father who is searching to find work and can't seem to hold anything down. When you wonder why me, think about it this way. Why do I get to live in such a free country, why do I have every opportunity I could possibly ask for looking me in the face and pass it up, why am I wealthier than 99% of the world's population. Why won't I die of starvation this week, month or year. Why do guerilla soldiers not storm my house violate my women and turn my children into slaves and hate mongers. You are reading this, it means you have it pretty damn good, so stop complaining about all the things you wish you were or had and start r being grateful for the life you have been given. Then use it to improve the lives of others.

The Problem With Low Calorie Diets

Simple math right: calories taken in-calories burned=guaranteed weight loss right? Well, until you get that pesky thing involved called the human body involved, it has all kinds of crazy survival skills programmed into it to help you well, not die. When you take in too few calories your body begins to hold onto fat in fear it will need to use it later for energy. Think of it like this, you have only a quarter tank of fuel in your car, will you drive all over town and just hope you don't run out, will you stop and gas up before driving all over, or will you stay at home because you can't afford to replace the fuel. Your body is you in this scenario and it can't create fuel on it's own, it needs new fuel added before it can get back to moving at a high velocity (metabolizing). You need to find your RDI meaning how many calories you should be taking in to maintain your weight. You can do that here: fatsecret.com.  If you want to shred fat, eat 500 calories below your RDI.  Your system will keep burning fat and excess stored energy without the fear of running out. It will maximize your weight loss. Starving yourself will only break down muscle and hold onto fat in fear you are not going to refill the gas tank. After you starve you will likely purge and then feel bad about yourself and have self esteem issues and next thing you know your riding a train though Tijuana feeding your Chiclets addiction! Seriously though lose weight, be healthy and be happy. After all the way you look is only a side effect of how healthy you are!

THE REAL MATH TO A BETTER BODY AND A HEALTHY LIFE

NUTRITION

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EXERCISE

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REST

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TIME (always the hardest)

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RESULTS

How Long Should My Work out Be?

Check out the quote. That's from a Dude that jacked like 50 asians with a pair of bike pedals hooked to his shoes in a fiery building filled with oil. Obviously a skilled man such as he can speak but truths. What he looks like validates what he says! The gym is jam packed with people on treadmills and bikes for 2-3 hours at a time, heck you can catch a full film in the old cardio cinema if you are so inclined. Usually when I sit and speak with these folks they are dissapointed with the results achieved for all the time they have put in. I do not run. I run when I play basketball or other sports but other than that I don't run. Read the quote and do it. Plan your workout push as hard as you can and study so you understand why and how to do what you are doing. RESULTS WILL FOLLOW! 5 days a week is plenty. Don't say you don't have time, if you don't want to make time I understand but you do have time! It only takes 30-40 minutes per day. That is 3.33 hours a week, so instead of finding out how big Kim Kardashians butt is getting, which human spectacle is losing the most lbs, or making yourself feel better because your not as trashy as honey boo boo,  put down the milk duds and the coke and get your butt in gear. The pain of discipline will be short, the pain of regret lasts a long, long time.

Fitness on The Cheap

This is a Pic of My home Gym!

I love going to garage sales. You get an inside look in a snapshot of an entire family  life. Motivational books, never cracked open, books on finance and laws of success unread, old cooking equipment rarely used and clothes that no longer fit. It is fascinating to see how people tried to live. On a whim they often buy a product to improve their lives, as the exitement wears off the item sits and gathers dust. (I also find a thrill in negotiating a 10 cent item to 8 cents!) Success! One item, however is strewn throughout yard sales weekend after weekend, month after month and year after year without fail: Exercise videos and equipment. Rarely are they even used, often never opened. So I got to wondering, "Why?" My answer came as I contemplated my own life. I have started and failed hundreds of times, this blog may make that list :) but I hope not. I have started and quit more exercise and fitness programs than I can count. My routines have lasted anywhere from days to weeks, but I did not really stick to anythign. This time I have. How I have however is the interesting part: I spent almost no money. I did not buy a home gym, I did not get a Golds pass in fact I hate the phone harassment so much from Golds I did not even look into it!

The reason a gym pass did not work for me, and I think does not work for most people is you have no idea what you are doing. You show up like a contractor with no experience would to a job site, you see lumber, nails tools and a foundation and know it can make a beautiful home but you have not idea how it goes together. You pick up a hammer and nails and boards and just start trying. Soon the house you built is unfit for a litter of illegitimate kittens so you give up and move on. Without a trainer or a plan YOU WILL NEVER SUCCEED. Hours on the treadmill will leave you tired, frustrated and annoyed. However golds gym or wherever you go will keep on deducting that 18 bucks a month from your account, rumor is you don't pay based on your results. When you buy equipment sometimes you use it once or twice but when results are not instantaneous often we give up, eventually the new years resolution wears off.

Here is what I did, largely because I am cheap, partly because I was not committed like I am now.

1. I bought UFC personal trainer on amazon for 15 bucks. I already had the xbox. You don't need to buy a game, you can buy workout dvds all over craigslist, KSL if you live in Utah, amazon,  or nearly anywhere for under $20.  UFC personal trainer has 3, 30 day programs at different intensity levels and 3, 60 day programs. It works because it's automatic, I wake up, pound a Gnarly blend pre work out, walk downstairs and do whatever the game tells me. I did not buy workout clothes, I did not buy weights, I did not buy anything. I just threw on some ratty shorts and got ready to vomit several times. I also talked back to a digital trainer when he tried to push me too hard. He didn't even care or respond! So start Small!

2. Reward your hard work with new equipment. As I got going and was consistent for a month my shins started hurting. Working out barefoot was the culprit, so I sprung for some shoes. I did not go to Foot Locker or some other fancy work out store, I'm not trying to win a triathlon, I just wanted decrease the pain in my shins. As I was more consistent I needed to bump up my workout so I bought some resistance bands http://www.amazon.com/Black-Mountain-Products-Resistance-Exercise/dp/7245456313/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377107763&sr=8-1&keywords=resistance+bands these ones to be exact. 30 bucks. When I got sick of our crappy basement carpent scratching my back like a cat on a post, I went to Ross and sprung for 15 bucks on a workout mat. I also bought shorts and work out shirts as I slimmed out of the ones I had. But I did not go to a major sporting goods store, I went to Ross and cruised the clearance rack.

I have probably dropped about $200 total since Feb. And will not need anything for a long time. Most of the money was on workout clothes and shoes, so if I stop working out (NO PLAN TO) I will still have clothes to wear.

NEXT POST: How Long Do I Workout

Healthy Substitutions

I ruined your day with those condiments, right? Here are some healthy substitutions that also taste delicious!

BAD CHOICE:

VEGETABLE OILS: I don't want to get too much into why, but recent research has linked them to heart disease and many other health issues. Price and availability cause these oils to run ramp id. Money talks

Better Choice: COCONUT OIL: coconut oil has great health benefits we know of and more are discovered every day. Some include: Skin and hair health, weight loss and healthy cholesterol levels. The medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil are known to reduce appetite and burn fat! Pretty cool huh. I use expeller pressed oil when I don't want coconut flavor. I "butter" toast with it, use it to fry eggs and have substituted it in many baking recipes that call for butter with great success. Keep in mind it has more "saturated fat" than other oils but has been proven to give health benefits, not all fats are equal.

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL: This does a few of the same things that coconut oil will do for you. It has a nice flavor. I prefer to buy organic.

*coconut and olive oil cost more. Keep in mind treating heart disease and heart attack is also very expensive.

BAD CHOICE

MAYONNAISE: This is a type of oil (Usually vegetable) emulsified (combined) With raw eggs, salt and sugar. Sounds really appetizing, right? There is not reason for any human, ever for any reason except for starvation to consume mayonnaise.

GOOD CHOICE:

Greek Yogurt: This substitute gives you a lot of the texture of mayonnaise (as in tuna fish or egg salad) Without adding a bunch of useless garbage fat calories. You can also substitute Greek Yogurt for anything you would use sour cream for. I used it in a sour cream chocolate bundt cake, delicious. This adds protein and good fats with no downside! USE IT!

BAD CHOICE:

SUGAR, NUTRASWEET, ASPARTAME, SUCRALOSE AND ALL 0 CALORIE ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS: It says right on the can aspartame causes cancer. Sugar is very clearly a downer, it makes us fatter, hungrier, and is highly addictive. Cheap to make cheap to sell and highly addictive. Sounds like a recipe for big $$$$. The reason 0 calorie artificial sweeteners are 0 calorie? Your body does not recognize them as food. We know some of the harm they do but not all. Hunger and over eating have also been attributed to these.

GOOD CHOICE:

RAW HONEY, PURE MAPLE SYRUP, STEVIA, XYLITOL. These are all naturally made. The health benefits of Raw Honey and Pure maple syrup are another post for another day. Try these in place of sugar. Ratios in cooking will vary, but you will be healthier.

Keep pushing you don't lose until you quit trying!

Condiments to Avoid

There are a lot of foods that are obvious we should not eat or drink: Soda, Artificial Fruit drinks, candy, chips, cookies etc. There are however products you most likely take in every day, or nearly daily that are just as bad. Here are a few condiments to AVOID:

Ketchup: Look at this Label, there are 4 GRAMS OF SUGAR PER TABLESPOON. Let me put some perspective on this. A can of Coke contains 27 Grams of sugar for 8 0z. There are 6.46g of sugar per ounce of ketchup. 8 oz. of ketchup contain 51.68g of sugar! Ketchup is more sugar dense than Coke! I know you are not going to down 8 oz of ketchup, but you probably use much more than a T as well. All this nasty sugar adds up! Keep ketchup to your cheat days or not at all.

Salsa: Below is a Pace Picante label. Half the sugar of ketchup, but infinite more than homemade salsa fresca! Also will you stop at 2 T? I doubt it, that is barely enough for one chip! After you have enjoyed a cup of salsa on your mexican food or with chips, you will have taken in 16g of sugar! Not good sugar but nasty refined high fructose corn syrup!

                            

Many other condiements and items exist that you should be aware of. Marinades, meat rubs, bbq sauces all contain high amounts of sugar. It is cheap and easy to add sugar for flavor and addiction. Avoid these products and remember People: READ THE LABEL! Knowledge is power!

Check out Sweet Baby Rays!  4 tbsp Gives you MORE SUGAR THAN A CAN OF COKE! Holy cow Number 1 ingredent is High Fructose Corn Syrup! Gross! NOTE: This is original sweet baby rays, other flavors have even higher sugar content.