Tuesday, April 14, 2015

PREVIEW OF FITNESS CHALLENGE ARTICLES: 9 Rules of Fat Loss



#1    Manage your stressors. Stress comes in many forms – physical, psychological, emotional, environmental, electromagnetic and spiritual. Anxiety and stress of any kind can inhibit fat loss because stress hormones signal your body to actually store fat and break down metabolically active muscle tissue.
#2   Uninterrupted Sleep.  If you want to look your best, feel better, increase energy, boost memory and lose fat, you must ensure that you’re sleeping well. Poor sleep can make AND keep you fat because it interferes with and suppresses fat burning hormones. Do not underestimate the value of restful sleep and daily relaxation for fat loss.
#3   Eliminate Offending, Inflammatory Foods. Stop eating inflammatory foods your body is allergic to, intolerant to or sensitive to – these are very often the foods you crave or eat every single day, which is why it’s so important to include a variety of foods in your diet. These foods increase toxic load, chronic low level inflammation and trigger stress hormones to be released that sabotage your fat loss efforts.
#4   Address Digestive Function. Keep your Gut Healthy! To lose body fat and more importantly keep it off, you must assimilate nutrients required to build muscle (your metabolically active tissue).  HCL deficiency, underlying infections (Candida, parasites, bacterial, H. pylori), bacterial imbalances and leaky gut are just a few conditions that can silently inhibit fat loss. A healthy liver must be able to detoxify fat storage hormone metabolites.
#5   Balance Hormones. Prioritize insulin and cortisol first! Balance blood sugar and stabilize insulin. A body that is sensitive to insulin will lose body fat more rapidly than an individual who is insulin resistant.  Why? Insulin, in excess, is a fat storage hormone. If your pancreas constantly secrete insulin to bring the blood sugar down, you’ll become insulin resistant and may eventually become diabetic.
Assess and address adrenal dysfunction which can lead to an imbalance of brain chemistry, increased belly fat, vital nutrient deficiencies, inflammation and more. These factors are often overlooked when it comes to fat loss.
An imbalance of hormones such as increased estrogen and elevated insulin and decreased hormones (such as growth hormone, thyroid, DHEA, progesterone, testosterone) affect your fat loss efforts.
#6  Eat REAL food. Driving up to a window for your meals, downing soda, consuming protein snack bars full of chemicals, genetically modified soy and hydrogenated fats, or eating boxed cereal is not real food. Specifically, avoid wheat, gluten, grains, sugar, artificial sweeteners, processed, packaged and fake foods. Manage portion sizes and include plenty of protein and non-starchy, fibrous veggies and leafy greens at every meal. Always eat breakfast. Practice being mindful and present during meal time.
Society is fat-phobic and has been brainwashed that consuming a low-fat or non-fat diet is conducive for optimal health and fat loss. Many still hold a belief and assume synthetic frankenfats such as margarine (full of  plastics and chemicals) or vegetable oils are healthier options. Nothing could be further from the truth. All fats are not created equal. Healthy fats are essential for hormone production, a healthy immune system, optimal brain function, youthful-looking skin healthy hair, and, of course, fat loss.
#7   Move Your Body! There’s an effective way to exercise and an inefficient way to exercise for fat loss. Are your workouts solely focused on steady-state cardio sessions that burn muscle and disrupt your hormones? Or, maybe you’re someone that has been doing the same old exercise program month after month expecting a different result. Resistance training with heavy weights and interval exercise programs like here at The PIT AZ programs are the solution if you want to change your body, feel better, look younger than your real age, lower body fat AND keep your hormones balanced.
Include parasympathetic activities in your program. Yin (relaxation) style movement such as yin or restorative yoga, meditation, Tai chi or Qi gong as part of your exercise regime to balance the yang. Personally, I love yin yoga. This is a practice in which the asana is held for 2-5 minutes with a focus on lengthening and releasing fascia and connective tissue.
#8   Eliminate toxins and reduce toxic load with periodic detoxing. The average woman puts 300-500 chemicals on her body daily! We’re exposed to toxins from various sources including food additives and preservatives, GMOs, cleaning products, lotions and colognes, digestive distress, non-organic foods, prescription drugs, the environment, excessive alcohol consumption, pesticides, chemicals, obesogens, toxic thoughts, and so much more.
Toxins are stored in fat cells and compromise lymph and liver function. The higher your body fat, the higher your toxic load. All toxins brought into your body have to be processed by your liver.
#9   Keep a Food Journal.  People who journal what they eat tend to lose twice as much weight and make much healthier food choices versus those who do not keep a journal.
Practice patience. Be consistent. Keep the faith.
Do you want lasting, permanent results? If so, quit focusing on losing weight. Stop dieting, and instead focus on becoming the healthiest version of yourself first. When you focus on health first, fat loss will inevitably occur.
Copyright © Paula Owens. All Rights Reserved.

0 New Rules for a Fat Loss Revolution

Many individuals neglect the fact that there is a difference between weight loss versus fat loss. When you’re obsessed with weighing yourself on the scale, eating less and exercising more you’re solely focused on weight loss. An individual’s weight can fluctuate during the day especially when you factor in fluid retention, sodium intake, carb intake, menstrual cycles and muscle weight. The scale is not an accurate method of tracking fat loss.’My personal preference to track fat loss is taking photos, how your jeans fit, and assessing body composition via skin fold testing using Harpenden calipers. In contrast, fat loss is about losing body fat, preserving lean tissue (muscle), and achieving a body that looks lean, healthy and fit. Fat loss is NOT about counting calories, starvation diets, stepping on the scale every day, willpower, or excessive amounts of exercise. Balance is the key to long term, permanent fat loss.
FOCUS ON HEALTH FIRST and FAT LOSS HAPPENS NATURALLY
10 New Rules of Fat Loss
#1   Manage your Stressors. Stress comes in many forms – physical, psychological, emotional, environmental, electromagnetic and spiritual. Anxiety and stress of any kind can inhibit fat loss because stress hormones signal your body to actually store fat and break down metabolically active muscle tissue.
#2   Uninterrupted Sleep. If you want to look your best, feel better, increase energy, boost memory and lose fat, you must ensure that you’re sleeping well. Poor sleep can make AND keep you fat because it interferes with and suppresses fat burning hormones. Do not underestimate the value of restful sleep and daily relaxation for fat loss.
#3   Eliminate Offending, Inflammatory Foods. Stop eating inflammatory foods your body is allergic to, intolerant to or sensitive to – these are very often the foods you crave or eat every single day, which is why it’s so important to include a variety of foods in your diet. These foods increase toxic load, chronic low level inflammation and trigger stress hormones to be released that sabotage your fat loss efforts. The Top Trigger Foods to Avoid
#4   Address Digestive Function. Keep your Gut Healthy and Love Your Liver. To lose body fat and more importantly keep it off, you must assimilate nutrients required to build muscle (your metabolically active tissue). HCL deficiency, underlying infections (Candida, parasites, bacterial, H. pylori), bacterial imbalances and leaky gut are just a few conditions that can silently inhibit fat loss. A healthy liver must be able to detoxify fat storage hormone metabolites.
#5   Balance Hormones. Prioritize insulin and cortisol first! Balance blood sugar and stabilize insulin. A body that is sensitive to insulin will lose body fat more rapidly than an individual who is insulin resistant. Why? Insulin, in excess, is a fat storage hormone. If your pancreas constantly secrete insulin to bring the blood sugar down, you’ll become insulin resistant and may eventually become diabetic.
Assess and address adrenal dysfunction which can lead to an imbalance of brain chemistry, increased belly fat, vital nutrient deficiencies, inflammation and more. These factors are often overlooked when it comes to fat loss.
An imbalance of hormones such as increased estrogen and elevated insulin, and decreased hormones (such as growth hormone, thyroid, DHEA, progesterone, testosterone) affect your fat loss efforts.

Try Organic Food#6   Eat real food. Driving up to a window for your meals, downing soda, consuming protein snack bars full of chemicals, genetically modified soy and hydrogenated fats, or eating boxed cereal is not real food. Specifically, avoid wheat, gluten, grains, sugar, artificial sweeteners, processed, packaged and fake foods. Manage portion sizes and include plenty of protein and non-starchy, fibrous veggies and leafy greens at every meal. Always eat breakfast. Practice being mindful and present during meal time.
Society is fat-phobic and has been brainwashed that consuming a low-fat or non-fat diet is conducive for optimal health and fat loss. Many still hold a belief and assume synthetic frankenfats such as margarine (full of plastics and chemicals) or vegetable oils are healthier options. Nothing could be further from the truth. All fats are not created equal. Healthy fats are essential for hormone production, a healthy immune system, optimal brain function, youthful-looking skin, healthy hair, and, of course, fat loss.
#7   Move Your Body! There’s an effective way to exercise and an inefficient way to exercise for fat loss. Are your workouts solely focused on steady-state cardio sessions that burn muscle and disrupt your hormones? Or, maybe you’re someone that has been doing the same old exercise program month after month expecting a different result. Resistance training with heavy weights and interval exercise programs are the solution if you want to change your body, feel better, look younger than your real age, lower body fat AND keep your hormones balanced. The 12-week exercise program found in Fat Loss Revolution delivers just that and will surely melt fat.
Include parasympathetic activities in your program. Yin (relaxation) style movement such as yin or restorative yoga, meditation, Tai chi or Qi gong as part of your exercise regime to balance the yang. Personally, I love yin yoga. This is a practice in which the asana is held for 2-5 minutes with a focus on lengthening and releasing fascia and connective tissue.
#8   Identify nutrient and metabolic deficiencies and correct them with the appropriate nutritional support.. Every single one of us has different nutritional deficiencies and needs. Therefore, nutritional protocols will vary from person to person. 
#9   Eliminate toxins and reduce toxic load with periodic detoxing. The average woman puts 300-500 chemicals on her body daily! We’re exposed to toxins from various sources including food additives and preservatives, GMOs, cleaning products, lotions and colognes, digestive distress, non-organic foods, prescription drugs, the environment, excessive alcohol consumption, pesticides, chemicals, obesogens, xenoestrogens, toxic thoughts, and so much more.
Toxins are stored in fat cells and compromise lymph and liver function. The higher your body fat, the higher your toxic load. All toxins brought into your body have to be processed by your liver.
Familiarize yourself with the negative consequences of estrogen overload. Toxic overload from a congested liver, xenoestrogens (endogenous and exogenous) and obesogens (foreign chemical substances to your body that disrupt hormones and your metabolism) primarily target the liver, brain and adipose tissue making it difficult, if not impossible to lose body fat.
#10   Keep a food journal. People who journal what they eat tend to lose twice as much weight and make much healthier food choices versus those who do not keep a journal.
Practice patience. Be consistent. Keep the faith.
Do you want lasting, permanent results? If so, quit focusing on losing weight. Stop dieting, and instead focus on becoming the healthiest version of yourself first. When you focus on health first, fat loss will inevitably occur.
Get started with the Fat Loss Starter Kit. Read the Fat Loss Revolution. Schedule a free 15-minute phone call to discuss your goals and needs. Paula consults with clients locally in the Phoenix area and around the world via telephone or Skype.
Copyright © Paula Owens. All Rights Reserved.
- See more at: http://thepowerof4-paula.blogspot.com/2011/10/10-rules-for-permanent-fat-loss.html#sthash.bAAFCt54.dpuf

PREVIEW OF FITNESS CHALLENGE RECIPES: Grilled Fennel with Parmesan and Lemon

 
 
Grilled Fennel with Parmesan and Lemon
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 2 slices
Calories: 58 • Fat: 3 g • Protein: 2 g • Carbs: 7 g • Fiber: 3 g • Sugar: 0 g

Sodium: 106 mg (without salt) • Cholesterol: 2.6 mg

Ingredients:
  • 12 oz fennel bulb (1 large), stalks and fronds removed
  • olive oil spray
  • kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 lemon, juice of
  • 1/2 oz Parmigiano Reggiano shavings
Directions:

Leaving the core intact (which helps keep your slices intact), stand the bulb and cut the fennel in half vertically from top to bottom. Cut each half into (4) 1/4-inch thick slices to give you a total of 8 slices.

Spray each side with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Heat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan over medium-high heat, spray the pan with olive oil and grill the fennel turning until you get a good char on each side and fennel is tender to the touch, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

Set aside on a platter, drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice and top with the parmesan shavings. Serve warm.

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