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Exercise #8 In Bun Burner Video Series: Supported Glute Ham Raise
How To Succeed With Your Fitness Goals
For those of us who are in the fitness world, especially those of us who compete, there is so much structure to our regimens that it is easier to keep ourselves in line. We are conditioned to keep our blinders on and stay the course with food and training. But those who are not immersed in the world of fitness and bodybuilding tend to struggle more with a regular regimen. If no specific fitness or health goal is defined, people tend to zigzag with their regimens, adding more unscheduled fun meals, more alcohol, and more missed trips to the gym.
If you are one of those people who tend to fall off track more easily, there are some guidelines which you can follow (listed below) which will help to keep you in line. More importantly, however, you need to remind yourself WHY holding yourself accountable is beneficial. When you hold yourself accountable, you stoke a fire that propels you towards your health goals. By staying on track, you develop a “can-do” attitude which extends into all areas of your life.
Here are some tips on how to keep you on track with your eating habits and exercise plan.
1. Train with a trainer. When you work out with a trainer, you become accountable to that trainer. You need to show up and do the work!
2. Train with a friend. Similar to training with a trainer, when you and a friend agree to meet for a workout, you hold each other accountable. I always recommend setting a day and time and then prohibiting each other from cancelling, no-showing or rescheduling.
3. Prep and pack your food in advance. Prepare your day’s food the night before and store it in individual serving containers so that you can easily pack them into a bag the next morning.
4. Keep junk foods and snacks out of your kitchen. If you have tempting foods in your kitchen, you risk sabotaging your own efforts to stay on a healthy eating plan.
Remember that you can maintain focus on healthy patterns. Keep your eye on the prize!
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The Bottleneck: Breaking Through From National To Pro
Every single year I watch nationally qualified competitors duke it out onstage in hopes of finally making it through the bottleneck and achieving Pro status. Some competitors get smacked down repeatedly, yet keep hitting the national circuit for so long that they must compete against new blood, further limiting their chances. There are times when I shake my head in wonder over the outcome of a national or Pro event when individuals who clearly should have been in first callouts were neglected. I know that feeling all too well because it has happened to me a number of times. Every year the national level events get bigger, which results in even more pressure and more competition to get through that level and into the big wide world of Pro status. When a competitor finally gets pushed out of the bottle and glides into Pro waters, he or she will bask in it, enjoying the victory, but the majority of Pro competitors soon discover that becoming a Pro doesn’t mean that life will become any easier. If anything, it becomes more difficult, because the bar is set much higher.
Those of us who compete live in a bubble. In fact, I will go as far as to say that when we escape the bottle, we end up in a fishbowl instead of open water. Please don’t interpret this to mean that I lack appreciation for being a Pro, because it is indeed a great honor. But the world at large is a vast ocean which bodybuilding leagues really don’t connect to, similar to the artificial environment which a bowl provides for a pet fish. Bodybuilding is its own world, and though I may love it, I also know that it won’t make me a superstar. Even the biggest bodybuilding legends (except for Arnold) don’t have the full global recognition which they deserve, because bodybuilding is such a niche industry. The only bodybuilders who are household names are the ones who became thespians.
I will admit that when I finally got my Pro Card (after 14 Pro qualifiers), I was relieved and ecstatic because I had finally reached a goal I had set for myself. However, I also fully realize that it wasn’t entirely up to me when or if I would ever get that card, so I always tried my best not to berate myself when I fell short of that Pro card goal. A number of competitors who have been on the national circuit for a very long time have built up a tremendous following on social media channels and have so much power and influence, yet they sell themselves short because they focus on the Pro Card chase as a singular goal. These are precious gems whose shine is only dulled by the disappointment they experience when the sport of bodybuilding edges them out of the winners’ circle.
If you have been competing for a very long time and are getting weary from slipping in national placings or just missing that Pro card too many times, it’s time to take a good look at where your passion truly lies. If your true passion lies directly in the experience of stepping onstage, then by all means continue. However, if you are broke, exhausted, sore and dejected, and you have a true passion beyond the stage for inspiring others to reach fitness goals, then why not BREAK the bottle and swim into the wide ocean? If you build a name, a brand, and a following, you can establish a presence in the real world which will enable you to impact others in the truest sense. In addition, you might stand to make some decent money from nurturing your passion for fitness. Honestly, how much money have you made from competing? Just saying.
A Couple Of Nuts
Most people love nuts, especially those of us in the fitness industry who will actually fantasize about the calorie dense morsels. Since I usually take a stance from the fitness end, I want to explore one very popular nut as well as another which had until recently been considered more forbidden. Meet the peanut and the cashew.
Peanuts have become popularized by baseball stands, candies which feature them, and clever labeling on peanut butter jars which, through their colorful and whimsical labels, have won great favor by children and adults alike. The problem with consumption of large amounts of peanuts and peanut products is that androgen dominance develops, which is closely tied to inflammation and insulin resistance. Individuals who are more sensitive may find that they have more acne breakouts when they consume peanuts, peanut oil, or peanut butter. So in a sense, peanuts can wreak some hormonal havoc on the body.
In contrast, cashews may be considered a hormonal ally. Cashews contain compounds referred to as anacardic acid which has a demonstrated anti-estrogen effect in which it blocks the activation of estrogen receptors once they have attached to estradiol. Anacardic acid also kills hormone sensitive breast cancer cells in vitro and may have a beneficial effect in human subjects. If you consume one half cup of cashews, you will ingest approximately 20 milligrams of anacardic acid. The jury is still out on how much of an impact the anti-estrogen effect has, but it certainly won’t hurt either.
By no means am I suggesting that you eliminate peanuts or peanut products from your diet (provided you aren’t allergic to them). But if you consume excessive amounts of peanuts and are noticing that you are suffering from acne breakouts, the peanuts may be the culprit. You might want to stop eating peanuts for a couple of weeks to see if your skin clears up. If you simply cannot live without a nut butter, you can consume almond butter or cashew butter as an alternative. If you have any interest in blocking estrogen through consumption of key foods, adding cashews to your meal plan may be just the boost you need to balance estrogen levels.
Say Thank You
I truly believe that many people these days lack manners. It is relatively rare to hear those under the age of 40 say “thank you” when a gift or favor is bestowed upon them, and utterances such as “please” and “excuse me” also seem to be increasingly rare. Is this new generation of rudeness and self-entitlement here to stay? Failing to show gratitude is, in my humble opinion, a major character flaw. How hard is it to say THANK YOU, when someone does something nice for you? I don’t know how others were raised, but I was raised to say thank you even if I was given a gift I hated. My brain is programmed to say thank you whenever someone gives me something. Yet I have repeatedly witnessed younger individuals accept gestures and gifts without saying those two small words that carry so much positive energy.
Another thing I am hearing with less frequency is “excuse me” or “pardon me” if someone accidentally bumps another person. Some incredibly rude people have almost mowed me over because they weren’t paying attention to where they were walking or pushing their shopping carts. When this occurs, I can’t help but loudly say, “EXCUSE YOU!”, because I want them to at least be aware of how rude they are. This will at times get a “sorry” or “pardon me”, but at other times, the person angrily continues, spreading negative energy and bumping into people and store displays. I think some people honestly don’t know how to be happy, and that they cling to their anger and misery because it is all they know.
If you have a habit of neglecting to use the phrases mentioned above, try using them to see if they reframe how you see the world. Slow down and stop being so angry at the world. Be nice to people and appreciate their efforts when they do something nice. Express gratitude and spread joy. It’s amazing how powerful and healing saying thank you can be.
Mineral Oil Sensitivity
I was compelled to revisit this topic because I foolishly went against my better judgement and used a product which I happen to hate, with disastrous results. I hate Lubriderm products and think they are a scam due to the presence of mineral oil. Mineral oil is a very cheap filler which is used in skincare products and cosmetics. What many people don’t realize is that some individuals suffer from mineral oil sensitivity and truly cannot come into contact with it. Sadly, I am one of those people.
Lubriderm is touted as a “dermatologist tested” product, which basically doesn’t mean a thing. Apparently the dermatologists who tested this product weren’t aware of the fact that mineral oil can be a very reactive substance for a segment of the population. I for one have ALWAYS been reactive, though I could never understand as a child why I always broke out in itchy rashes within an hour of being exposed to baby oil. To this day, a high concentration of mineral oil will drive me into an itchy frenzy. This was the main reason why I hesitated when the idea of trying Lubriderm once again, but my stubbornness won out.
I used Lubriderm lotion for normal to dry skin for one week, and during that entire time, experienced itchy skin which only got worse at night, as well as a diffuse papular (raised) rash which covered my shoulders, arms, and thighs. On the last day in which I used the Lubriderm, I actually broke out into hives on my thighs!
As soon as I stopped using Lubriderm, the rash cleared up without any intervention. This was a clear sign that I was indeed still very sensitive to mineral oil, and that it was tragic that products could still be found which listed mineral oil among its top 5 ingredients.
PIt’s important to bear in mind that mineral oil is manufactured from crude oil, and as a result can cause pronounced reactions in people who are sensitive. Such reactions aren’t confined to skin rashes, but also include headaches 
or joint aches. Mineral oil can also disguise itself as petrolatum, paraffin, or propylene glycol.
lease please please be aware that mineral oil sensitivity is very real!
Eye Makeup Removers And Eye Irritation
I used to get allergic blepharitis from time to time, which is characterized by severe swelling and redness of the eyelid from an allergen. It was ugly and painful and took about a week to resolve with warm, wet compresses, lid cleanses two to three times daily, and prescription eye ointment. Interestingly enough, this was when I was experimenting with a lot of different pigments from MAC Cosmetics and using a considerable amount of eye makeup remover. After doing some sleuthing, I discovered that my flareups all stemmed from two substances: bismuth and benzylkonium chloride. Bismuth is a mineral which is frequently used in eye shadows and eye pigments, while benzylkonium chloride is commonly used in eye makeup removers. As soon as I switched eye makeup remover brands and stopped using certain eye makeup items, the horrid eyelid irritation vanished.
In this post, I am picking solely on eye makeup removers because there are major brands which contain benzylkonium chloride. Here are two major brands which I used to use.
Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover –
This is a very popular brand and used to be my staple. But check out the label ingredients: Water, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Benzyl Alcohol, Sodium Chloride, Dipropylene Glycol, Poloxamer 182, Allantoin, Tripotassium EDTA, Benzalkonium Chloride, Glycerin, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Potassium Phosphate, Dipotassium Phosphate. Little did I know that I was potentiating the blepharitis by using a makeup remover!
Lancome Bi-Facil –
This was my mom’s favorite, but because of the benzylkonium chloride I cannot use it.
You may be wondering how I figured this out. Because I am a physician, published researcher and a scientist, I know how to apply deductive reasoning, as well as set up experiments. Although I could include clinical data here, I would rather give a simple explanation of how horrible and harmful benzylkonium chloride is. Here is a succinct and excellent description:
“The Cosmetic Safety Database states that there is a moderate to strong evidence that benzalkonium chloride is an immune, skin, and respiratory toxicant, with laboratory tests hinting at mutative (carcinogenic) effects. The safety data sheet (MSDS) indicates the ingredient is a skin and eye irritant, and can be corrosive to both, with the amount of damage depending on the length of contact.” (From http://www.annmariegianni.com/)
I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel very comfortable about coming into contact with a substance that is so harmful. What is especially disturbing is that this substance is found in hand sanitizers and eye drops. It is worth spending an extra minute to read ingredient labels before you purchase something that might contain a harmful ingredient.
Whey And Casein In Lactose Intolerant Individuals
If you are lactose intolerant, then you are quite accustomed to checking to see if dishes contain dairy. You might also be wary of whey and casein protein powders due to their derivation from milk. However, if you have only a mild lactose intolerance, you may not have an issue with whey and casein. Why is this?
Many individuals with a mild lactose intolerance are fine with whey protein isolate as well as with casein. Both whey and casein are separated from the lactose during processing. There are small concentrations of lactose which bypass the separation, but usually this is not enough to mount a reaction in a mildly lactose intolerant individual. Only the most sensitive individuals will have a problem with these forms of protein. Bear in mind that whey concentrate is not the same as whey isolate, and that individuals who are more lactose intolerant or who have other gut issues might not tolerate the concentrate form of whey.
You may be asking what the big deal is with whey and casein, and whether they are better than other forms of protein. Why take a chance of mounting a reaction in the belly when there are other forms of protein?
Whey is a complete protein, meaning that it provides all the amino acids the body requires. It is also relatively cheap. Casein protein is also a complete protein, and is digested very slowly, making it a great option for bedtime.
While soy is also a complete protein, it undergoes considerable processing, and it contains phytoestrogens which are estrogen mimics. I am definitely not a fan of soy protein and will not advocate its use. Rice, hemp and pea proteins are good alternatives for the vegan or vegetarian crowd, but since they are not complete proteins, they must be combined to fill out the amino acid profile. Rice protein is very easily digested, while pea protein has glutamic acid, which helps convert carbs into energy instead of being stored as fat. Hemp protein is rich in omega-6 fatty acids and has a high fiber content.
As long as you mix plant based proteins to get a complete profile, you will not be at a disadvantage if you cannot tolerate whey or casein. However, when it comes to cost, nutrition profile, and convenience, whey will always win the prize for being the king of protein powders.
