Tag exercise
Maintaining A Healthy Perspective With Contest Prep Plans
The following article is featured on SportsNutritionSupplementGuide.com as well:
Those of us who compete are well aware of the critical importance of following specific meal plans which are designed to optimize lean muscle mass and promote fat loss. However, these meal plans, especially during cutting phases, can be extremely restrictive. In our quest for attaining the ideal physique for whatever division we compete in, we may find ourselves in a spiral of obsessive nose-to-the-grindstone adherence to foods we may have grown to abhor, intertwined with strong temptation to deviate from the plan and indulge in forbidden foods, only to berate ourselves afterwards for doing so. After all, we are only human, and after weeks or months of eating clean, we may be so exasperated with daily servings of asparagus, tilapia, chicken breast, and sweet potatoes that our emotional food triggers may kick in and undermine our contest prep efforts.
With orthorexia, there is an unhealthy fixation on clean foods and one’s moods are dictated by how rigidly a clean diet is maintained. So how is this different from what competitors do in the weeks leading up to a competition? The mentally healthy approach is to regard food simply as fuel and to dismiss any emotional association with particular items. I have been witness to and a participant in the fantasizing of forbidden foods in a manner akin to lustful, sexual craving. I have heard competitors talk backstage at length about all the foods they were planning to indulge in immediately following their final visit onstage for the night.
What I find interesting about such food fixations is how they are distinguishable from anorexic behavior. When I was 19, I battled anorexia, dropping to 85 pounds on a 5’5’’ at my lightest. With anorexics, they have a clear and complete aversion to calorie-rich foods and have successfully turned off any interest or cravings for such items, whereas with bulimics, orthorexics and many healthy competitors in contest prep mode, coveting indulgent foods is rather commonplace. Among all these groups, there is a propensity for obsessive and compulsive behaviors. One may argue that such obsessions and compulsions are a vital component of contest prep and that without such tendencies a competitor will lack the focus necessary to succeed.
It seems apparent that competitors as a general rule, are dangerously close to that fine line which separates a healthy relationship with food from orthorexia. I remember quite well how rigid I was about the food I ate when I was anorexic and even kept a daily food journal in which I wrote down the calories and fat grams of every food substance ingested. I also recall how horrified and ashamed I was of myself when I would reluctantly consume a food I regarded as fattening.
Over 20 years later, I have a healthy relationship with food and for the most part regard it as fuel. Yet I am immersed in the world of contest prep and like many other competitors will balk and grumble about the clean foods I must eat. There are times when the mere thought of eating another spear of asparagus seems like the most disgusting activity in the world. On the rare occasion that I find myself in a restaurant, I find it an alien concept to peruse a menu and actually be able to order whatever I want from any part of the menu. There are also times during which my metabolism is in hyperdrive and I could eat almost nonstop for the duration of the day.
Here’s the thing: if I indulge in something that is not part of a contest prep meal plan, I don’t flog myself. Rather, I allow myself to enjoy the rare treat and move on. If you find yourself wallowing in extreme anxiety and prolonged guilt over ingesting a food item which is on the banned list, beware. This could signify the beginning of a food-related psychopathology.
The Value Of Having A Meal Prep Service
As a competitor and fitness professional, I follow a clean meal plan throughout the year, regardless of whether I am training for a competition or just going through an off-season maintenance or growth plan. I am very familiar with the hassle of earmarking an entire Sunday afternoon to prep all my food for the week. For the past few years, it had become such a ritual that I planned my weekend around it, despite the fact that it cut into my time significantly.
Thankfully, there are meal prep services which do all the prep, freeing people from the shackles of the kitchen. Some people complain that such services are expensive, but when the costs of buying pre-measured and prepared food from one of these companies is compared to the costs of buying all the ingredients and spending half a day cooking them, the difference isn’t that significant. Ordering from a meal prep service takes the guesswork out of planning clean, healthy meals, and it is an incredible timesaver!
Check out MAW Nutrition Inc. for a completely clean meal prep service which offers protein, carb and veggie options a la carte so that you can fully customize your meals! This is great if you carb cycle or practice a certain degree of variation within your meal plan. For example, I will alternate between turkey loin and beef loin for one of my meals, and I have two days during the week when I spike my carb intake.
When ordering, enter the code NAITO10 at checkout for 10% off your order!
Women’s Health & Fitness: Relationship-Based Solutions For Female Clientele Of Any Age
Please click on this link to read the original blog submission for the month of May in which I was a featured contributor:
http://us9.campaign-archive2.com/?u=2a517c301526ee432715a7f55&id=a975e73eed&e=fe80cede46
Many women can often be intimidated by health club or gym environments for a multitude of reasons. Women who don’t have a clue how to use unfamiliar exercise machines may find the experience of navigating through a whole collection of them rather terrifying.
As if that isn’t enough, some women question their ability to perform exercises with the necessary degree of coordination, balance and strength. Other women may hold onto the common misconception that lifting weights will make them extremely muscular and masculine, so they will shy away from free weights and weight machines, opting instead for more aerobic style activities. What is remarkable is that once these women are educated on the importance of regular exercise and proper nutrition, they experience profound health benefits which impact every aspect of their lives.
Gym owners who are willing to make an effort to address the unique concerns of women have a wonderful opportunity to build trust in their female clients, while also potentially increasing revenue by offering classes, training packages, classes, supplements and apparel which are designed for women.
If one-on-one training is offered at your facility, make sure to develop a group of trainers which can motivate female clients and address their unique concerns without making them feel inadequate or overwhelmed. Women also tend to have more questions about how to eat healthy, and often practice chronic caloric restriction which their bodies eventually adapt to, making it more difficult to drop those last few pounds, so it also makes sense to offer nutritional advice or refer female clients out to a dietician or nutritionist who is affiliated with your facility. Once the clients begin to experience physical and mental transformations, they become great cheerleaders for the gyms in which they train.
On a personal note, I am a proponent of weight training and supportive nutrition, especially in older individuals. One of the cruel consequences of aging is that a progressive loss of muscle occurs, beginning as early as one’s 20’s. I explain to clients that resistance training and an increase in protein intake are both critical for combating the insidious deflation of muscle and sagging skin which are the dreaded signs of advancing age.
It is important to make clients aware of the fact that resistance training will increase muscle-fiber diameter and overall strength, as well as naturally boost growth hormone and testosterone levels in the body.
Such hormonal and metabolic boosts can be incredible blessings for a menopausal woman who has been riding the unpredictable and often uncomfortable wave of hormonal decline, which is fraught with hot flashes, mood swings and, insomnia.
Basically, it is never too late to begin strength training!
For more information on age-related muscle loss in older women, please read my feature article in the September 2014 issue of Muscle & Body Magazine.
Which Is More Effective For Weight Loss: Diet or Exercise?
As a physician and fitness professional I regularly evaluate people who want to lose weight and have often been asked whether diet or exercise is more effective in helping them to reach their goals. If I had to choose which type of weight loss strategy was more important, I would say that about 80 percent depends on diet. In fact, research has shown that the majority of weight loss programs which focused on dietary changes produced 2-3 times greater weight loss than programs focused on exercise. However, long term management of weight loss can be optimized by a consistent exercise program.
The fact is that most people are prone to consuming foods which contain large amounts of fat, hidden sugar and salt, and preservatives. Quite often the portions consumed at one sitting are so large that the body ends up in storage mode which can lead to weight gain. By becoming aware of the value of nutrient-dense foods and re-patterning one’s eating habits so that such foods form the foundation of a daily meal plan, long-term weight loss and maintenance of a healthy weight can be accomplished. However, the media pushes “quick fixes” by promoting severe caloric restriction and plans which are nutritionally unbalanced, thus creating a state of malnutrition. For this reason I discourage fad diets as they almost invariably cause rebound weight gain to occur. There are also different types of pills which by various mechanisms can assist in weight loss. However, a number of such products can have deleterious adverse effects and should be taken with caution, if at all. I do make an exception with thermogenics, which, if used properly, can serve as an effective aid in weight loss.
But what about exercise? It is true that exercise can often stimulate hunger, but it also boosts metabolism, has a positive effect on brain function, and builds muscle. There is also some evidence that intense exercise may lower levels of ghrelin (an appetite stimulant) while raising levels of peptide YY (which suppresses appetite). In other words, if you plan to incorporate exercise into a weight loss regimen (and I highly suggest that you do), make sure to engage in workouts which are intense and challenging. One caveat: the aforementioned satiating effect on hunger is short-lived, so don’t be surprised when your body begins to crave food in an effort to replenish depleted energy stores. Before you begin to think that exercise is a bad idea when trying to lose weight, consider this: apparently, frequent exercise restores sensitivity to brain neurons that control satiety, thus placing you more in tune with your hunger signals.
Over the long term, the combination of smaller, more frequent meals, nutrient-rich foods and regular exercise can act as an insurance policy of sorts which will protect your weight loss or weight maintenance efforts.
Clean Eating or Eating Disorder?
Most people are familiar with anorexia and bulimia, but there is a lesser known eating disorder which has high prevalence in the world of competitive bodybuilding. Though it is not classified as an official eating disorder, orthorexia meets the criteria of one: obsession, social isolation, and emotional lability.
Orthorexia is an obsessive-compulsive disorder which involves an obsession with healthy eating. The orthorexic will go to great lengths to avoid foods which contain substances he determines to be unhealthy, such as fats, preservatives, processed foods, etc. For an orthorexic individual, the focus is on the quality of food, which is in stark contrast to the anorexic’s focus on quantity. Frequently this disorder may begin as a normal diet or an effort to eat in a healthier fashion, but after some time is taken to the extreme. In the quest for pure, clean foods, the sufferer becomes obsessed and self-imposed food restrictions become a primary focus.
The distinction between normal individuals and orthorexics is that the health conscious person will practice moderation and won’t wallow in guilt if they indulge in a food which may be deficient in healthy nutrients. In contrast, the orthorexic individual will obsess about the quality of food and will feel extremely guilty after straying from a self-imposed rigid diet.
Physical Signs and Symptoms of Orthorexia:
- Because orthorexics limit themselves to foods they deem healthy, they may appear emaciated or malnourished
Behavioral Signs and Symptoms of Orthorexia:
- Social isolation
- A tendency to eat alone
- Aversion to certain foods which have been deemed dangerous or disgusting
- Criticism of people who don’t engage in healthy eating
- Experience extreme pleasure in eating properly
- Feel guilty when they deviate from a rigid diet
- Strong desire to eat forbidden foods when under stress
- Has difficulty eating foods prepared in a restaurant or by another person
Medical Signs and Symptoms of Orthorexia:
- Malnutrition
- Hypotension
- Weakness
- Calcium deficieny
- Anemia in those who avoid animal protein
- Decreased gastric motility
- Abdominal bloating
- Constipation
An essential element in contest preparation for competitive bodybuilding, physique, fitness, figure and bikini divisions is rigid meal planning. As a result of this, competitors often dance along, and sometimes cross, the fine line that separates clean eating from a psychopathological relationship with food. When taken to the extreme, sufferers may experience medical signs of malnutrition similar to anorexia. While it is common for a competitor to experience feelings of guilt when a specific contest prep meal plan is not adhered to, warning flags should go up when a competitor becomes so obsessed with such transgressions that compensatory behaviors are adopted, such as excessive cardio sessions, laxative usage or starvation. If such behaviors are commonplace for an individual, behavioral intervention will become necessary in order to restore one’s emotional and physical well-being.
Since prepping for competitions places excessive pressure on an individual and underscores the pursuit of “perfection” in the sport, orthorexic behavior may be so irresistible that it is rationalized as a necessary component of one’s prep. This in and of itself makes orthorexia particularly insidious and dangerous.
You Know You Are A Die-Hard Competitor When…
• You eat most of your meals out of plastic containers
• You avoid restaurants because it is too tough to find clean choices
• You will only travel somewhere if there is a gym nearby
• You think vascularity and sweat are sexy
• You gaze longingly at forbidden foods
• You know what a protein bomb is!
• The smell of tanning solution is very familiar to you
• If you are a lady, you know what it means to use a cup in the restroom
• You have a love-hate relationship with asparagus, fish, and/or chicken
• You walk around your house in clear heels and practice posing when showtime approaches
• You know what two-a-days are
• You are accustomed to using dark sheets and towels post-tan
Competitors, can you think of any others you would like to share here?
These Otomix Leggings Look Great!
These leggings are reversible, so you can wear them with the zipper in the front or in the back. They are incredibly comfortable and can be worn for workouts, but I love wearing these with a cute top and boots for a night out! They fit so well and look fantastic.
Regular price is $24 but they are on sale now for $16.88.
Style L333 Black
Call Otomix at 1-800-597-5425 FREE to order.
Use Social Media To Blow Up Your Brand
Those of you in the world of fitness and bodybuilding who have aspirations of becoming the next big fitness sensation have chosen an amazing industry, but it is saturated and the competition is fierce. These days, the most successful fitness people have built social media followings which help to get them on the map and generate interest in what they have to offer. The individuals who really stand out are the ones who know their target audience’s interests and needs, and accommodate them by posting relevant material which continues to lure their followers back to their profiles.
It doesn’t really matter how buff, attractive, or photogenic you are if you don’t have an understanding of how to appeal to your audience. It is no surprise that the pool of beautiful, fit people who are scrambling for stardom is considerably large, which makes it vital for fitness people to establish something unique and marketable if they want to rise to the top of the heap. This is where branding comes in. What IS your brand? What is your message? Do you know your target audience?
You can look at trends from social media to see who is following you and target the largest group. Then you need to determine what it is about you that grabs that target audience, whether it is your age, your gender, a specific training style, a distinctive look, a great product, etc. Once you have done that, you can use hashtags on social media to describe your unique qualities and to spark the interest of your target audience. If you have a certain key phrase you use all the time, USE IT! It is astonishing how effective using a key phrase can be in promoting your personality.
There are so many social media platforms now (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Flickr, Vimeo, YouTube, etc.) that you have countless opportunities to build your fan base and also build your brand. Be sure to also tag your friends and industry people who are in your corner and believe in what you have to offer. There’s nothing like having a cheering section of friends who can help spread the word and grow your social media tree.
Make sure you have a website which is updated regularly, and direct your followers to that website whenever possible. Though having a slick website is a nice bonus, it is more important to have SOMETHING for followers to go to, even if it is a free site like Wix or WordPress. Many people will just shy away from fitness personalities who do not have a site established. There are several website template sites which are decent and which provide all the basics you need. Once you have established your brand, you can always upgrade to a more complex or detailed site.
On another note, I am always surprised by how many people want to establish a foothold in the fitness industry, but do not have business cards. I cannot tell you how unprofessional you look when you are trying to network, only to tell interested parties that you do not have a business card to hand to them. Business cards are pretty inexpensive these days, and in some cases free (Vistaprint.com is one site which offers free cards), so GET ON IT!
Progress Pictures Of One Of My Clients
I had recently gotten an email from this client, lamenting what she felt was a lack of progress after ten months. Since she has a significant medical issue, I have been extremely cautious with her nutrition and supplements. Thankfully, she has had no issues with weight training, so I have been more aggressive with her lifting regimen. Upon receiving her email, I pulled up her baseline images from last summer, and WOW. I am very impressed by her progress and so proud of her! The images on the left are from mid-June of last year, and the ones on the right are from April of this year.
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