"I need to eat cheese to get calcium."

Greetings,

I hope all is well and that you’re healthy, exercising, and you filed your taxes ;-)

Last night at boot camp, I asked a camper what did they put in their salad.  Amongst numerous types of  veggies she ended with, “Oh, and feta cheese”.

I asked her why the cheese and her response was, “I need to eat cheese to get calcium.”

She is correct that cheese and other dairy products are good sources of calcium and protein.

In fact, Matthew Messina, DDS, an American Dental Association spokesman  states, "Cheese is one of the best foods you can eat for your teeth.  It's a good source of calcium, to keep your teeth strong. Plus, eating cheese can lower the levels of bacteria in your mouth and keep your teeth clean and cavity-free,"

However besides calcium, what else is your body absorbing from cheese?

You are correct – fat.  It is a VERY GENEROUS source of  SATURATED fat.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest describes cheese as America's number one source of saturated fat, adding that the average American ate 30 lb (14 kg) of cheese in the year 2000, up from 11 lb (5 kg) in 1970.  Imagine if you eliminated or greatly minimized the amount of cheese you consumed for the remainder of the year.  Will you be 30lbs lighter, 15lbs lighter??

So, since we should be eliminating cheese and other dairy products from our diet, please tell me some of the healthier options in order to obtain calcium. I’m glad you asked – here about 20...

Soy Milk

Almond Milk

Hemp Milk

Soy Yogurt

Soy Ice Cream (Tofutti)

Collards

Bok Choy (Tasty)

Butternut Squash

Okra

Kelp

Seaweeds

Broccoli

Tofu

Beans

Quinoa (Great source of protein)

Tahini

Figs

Almonds

Hazelnuts (Great source of healthy fats)

Sesame

Pistachio

Finally but rather important, since calcium is a mineral it needs an agent in order to be absorbed from the digestive tract.  This agent happens to be vitamin D. We receive vitamin D  primarily from 2 sources -  produced in our skin from direct sunlight (about 20 min a day) and/or consumption of animal proteins such as beef liver.  The choice is yours!

All the best to you on your health and fitness journey!

“When, and If I Lose Weight Where Does it Go?” x Top 10 Impressions

Greetings,
I hope all is well and you are enjoying your summer.
Recently, I was asked the question: “When, and if I lose weight where does it go?” I figured that this is a questions many of us has pondered. So, I decided to make it a blog post.

Now, for an in depth answer, we will need to discuss a few complex metabolic processes and some of the following components: glucose, glycogen, glycerol, triglycerides, mitochondria, oxaloacetate, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), etc. Unless, you’re in medical field these words may be uncommon. I’m a strong advocate of keeping it simple.

Cristen Conger of Discovery News does a great job of simplifying the process.

“First, our bodies convert molecules in fat cells to usable forms of energy, thus shrinking the cells. But getting this to happen isn't just about sweat bands and short shorts.

We know that weight loss hinges on burning calories. Calories measure the potential energy in food you eat in the form of fats, proteins and carbohydrates.

If our bodies were cars, energy would be the gas to keep everything running. Lounging in front of the television is like cruising the strip, while sprinting around a track is more like drag racing at maximum speeds. In short, more work means more energy.

The body uses some of those calories to digest food. Once the food is broken down into its respective parts of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, it either uses the remaining energy or converts it to fat for storage in fat cells. Fat cells live in adipose tissue, which basically acts like an internal gas station, storing away fuel reserves. To lose weight, you must burn more calories, or energy, than you consume to start using up that fuel reserve. Essentially, you're not ingesting enough calories to fuel your additional exercise, so your body must pull from fat stores.

According to the Law of Conservation of Mass, matter is neither created nor destroyed, but it may alter its form through chemical reaction. Essentially, that tells us that while we lose mass/weight in our bodies by BURNING UP FAT, it does not just disappear. IT SIMPLY CHANGES FORM, LIKE ICE TO WATER, AND LIKE WATER TO STEAM. The water exits the body as in liquid form as urine and perspiration. Or it is removed from the body in gas form as carbon dioxide exhaled from our lungs.”

Continue to “burn those calories” and “sweat away the pounds”!

If you’re more of a visual learner, here’s a video that breaks down the process -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFjoEqQ19b4

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Top 10 Impressions.

In the digital age, and the need for instantaneous information I have devoted more time sharing health and nutrition tidbits via Twitter and on the FB MTH Fitness “page”. Rather then blogging or the MTH Fitness “group”.


 With that said, I highly recommend you join and "like" the MTH Fitness Page or follow me on Twitter @mthfitness, in order to remain in the loop. For those of you that have a FB page, I’m sure you’re aware of the analytic for administrators called “impressions”. FYI, an impression is a stat that displays the amount of times a posting rendered on user’s browsers. These impressions can come from a user’s news feed, live feed, etc. This gives admins the ability to see which postings were most and least popular. In turn, they can make future postings that cater to the user’s needs.

Here are the top 10 impressions in descending order from the MTH Fitness page. The postings consist of articles, videos, photos with commentary etc.
10. Swapping Meat for Nuts to Lower Diabetes Risk - NY Times Article
9. Ingredients for McDonalds New Smoothie (Over 15!) –Short Commentary
8. Never Too Busy – Health Cartoon
7. Should You Eat Soup or the Salad First? – Short Commentary
6. If You Have Back Problems You Should Avoid Crunches – NY Times Article
5. US Calories vs India and Africa Calories - Short Commentary
4. The Making of Chicken Nuggets – Vegsource Article
3. Kiwi (Chinese Gooseberry) vs. Apple and Orange- Photo with commentary
2. Recommended Pedometers for Your Budget – Commentary with Amazon links
1. "Brown rice isn't that much more nutritious than white rice." Dr. Furhman – HealthSource Video

For more information on these topics you can go here - http://www.facebook.com/pages/MTH-Fitness/134469229957530

All the best,
Marcus T. Hodge
MTH Fitness – Personal Training, Group Training, and Fat Blasting Boot Camp
www.MTHFitness.com
http://getfitandpush.blogspot.com/
twitter.com/MTHFitness

Proud to be an American X MTH does not like the treadmill!

After almost 20 years of using the OUTDATED food pyramid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USDA_Food_Pyramid.gif) as the standard way of eating, the USA finally changes to a more sensible, healthier, and easier to understand diagram - My Plate ( www.choosemyplate.gov).

This was brought to my attention during our nutrition class at boot camp (thx Murphy). For months, we would draw a similar plate but half our plate is veggies and we eat our fruit at a different time. Maybe another 5-10 years from now they’ll catch on to that. Nonetheless, this is a huge step in the right direction for America.

If you look at the food pyramid you can see that largest intake of calories came from “Bread, Cereal, Rice & Pasta Group”. However, it did not distinguish the type of bread, cereal, etc. One of the main reasons for the sky-rocketing increase in obesity rates have been from the large consumption of the these foods in a highly processed state. White bread, white pasta, white rice, and sugary cereals are the main causes for many bulging waist lines. Like I tell my clients, “If it’s white, it’s not right!”

However, with My Plate it specifies the type of grains one should consume – whole wheat flour, bulgur, whole cornmeal, etc. And, it specifies to refrain from eating the white/refined grains. Listen to this:

“Refined grains have been milled, a process that removes the bran and germ. This is done to give grains a finer texture and improve their shelf life, but it also removes dietary fiber, iron, and many B vitamins.”

And…

“Most refined grains are enriched. This means certain B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid) and iron are added back after processing. Fiber is not added back to enriched grains. Check the ingredient list on refined grain products to make sure that the word “enriched” is included in the grain name. Some food products are made from mixtures of whole grains and refined grains.”

There are few other notable differences such as increasing fruits and veggies and decreasing meat and dairy products.

It is refreshing to see America finally catch up to rest of the world when it comes to eating healthy.


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MTH does not like the treadmill!

Yes, you read that correctly. At times I speak in the third person, as I’m sure you do as well. How can a personal trainer not enjoy using the most popular machine in the gym?? Something must be wrong! He must not like cardio.

Au contraire, when it comes to cardio it is important to do something you enjoy. If you do not enjoy what you’re doing it is very unlikely you’ll do it again and will see RESULTS. You’ll rarely see me running aimlessly but you will see me on the basketball court, tennis court, performing hill sprints, bike riding, etc. I can probably do those for hours on end. But, get me on a treadmill or an elliptical and l I’ll want to hop off within the first 5 minutes.

There was a time that Tae-Bo was the “it’ thing to-do because it was fun and people saw results. Nowadays, we have Boot Camps, P90X, Zumba, and the latest craze Bikram Yoga (deodorant required).

Whatever cardio exercises you choose make sure it’ll help you reach your goal and most importantly that its FUN!

Yours in health,

Marcus

Quickie - BBQ Tips

Given that the holiday weekend is here, dedicated and focused clients inquired about healthy BBQ options. I recall I did a quickie blog about this around the same time last year.
There's no need to re-invent the wheel. So, here's the short blog with a few additional tips.


Here's your Traditional BBQ feast
• Cheeseburger w/mayo and pickles on white bun
• 1 beef/pork sausage
• Large scoop macaroni salad
• Handful of barbecue chips
• Glass of lemonade
• 2 """light""" beers
• Blueberry pie a la mode
3000-6000 calories, min.65 grams of fat, max 5-10 grams of fiber and a heart attack waiting to happen.

Lets get rid of fatty steaks, ribs, and chicken wings
Instead choose:
• Skinless chicken breasts
• Chicken/fish-vegetable kabobs
• Fish (wild salmon, halibut, shrimp)

LOSE calorie-laden side dishes (full-fat macaroni salad, potato salad, coleslaw, chips)
Instead choose:
• Grilled vegetables (anything goes: zucchini, red pepper, portabella mushrooms)
• Sweet potatoes and white potatoes
• Corn on the cob

And if you must have the chips, go for healthier varieties:
• Baked BBQ Lays
• Terra vegetable chips
• Stacy’s pita chips
• Flat Earth Fruit/Veggie crisps

Instead let's go for a healthier and leaner BBQ feast
• Turkey burger or veggie burger w/romaine lettuce, onions, cucumbers with reduced-fat cheese on whole-wheat bun
• 1 chicken sausage
• Grilled tofu or seitan
• Grilled veggies (zucchini, portabella mushrooms, red peppers, corn)
• Baked sweet potato
• Bottled water
• Italian ice pop
• Watermelon, watermelon and watermelon
750-1500 calories, min. amount of fat, lean protein, and tons of fiber to keep you feeling full.

Enjoy your holiday!

Yours in health,
Marcus

P.S. If you decide to drink alcohol/empty calories be sure to increase your cardio intake as well. For every 8oz of alcohol consumed that's an additional 20 minutes (boosted from 10 minutes) of intense cardio. 3 drinks = 60 minutes.

"But I tried everything.." x MTH Fitness Page on FB x FBI Video

You’ve been working out like crazy, eating “correctly”, watching your calories, etc – but you’re still not seeing results. Or are you just not doing anything at all, and still not seeing results. Go figure!
For a moment ponder these few questions, see how you would answer them…

(For those that train with me, this is a refresher)



1. How much rest/sleep am I getting?

Ideally, we need at least 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Studies have shown that 2 hours of sleep BEFORE midnight is equivalent to 4 hours of sleep AFTER midnight.
The earlier you go to bed, the better sleep you will receive. Benjamin Franklin said it best, “Early to bed and early to wise makes a man HEALTHY, wealthy and wise”.



2. How much water am I drinking?

You should consume half your body weight (lbs) in oz. So, if you weigh 200lbs you should be consuming at least 100 oz of water.



3. Am I too stressed?

If possible, avoid any unnecessary chronic stress (hubby/wife, boss etc). During periods of high stress your body produces a natural growth hormone called cortisol. Cortisol primary functions are to suppress the immune system, and aid in fat, protein and carbohydrate metabolism. These “nutrients” mentioned will pack on pounds directly in your abdominal area!!
Sleep deprivation (see above), caffeine, “burnout”, and even extended periods of commuting may cause increase levels in this hormone.



4. Am I consuming enough vegetables?

Look at your lunch and dinner plate. What portion of that plate are veggies? What portion is lean protein?
Ideally, ½ of our plate should be veggies, ¼ complex carbs, and ¼ lean protein. Lack of vegetables is a major reason why some of us are not reaching our fitness goals.


5. Do my workouts vary? Are they motivating? Are they with MTH Fitness?

If you do the same thing over and over- wouldn’t you be bored?? Well, your body feels the same way. If you’ve been doing the same workout, same reps/weights for an entire year or even a couple of months, most likely you will plateau. Your body needs to do different exercises, at diff tempos, on varying days, with varying intensities to continue to burn calories



6. Am I eating too frequently? (Controversial)

Yes, I know you’ve been told to eat 5-6 “small” meals throughout day. Does that work you? Most of time those that do eat 5-6 meals are eating too much altogether, and do not have proper calorie or nutrient allocations to eat properly. That may be too frequent.


Let’s think of our digestive system as if it was a car, but much more intricate. We have car A and car B. Car A is driven 6 times a day for 30 days and Car B is driven 3 times a day for 30 days. If you were to buy a car on day 31, which car would you buy?


Did your parents snack between meals? Were they overweight/obese? I remember be scolding for trying to eat something in the late afternoon and hearing, “don’t spoil your dinner”.


So, how often should we eat? Jan Kuzma, author of “Live 10 Healthy Years Longer” recommends we eat every 5-6 hours. She’s also a proponent of eating only 2 meals a day, and skipping dinner. Interesting…


If your answers to the questions are aligned to what’s stated, just keep at it. Goals are NOT built overnight. If you’re questions are not even near, you know what you need to do.



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In addition to the MTH Fitness Group on FB, there will be a MTH Fitness Page. The tips will be more succinct and should be updated more frequently than the Group. Feel free to “like” it, and to tell a friend/family to like it as well.



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I haven’t done a video in a while. So instead of going out Saturday night (whomp), I decided to put one together. It’s a video of one my clients that's currently training to join the FBI. You can find it MTH Fitness page.




Yours in health,
Marcus T. Hodge

Personal training, group training, and Fat Blasting Boot Camps.

RE-introduction of a SUPER Drink! x 20 Ways to Get More of IT!

It is being re-introduced because it's often ignored by many, especially those on the weight loss track!

Yes, you guessed correctly - I am discussing water once AGAIN!

Client, boot campers, lay(wo)men alike are neglecting the essential drinking of H20.

I remember a particular client was having trouble losing weight and we added an additional 3 cups of water to her daily regimen, and within 2 weeks she lost 5 pounds. That’s with no additional change to her diet or exercise.

Water works, plain and simple.

Dr. Donald S Robertson provides 9 benefits of drinking water. Please pay special attention to 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and 9.

1)There is loss of hunger almost overnight.

2) Retained water shows up as excess weight.

3) To get rid of excess water you must drink more water.

4) Drinking water is essential to weight loss.

5) Endocrine-gland function improves.

6) Fluid retention is alleviated as stored water is lost.

7) More fat is used as fuel because the liver is free to metabolize stored fat.

8) Natural thirst returns.

9) The body will not function properly without enough water and can't metabolize stored fat efficiently.

Having trouble getting enough water?? Here are 20 tips!

1. Drink two glasses of water immediately after waking up.

2. Have a big glass of water at every transitional point of the day: when you first get up, just before leaving the house, when you sit down to work, etc.

3. Make it convenient - keep a big, safe,reusable, and insulated water bottle full on your desk and reach for it all day.

4. When you have juice (apple, grape, or orange) fill half the glass with water.

5. When you have a junk-food craving, down a glass of water immediately. You feel full quickly and avoid the calories, and it lets time pass till the craving fades.

6. Have one glass every hour on the hour while at work. When the work day is done your water quota is met.

7. Substitute a cup of hot water with a drop of honey for tea or coffee.

8. While at work, get a 20 ounce cup of ice and keep filling it up from the office water cooler. The key is drinking with a straw - you take bigger gulps and drink much more.

9. Freeze little bits of peeled lemons, limes, and oranges and use them in place of ice cubes - it's refreshing and helps get in a serving or two of fruit.

10. After each trip to the restroom, guzzle an eight-ounce glass to replenish your system.

11. Don't allow yourself a diet soda until you've had two to four glasses of water. You will find that you won't want the soda anymore or that just half a can is enough.

12. Let ounces of water double grams of fat: When eating something containing 10 grams of fat, I drink 20 ounces of water.

13. Drink two full glasses prior to each meal, one before and one after. Also, drink one glass before each snack so you don't eat as much.

14. Carry a small refillable water bottle at all times and drink during downtime; while waiting in a bank line, sitting on the train, etc.

15. Use a beautiful gold-rimmed glass and fill it with cold water from the tap.

16. Make a bet with a co-worker to see who can drink more water in the course of a day.

17. Bring a two-liter bottle of water to work and try to drink it all before you leave work. If you don't finish, drink it in traffic on the way home - it's like a race.

18. Always keep a 24-ounce bottle of water handy while watching TV, doing laundry, making dinner, etc.

19. Add drinking two glasses of water to your daily skincare regimen. Drink, cleanse, moisturize, etc., then drink again.

20. Drink your water out of a big Pyrex measuring cup - it's a good way to keep track of how much water you are drinking.



How many cups did YOU drink today??

Natalie does a good job expounding on the benefits H2O...

Dos Fat Blasting Boot Camp x S.M.A.R.T.(W) Goals

Happy New Year to All!
To kick off your New Year’s right - Fat Blasting Boot Camp returns starting next week the 11th in New Rochelle and the 18th in Yonkers! Yes, we’re in 2 locations. So, if you’re tired of you current physical condition ( or lack thereof) this is for you. Rates are economically friendly-especially for residents for Yonkers!!

So, there’s no excuse!!

Contact me ASAP for more information.


I’m sure many of you are familiar with S.M.A.R.T goals. But, we usually apply it to our career or a financial goal. But, let’s apply this to our health and fitness goals.
Let’s see what Top Achievement founder Gene Donohue states about SMART goals.

SPECIFIC

MEASURABLE

ATTAINABLE

REALISTIC

TIMELY


SPECIFIC - A specific goal has a much greater chance of being accomplished than a general goal. To set a specific goal you must answer the six "W" questions:
*Who: Who is involved?
*What: What do I want to accomplish?
*Where: Identify a location.
*When: Establish a time frame.
*Which: Identify requirements and constraints.
*Why: Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.
EXAMPLE: A general goal would be, "Get in shape." But a specific goal would say, "Join a health club and workout 3 days a week, 45 minute a day." If you want to break that down further you can state “Within that 45 minutes, I’ll do cardio for 15 minutes, strength train for 20 minutes, and stretch for 10 minutes”

MEASURABLE - Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress toward the attainment of each goal you set. When you measure your progress, you stay on track, reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you on to continued effort required to reach your goal.
To determine if your goal is measurable, ask questions such as......How much? How many? How will I know when it is accomplished?
Example: I plan to lose 10 pounds within 8 weeks.

ATTAINABLE - When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true. You develop the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity to reach them. You begin seeing previously overlooked opportunities to bring yourself closer to the achievement of your goals.
You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps. Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them. When you list your goals you build your self-image. You see yourself as worthy of these goals, and develop the traits and personality that allow you to possess them. ”

REALISTIC - To be realistic, a goal must represent an objective toward which you are both willing and able to work. A goal can be both high and realistic; you are the only one who can decide just how high your goal should be. But be sure that every goal represents substantial progress. A high goal is frequently easier to reach than a low one because a low goal exerts low motivational force. Some of the hardest jobs you ever accomplished actually seem easy simply because they were a labor of love.
Your goal is probably realistic if you truly believe that it can be accomplished. Additional ways to know if your goal is realistic is to determine if you have accomplished anything similar in the past or ask yourself what conditions would have to exist to accomplish this goal.

TIMELY - A goal should be grounded within a time frame. With no time frame tied to it there's no sense of urgency. If you want to lose 10 lbs, when do you want to lose it by? "Someday" won't work. But if you anchor it within a timeframe, "by May 1st", then you've set your unconscious mind into motion to begin working on the goal.
T can also stand for Tangible - A goal is tangible when you can experience it with one of the senses, that is, taste, touch, smell, sight or hearing. When your goal is tangible you have a better chance of making it specific and measurable and thus attainable.

I’ll like to add a “W” to the S.M.A.R.T. goal. The “W” is going to represent Written. Goals should be visual so that you can see them every day. This can be on your computer desktop, your bathroom mirror, the opening screen on your phone or all three. The more you see the goal, the greater chance you will believe in it and actually accomplishing it.

For a quick and easy tutorial on drafting your S.M.A.R.T. goals, you can view this video.



Yours in Health
Marcus