Dr Oz says that you can lose up to 14 pounds in a year in your sleep.  You think he's right? I have to agree.  Maybe that's one of the factors that's contributed to my fat loss since I've moved to Steamboat.  For the most part my days of sleep deprivation are long gone.  I'm actually averaging 7.5 hrs per night as recommended by sleep experts and I feel great!

The science behind weight loss in your sleep.  

Here's the scoop.  Hormones run the show.  If you're sleep deprived your body makes:

1.) More Grehlin, the hormone that says "EAT" more and more and….

2.) Less Leptin, the hormone that says "STOP" you've had enough.

3.) More Cortisol, the stress hormone that increases inflammation and fat storage.

4.) Less Adiponectin (mostly in caucasian women) the hormone that protects you from diabetes, and regulates your metabolism, fats and sugars.

There's more to it

You would think that your body would use more energy when it's awake, however according to Dr. Breus when you're in the critical stage of REM (restorative stage) sleep your brain is more active and requires more fuel (glucose).  Also, as the night goes on and you go through your 90 minute sleep cycles the length of your REM sleep increases.  

What does this mean?

If you're getting 6 or less hours of sleep you're missing out on the longest REM sleep cycle of the night.  Therefore, just by adding an extra 90 minutes sleep per night you can lose up to 14 pounds in a year.  Much easier than sweating in off.  Did I actually say that???

Start your own experiment tonight

Set your alarm to go off 8 hours before you need to get up to be sure you'll get your butt in bed in time to get 7.5 hours of critical sleep for your health and fat loss and don't forget to tell your family and friends about it too.  If you've got any other tricks to get more sleep share them in the comment section below.  Sweet dreams!

Could the #1 belly fat producer and health destroyer be a food that most of us eat every day? I have to admit that I've been resistant to the thought of it (especially because I'm half Italian), but my tune is changing because there's just too much scientific evidence that backs it up.  

Ask my family and friends and they'll be the first to tell you that I've been through more dietary phases than there are ears in a cornfield (what a crusty cliche…).  This new info leads me to yet another experiment on myself that could well turn into a permanent lifestyle change.

Whole wheat may not be the way to go 

Here's the scoop. 2 slices of whole wheat bread have a higher glycemic index than sugar.   All my formal training lead me to be on the "whole grain" band wagon with most of my other fitness professional and dietician colleagues.  Well, I'm thinkin now…Not so much!  

My new goal is to do my best to become "Wheat Free".  We'll see what happens? If all goes well, perhaps some of the common wheat gluten sensitivity symptoms that I have (memory issues, itchy skin patches and brain fog) will disappear.  Cross your fingers and toes for me guys, because theses itchy spots are driving me nuts!

More and more evidence reveals that our modern day wheat may be about the worst thing we should be putting in our mouths.  Whole grain, sprouted or not.  As Dr. Davis says "A low tar cigarette is still a cigarette."

Just bought the book "Wheat Belly, Lose the Wheat Lose the Weight"  written by Dr. William Davis, a Cardiologist and seeker of the truth of health.  What he's all about really struck a chord with me.  I so agree with getting to the root cause of things and not just putting a band-aid on it by addressing only the symptoms.

There's another Doc that I'm in the process of investigating who also is on the anti-gluten band wagon.  His name is Dr. Thomas O'Bryan, an Internationally recognized speaker and workshop leader specializing in Gluten Sensitivity and Celiac Disease and as his bio says is a ‘Sherlock Holmes’ for chronic disease and metabolic disorders. 

Just Eat Real Food

Mark Sisson and all the other "Paleo" dudes, may have been onto something all along. I've got more to say about this can of worms in future posts, but until then… what are your experiences with "Wheat" or "Gluten Free" diets?  Good, bad or the ugly?  Tell us in the comment section below.  Also don't forget to forward this post along to your family and friends who may be experiencing some of the same negative side effects from wheat gluten.

New Years fitness and weight loss resolutions are a waste of your time. Not sure about this, but I'm guessing that I'm one of the very few Fitness Pros that will be dolling out this advice.  

There are so many statistics out there and it's very hard to get a handle on what's exactly true, but according to meyouhealth.com  88% of all resolutions fail.  So why not try something different this year and forget about setting unrealistic promises to yourself that are almost guaranteed not to happen.

Instead, how about focusing on making activity a habit, just like brushing your teeth.  Most of us wouldn't dream about walking out of the house in the morning without brushing our teeth. However, those who struggle with weight loss, health and fitness hardly have the thought cross their mind to make moving more a part of their daily regimen.  

I've often wondered why I'm so different?  Why is it a given for me that I'll do some type of activity daily, while so many of my family members, friends and clients struggle with it?  

Well there's a reason and it's much like learning a new sport or dance move.  It all comes down to wiring.  No not the electrical wiring in your home, but the wiring in your brain.  In order for new behaviors to stick, you've got to change your neural pathways, memories and default thinking when your faced with the decision of "to exercise or not to exercise".  For example, trying to change a habit by "trying to do it" only re-enforces and strengthens the old behavior.

Positive change in anything requires action, new neural pathways and new thinking.

If you want things to be different and ditch the same ol same ol, check out the 5 step plan for lasting positive change below.

5 Steps For Positive Change

1.) Focus on 1 habit at a time.  Trying to take anything more than baby steps only sets you up for failure.  

2.) Have an accountability buddy, trainer or group to help you stay on track.  Social support is a must for lasting success.

3.) Celebrate your success each and every day you perform the new activity that you desire to be a habit.  Don't wait until it becomes second nature like brushing your teeth.

4.) Focus your thinking on your new behaviors and thought patterns.  Burning those new neural pathways is a must.  

5.) Zero in on the present and be mindful of your physical, emotional and mental inner state and think of one thing that you can do today that will bring you closer to your new positive ritual.

Share this with a friend if you thought it was helpful and have a Happy New Year!

Yep that's right, NO more plastic furniture covers in my life.  You're probably wondering, what that's got to do with Health and Fitness and why am I'm writing about it in the first place??? 

Well, here's the scoop.  I'd been leaning towards this motto for quite some time.  Especially in the last year or so, since I've been adopting a more minimalist lifestyle.  You see I used to always feel the need to save really good things for later.  Stuff like, my favorite shoes, clothes, foods etc.  Then after experiencing the last two weeks of my mom's terminal illness, it reinforced to me that you should enjoy everything and every day NOW and be grateful for it. Saving something for tomorrow may never happen.  

That was the case for so many things in my poor mom's life.  A good example was a box of Steamboat Toffee that we gave my mom and dad on their 50th anniversary weekend (11/11/11).  She told me to put the toffee in the suitcase and she'd try it later.  She loved toffee too.  So much that she didn't want my nephews to inhale it.  I know she would have really enjoyed it if she would have fought off her instinct to save it for later.  Unfortunately she never indulged in the Steamboat Toffee.  There it sat on the Kitchen counter days after she'd passed into another plane of consciousness.  

I'm not telling this story to be "Debbie Downer" and send anyone into an emotional funk, I'm merely trying to illustrate a very sad example of waiting for a better time and saving something for later that never came to be.

Moral of the story…Don't save your adventures, get togethers with the people you love, books you want to read, movies you want to see or a fantastic bottle of wine.  Dig in, enjoy it, be grateful and please "Throw away the plastic furniture covers!"

What's the last thing or experience you've saved for later??? Please share it with us in the comment section below and forward this to a friend so you can inspire them to "Throw away their plastic furniture covers."

Thursday isn't only about turkey, football and black friday eve, it also marks the beginning of the holiday weight gain season.  Although the average numbers gained is a bit controversial, most often an extra 5 plus pounds of extra fat is added to the total that we'll pledge to get rid of in January.

Most of us tend to throw in the towel, emotionally over eat and pledge to deal with it later.  It doesn't have to be that way and you don't have to deprive yourself.  Just add these 3 strategies to your playbook and you should make it through the Holidays without any added weight gain. 

1.) Get moving!  One of the most effective ways to maintain or lose fat is to exercise regularly.  If you haven't made it a habit, now is the best time to start.  It only takes 28 days to form a habit and there's no better time than the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

2.) Book it.  Be sure you do it and not just talk about it.  Put it on your schedule, make an appointment with yourself and follow through.  If you need accountability enlist the help of a friend, family member or coach.

3.) Plan ahead.  Probably sick of hearing about planning, but it's critical.  From meals to treats.  Think about the week before it begins.  Tis the season when we're bombarded by parties, treats and holiday cheer (the liquid kind).  Here's an example.  Happy hour holiday party with works bud's on Friday balances out with a kick but interval workout that day.  If you think about the energy balance like the old time two sided scale and expend at least the same or a little more than you take in you won't gain a bit. 

Have any other tricks to keep fend off holiday weight gain, please list them in the comments below and share the post to all your friends and family if you thought it was helpful.  Happy Turkey Day!     

Choose your Poison

Whether your winter sport of choice is, alpine skiing, snowboarding, tele-mark, nordic, skate skiing, snow shoeing or tubing down the hill on your butt, it pays to prepare or you’ll pay with pain or possibly injury later. 

I remember the first time I went skiing. Man was I hurting the next day.  I thought I was in pretty good shape too.  But that’s one of the biggest misconceptions.  You can think you’re in great shape, however you're really not because…

Training and prep are SPECIFIC to the sport.  Just because you’re a master swimmer, doesn’t mean you’re going to tear it up on the slopes right out of the gate without pain and suffering.  You can however, get the most out of every turn if you put a little sweat and planning in before the snow flies.

A pound of preparation is worth many days of awesome turns

Everything needs prepping for the winter.  Cars do better with snow tires, extra weather stripping keeps out the cold and exposed pipes need wrapping so they don’t freeze.  Skiing and snowboarding also requires a little prep in the areas of building strength, endurance, power, flexibility and joint mobility. 

So don’t be like the majority.  "Regardless of your ability level, don't make the mistake of assuming you can ski or board yourself into shape," says Dave Merriam, head coach of the PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America) and AASI (American Association of Snowboard Instructors) Demonstration Teams.  Plan for success instead and workout properly before so you can have awesome powder days later.

Check out the video below to get a little taste of what I'm talking about and if you don't know where to start and need help, grab a FREE week of NO pressure private ski or Snowboard conditioning classes.

Over 40 and hit a fat loss plateau? In the last post we uncovered 3 possible reasons your body stops losing fat. Part two of the equation is how to get the fat loss process going again.

Below are the 3 big reasons why you're over 40 fat loss can come to a screeching halt, along with 3 simple plans of attack to get the fat melting off again.

PROBLEM 1

Your smaller body requires less fuel. The new improved you doesn't need as much food to operate and your body likes balance and will do just about everything in its power to stay the same. Like most of us, the human body isn't a big fan of change, even though fat loss is a positive one.

SOLUTION 1

Burn more and eat a little less. One of those sounds simple, but isn't easy statements. Creating just the right energy deficit can be tricky, especially later in the weight loss journey. There's a delicate balance.

• If you go crazy with exercise and do too much, your body rebels and will hold on to every fat cell that it possible can.
• The same goes for cutting back too much on your food. Thinking that you'll be ahead of the game by NOT eating will send your metabolism into slug mode quicker than you can blink.

So…the best way around it is to make small changes in both your activity and your nutrition. Baby steps will keep you going forward. Don't get too greedy. You'll regret it.

• Kick up the exercise a notch by adding in some fat burning cardio intervals or add or up the intensity of your strength training workouts.
• Then on the food side…slow down your eating, try to become more present and chew every bite. Just by changing that one little thing at meal time, your brain will have time to signal your stomach that it's had enough and you'll create just the right amount of deficit so your body won't freak out.

PROBLEM 2

Eating more than you think. When you've been watching every bite that goes into your mouth for weeks, it's natural to become a little lax and less diligent.

SOLUTION 2

Record everything that goes into your mouth. NO exceptions! It's a pain in the ass, but food logging works. Been proven in the research time and time again.

• If you're a techie there's several good free tools you can use like: The food and activity log on the free health resource site http://sharecare.com, http://fitday.com or http://my-calorie-counter.com .
• And if you're techno challenged pen and paper works just as well. Too lazy to write it down?  Another accountability trick is to take a photo of every meal and mms or e-mail it to your Personal Trainer, Health Coach (or workout buddy. Adding in the accountability factor will keep you from popping that hand-full of M&M's into your mouth.

PROBLEM 3

Your body gets bored. Doing the same things over and over again will NEVER get you DIFFERENT results. If you want to stay stuck. Keep doing what you're doing. If not…

SOLUTION 3

Shake it up. It's a must to change up your routine. The body must be CHALLENGED in order to change. No challenge and fat loss is a NO GO item.

• Mix up the cardio. Get some intervals into the picture. Hard ones too. No more going through the motions and putting in your time on the treadmill. Also change up your activities. Try something new. New sport, new piece of equipment or new movement like dancing (not one that I would choose…can you imagine?) Moving the body in different ways, also puts the brain and neuromuscular system to the test and expends more calories. It'll keep things fresh and give your body a reason to get better.
• Be sure to change up your strength training workouts too. That booty shaping circuit isn't going to work forever. Different workouts, equipment, locations (outside vs. inside) helps a ton. Also be sure to increase the intensity too. Don't mean to sound like a broken record, but if your body's not challenged it's not gonna change.

These three tips are a great start and more than likely will get you back on the fat loss track again. If you have any other plateau busting secrets or tips, please share them in the comment section below.

Also pass this post along to your friends via Facebook, Twitter or e-mail if you've found it helpful.

Fat loss plateaus and figuring out the reasons why they happen can be frustrating for sure, but it doesn't have to be a that way. You can bust through them. All you have to do is have a plan.

Want to have a flat shapely waistline like a belly dancer?  Well, skipping lunch or eating fast food isn’t gonna get you there. And breakfast isn’t the only important meal either.  Especially if you want to get your metabolism cranked up, ward off the 2 P.M. energy slump and get rid of your belly fat.  Eating a healthy lunch with the right balance of nutrients can be the solution to less yawns, increased productivity and a flatter sexier stomach.

Three easy ways to help you shape up your waist and kill it in the afternoon.

1.) Use your leftovers Plan ahead and make a little extra.  Using your leftovers from the night before is not only easy, but very economical.  A lot of times too they taste better the second time around because the spices have a chance to really soak in and add tons of flavor to the dish.

2.) Pack it the night before Another fail to plan, plan to fail example.  Don’t wait until your rushing out the door and blow off packing your lunch because you haven’t allowed enough time.  Do it the night before. It may be a pain and it’s probably the last thing you feel like dealing with, but investing 5-10 minutes the night before will not only save you money because you won’t be tempted to buy fast food, but it will also give you something to look forward to.  Especially if you pack the leftovers from your yummy dinner the night before.

3.) Keep it RAW Not sayin’ you have to become a  Raw Foodie, but raw is not only good for you, but it’s easy too.  Shoot for 50% raw each meal to get more good nutrients in your diet.  It’s simple and you’ll notice even the smallest changes will improve your energy and your mood.

Here’s a quick and easy example that uses both leftovers and raw foods.  Cube up the grilled chicken from last night’s dinner and throw it on top of a bowl of mixed organic greens.  Lunch DONE! Doesn’t’ take much and it can be a lot of fun to think of dinner menus that the leftovers can be easily modified for your energizing belly slimming lunch the next day.

Have any favorite dinner/next days lunch recipes you’d like to share in the comment section.

As many of you may know, I'm not a huge fan of crunches because of the repeated spinal flexion that occurs every time you contract your abs and lift your head and shoulders towards the ceiling. Which in my opinion, can contribute to upper cross syndrome or forward posture (hunch back of Notre Dame) and also additional wear and tear on the spinal discs.  We do enough every day stuff that tightens all of muscles in front of our bodies and brings us crouching forward.  This repeated forward crunching can also add to or cause chronic low back issues which about 80% of us have.  

So instead of crunching until the cows come home, i think it's better to try many of the other ab exercise substitutions that are safer and more effective than a crunch.  Although an occasional crunch won't kill you, try this one (One of my fav's) "Mountain Climbers"

And  also check out this little core routine demonstrated in the second video by Dr. Stuart McGill.  Back Guru of the century.   These core exercises are much safer on the spine and more effective for strengthening the core than the millions of crunches Americans do every day.

“Magic 4 for Core"

    1.) Pot Stir or Stability Ball Circles
    2.) Side Planks
    3.) McGill Ab Isometrics
    4.) Bird Dogs