Flat Belly Recipe: Hi-Pro Low-Fat French Toast

Use Milton's whole wheat bread for this - it's delicious and has a nicer texture than some other whole wheat breads. Crack three eggs but dump two yolks down the drain. Mix the three whites and one yolk with a cop of nonfat milk, and maybe a tiny bit of vanilla. Soak the bread and then when it's on the skillet (450 or med-high), sprinkle with cinnamon and a little nutmeg.

Top with 2% greek yogurt (Trader Joe's), drizzle on some honey and throw on some fresh or thawed frozen berries.

Makes about four pieces so double if you have a more than a couple of people you're cooking for.


Awesome!

Mark(c) My Words - I'm Blessed (and so are you)

If you read this blog with any frequency, you'll notice that I'm much more interested in noticing and appreciating my many blessings than dwelling on what could be going better for me. The fact is that all of us have countless reasons to be grateful, and nobody has a monopoly on life challenges. Billionares get cancer and people with meager financial resources feel wealthy if they are surrounded by love.

Recently two gentlemen I met through a couple of my passions - my work and music - were quite generous with their help in giving this blog a much bigger audience (and may in fact be the reason you're reading this blog right now).

Mark Aiton owns a company in NorCal that orchestrates athletic events, called On Your Mark Events. We met when we were both briefly involved in a non-profit organization that never quite got off the ground. But we hit it off and stayed in touch. Because of the huge popularity of his events, his website gets the kind of traffic I only dream about. When I asked him to check out the blog, he promptly linked it to his website: http://www.onyourmarkevents.com/

Marc Abramowitz is a software engineer for Yahoo and a very talented singer and guitarist who replaced me in a band I was in several years ago. The night I met him I watched him perform with my old band (who were like my brothers) and I was seriously impressed and truly glad for all of them. We've played a couple of acoustic gigs together and we're connected through a couple of other musicians as well. Great guy. I got to see him Saturday night and he mentioned that his blog was also pretty heavily trafficed as well, but only in the context of giving me very helpful suggestions to raise my traffic level. A couple of days later, he linked my blog to his website: http://marc-abramowitz.com/

The more I notice how fortunate I am, the more these little blessings seem to materialize in my life.

Funny thing about that, huh?

Habit #8: Keep Your Muscles Guessing

The first real experience I had weight lifting was also the first real experience I had, besides the flu, with the nearly overwhelming urge to vomit.

It was my freshman year in high school and I was a springboard diver. Unfortunately for me, the divers did strength training circuits with the five-years-undefeated-in-league-meets swimmers (read: real athletes). Also unfortunately for me, the swim coach was also my math teacher and we had a relationship that was, shall we say, not altogether mutually appreciative. He was a mountain of a man (he was also the JV football coach) with a surly disposition, a voice that sounded like a sheet metal building being ripped in two, a granite face and calves like redwood trunks. But from what I remember, he had a pretty hot girlfriend as well, but I digress.

Further complicating the matter was the fact that I didn't do any other regular exercising, I smoked (mostly tobacco), ate like crap and I had an attitude that warranted my math teacher's limited affections for me.

The perfect setting for a gruelling, take no prisoners weight-training circuit! I'll never forget that first day when my lungs were on fire and my head was spinning. But in time, I adapted to the torture, and in fact, it became a primary source of a sense of accomplishment (as well as making me feel stronger and physically tougher than I'd ever felt in my life.) Even back then (somewhere between the Model "T" and CD ROMS), those coaches knew something that fitness professionals are still using today. Variety works. It helps you achieve balance and forces your body to continually adapt to new challenges. There are several ways you can integrate variety effectively into your strength training program. Here are just a few variables you can manipulate to keep things interesting and challenging:

- loads
- volume (number of reps and sets)
- direction of force (different angles to recruit muscles in different ratios)
- movement patterns (compound versus isolating and hybrid movements)
- timing variations
- range segmentation
- sequencing and integration with other activities
- work/rest intervals

I rotate about a dozen different techniques, at least two or three exercises for each body part and periodically develop some new technique that might be a variation on one I already use. My goal is to have no workout precisely mirror any I've done before.

But you don't have to be that extensive with your variations. Even cycling through a couple of exercises for each body part and/or a couple of different techniques can accomplish the same objective on a slightly smaller scale. But it's critically important that any program variations rest on a foundation of absolutely strict form for the highest quality (and safest) strength workout.

For help with that, consult a competent, experienced, nationally certified trainer (here's an article to help you to become a "smart shopper" for the right trainer in your area)http://www.trivalleytrainer.com/resources_3cs.html or contact me http://www.trivalleytrainer.com/index.html for e-coaching and a detailed description based on your particular background, fitness level and goals.

Eat NU~DE: What to Order at a Chinese Restaurant

There's an old cliche about Chinese food not satisfying your hunger for very long. Like all cliches, it's a pretty hefty distortion and not a blanket truth, by any means. Regardless of what type of food you eat, you can eat too much and be full for several hours. And at almost any restaurant it's possible to both control your portion sizes and eat low calorie and low fat food that will just tide you over for an hour or two. In fact, that's exactly what I'd like you to do.

Granted, at places where you have to option to enjoy several dishes, like at a buffet, it's much more of a challenge. When I go to those salad places, I try to cover no more than about half of my plate and keep the pile under two inches. That way when I go back for other stuff (yes, I said "when", not "if"), I haven't overloaded my stomach already and I don't leave regretting both my lack of self control and the uncomfortable "cutting" pressure on the waist of my pants.

So, assuming you're committed to disciplining that urge to over stuff, here are my recommendations for the most nutrient-dense (NU~DE) items on the menu:

Chicken Salad
Asparagus Chicken
Broccoli Beef
Mu Shu Vegetables
Egg Flower Soup
Wonton Soup
Dry Sauteed String Beans

There may be others that have slipped my mind, so feel free to comment with some suggestions of your own and I'll give you my take.

As always, preparation is key. Steamed is always great, stir-fried is usually fine, but drowning in grease, well, do I really have to say it?

How do you know if it's too fatty? See how much it glistens. If it looks like it's covered with a coat of varnish, steer clear. Some restaurants have a reputation for serving lighter, less fatty dishes, so ask around about those in your city or nearby areas.

And once you find one you like - go there often! Return customers and word of mouth referrals are the best ways to keep these places in business.

Flat Belly Recipe: Low Fat Greek Pizza

This one is super easy and quick. Here's what you need:

1 Boboli (or other pre-baked) pizza crust
1 small can Contadina Italian Style tomato paste
1 cup feta cheese
1 cup mozzerella cheese
2 cups frozen chopped spinach
1 small jar Mariani's marinated button mushrooms or artichoke hearts
1/4 cup oil-packed sundried tomatoes (halved)

Spread the tomato sauce evenly on the crust, thaw the spinach in the microwave and spread that, and finally the cheeses. Cook according to the pizza crust instructions (usually 450 degrees for 9-12 minutes), adding the tomatoes and other veggies in the last three or four minutes so they don't burn.

It's delicious, different and much lower in fat and calories since feta is lower in fat and higher in protein than most other cheeses.

Dig in!

How (and why) to Breathe When You Lift Weights

In and out. Too simple? Too obvious? Hold on a minute. Have you ever been in the gym and heard that burst of sound from pursed lips or that sudden, abrupt “Ahh” sound like the response to your OB/Gyn’s encouraging plea – “Just one more push and she’s out!!!”?

Of course you have. And if you’re working out at home and you hear that sound – you can’t blame it on the muscle head next to you slamming dumbbells around. It was you, baby.

So what’s the big deal about making one of those sounds? Well, seconds before you heard it, somebody was holding their breath. That’s where the sound came from! Why isn’t that ok? Well, there are a few reasons:

1. It keeps oxygenated blood from circulating optimally to the engaged muscles. So the muscle is short-changed of critically needed fuel.

2. You miss an opportunity to relax neighboring muscles that tense up unnecessarily and reduce the quality of the lift.

3. Holding your breath while applying force creates intra-abdominal pressure which compresses the major blood vessels and momentarily spikes your blood pressure, putting an unhealthy strain on the cardiovascular system.

That’s where proper breathing comes in. Does it matter whether you breathe in or out when applying force? Not that much. The important thing is that you breathe freely throughout the movement.

Most people do better exhaling on the more difficult or “exertion” phase – which I refer to as “XX” so you have a little trick to remember. The reason is that it takes more effort to draw in than let out a breath. So, for most people, it allows them to apply a little bit more force to the lift.

But for some, just the opposite pattern feels much more natural. That’s fine. Just breathe, whichever way you do it.

It also helps with recovery between sets.

Funny how a little air can make things seem fresh and new, huh?

Get Fit - Not Dead

Someday, God willing, you’ll be pretty old. I hope to be. In fact, I plan to be the best conditioned retiree in my non-assisted living community. I intend to age gracefully, but not prematurely.

Do you think 60 is old? How about 68?

Let’s play a game. Let’s say there were two groups of ten 60-year old guys (if you’re a woman, just humor me here for a moment and I’ll explain why very soon). The first group is tested and considered to be at a “low” fitness level. The second group has a completely different lifestyle and, using the same test qualifies as “very highly fit”.

Eight years later, five of the first group is still alive. But nine of the second group are still kicking.

Which group would you rather be in?

A friend and former client of mine sent me a link to a story about this scenario based on a study featured in an American Heart Association journal. Check it out and then you might want to share it with a friend or two (or ten):

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080123/ap_on_he_me/fitness_death_risk_3;_ylt=AnW5ez8a0B3wYDmSJa0obVUE1vAI

Stopped In My Tracks

One of the benefits of living past your twenties and thirties, is that you sometimes reflect on incidents that might otherwise be easily forgotten. The value of the experience may even compel you to see some underlying significance beyond the incident, and that, in turn may lead to a valuable lesson.

This morning, while walking my son to school, I saw something that grabbed my attention and made me grind to a halt. I stood there for a few seconds and my son's voice faded into meaningless syllables while I watched. My focus was sharpened; I was intensely alert but calm. My mind leveled no judgments but I was absolutely clear. There was an extraordinary level of quality to my attention.

Whether you felt it the first time you looked into the face of your newborn baby; or while watching a slide presentation of the life of a dear friend or family member at their funeral; whether it's the thrill of feeling like you're going to fly off the track while you're riding a roller coaster or catching your breath as you witness a near-miss accident on the freeway, we all have the capacity to achieve that ultimate degree of consciousness. We can even create it intentionally without some external event acting as a catalyst.

The problem is, most of us rarely do.

I have had struggles this year that have demanded of me a higher quality of attention than almost any other time in my life. I believe the over arching theme, and the real value for me and those in my circle, is that I learn to bring that level of awareness into my daily activities. Each day I try, not always with the success I'd like, but always earnestly and with hope and patience, to get closer to practicing this skill more consistently.

You can too. Start with your health - your self-care. It's a worthy place to begin and you'll feel and see the results that reinforces your commitment a little more each day. A year from now - you may be in a place you never dreamed of as a result.

Habit #7: Savoring Each Bite

Do you mow through your food like a thresher shark? Wait. Don't answer. If you asked someone who spends a lot of time with you, would they say that you:

1. Often talk with at least some food in your mouth when enjoying meals with others?
2. "Cannonball" your bites with a beverage to "wash it down"?
3. Are often the first one finished with your meal?

And finally, have you ever finished a meal or snack and just wondered where the heck it went so quickly?

Don't feel bad. It's pretty common. But trying to squeeze eating in between everything else that seems so important makes us sometimes miss, or at least get short-changed on one of the most rewarding experiences we can have - the joy of savoring good tasting food. And it's not just the taste, but the smell, texture and look of the food that we sometimes speed past at 90 mph.

Think about it for a minute. When was the last time that you enjoyed the last bite of something as much as you enjoyed the first one? How long has it been since you paused and truly absorbed all the sensory delights your food had to offer?

Try it at your next meal or snack. Take a second or two to really notice the experience of the appearance, aroma and consistency of that meal or snack before it disappears down your pie hole.

Help yourself to remember what you loved about eating while developing a discipline that serves you for the rest of your life.

Small Plates and Bowls to Bring Down Portion Sizes

Do you know people who set their watches or clocks five minutes ahead to keep them from being late? I always thought it was silly, because, didn't they know it was set ahead and so, didn't they just factor in that they had another five minutes anyway?

But then I finally got it. Not all the clocks they have access to are set ahead, and sometimes, when they're wrapped up in their activities, they might forget that they're looking at the clock that's adjusted. And even if they knew that clock was set ahead, at least it got them thinking about the fact that they were pushing the limits, and, hey, five minutes is not that long anyway so I better get a move on!

It's the same with eating off smaller plates and bowls. It really does make you more conscious of how much you eat at a sitting. And once you start monitoring it more closely, you eat to satisfy your hunger, rather than clubbing it to death with a truckload of food.

I eat from bowls that look like softballs cut in half, and normally from saucers, rather than dinner plates. And when I eat on the run, it usually fits in a baggie. That helps me get my daily calorie requirements (about 2500 - 3000) in small quantities spread very evenly over the day. I almost never get very hungry or very full. It's all very steady and my blood sugar feels rock solid throughout the day.

Give it a try - you might be surprised what a big difference a small dish can make.

Knowing Your Body (and reading it's signals)

Depending on the type, intensity and duration of the session, the body responds to exercise in very distinctive ways. You can become very skilled at reading those signals. It's a good idea if you're taking your fitness program seriously, because it gives you the power to manage your program much more effectively. Here are a few "feelings" to watch for with different aspects of fitness training:

1. Cardio
Lungs on fire = too intense to sustain for more than a minute. This is fine to include in short, spaced increments for very fit, regular exercisers, but is generally too aggressive a training style for new exercisers.

Modestly accelerated breathing and a feeling you could keep going for a couple of hours is great for general health but won't significantly improve your stamina.

Deep, rapid breathing but a steady, tolerable level of exertion that can be sustained for 20-40 minutes is perfect for most exercisers looking to slowly build their heart and lung capacity and burn a decent amount of body fat.

2. Strength
Loads that make controlled, fluid movements very difficult and exhaust the muscles in six or fewer repetitions is pure power training, and dangerous for inexperienced weight lifters. This usually has no "burn" associated with it - it's characterized by a rapid loss of force capacity during a short set.

Resistance levels that are easy to move for the first six or eight repetitions, and are only moderately difficult to move past 12-15 reps is strictly for muscle endurance improvement. This is good for first time lifters and athletes who want to avoid even moderate power or muscle girth gains. This is the level at which the burning sensation is most pronounced if you go deep into muscle endurance capacity. Intolerance of the increasing burn is usually the limiting factor - not loss of muscle power.

Weight that becomes very difficult to move in the 8-12 repetition range strikes a nice balance between muscle endurance and strength improvements. This is the range where most people choose to train and has the widest application for functional improvements (day-to-day, sports and recreational activities.)

3. Flexibility training can be static, held positions; or it can be yoga or Pilates, or even pre-event dynamic/ballistic or mildly explosive stretching. It's best to get direction from a qualified fitness professional (e-mail about specifics on this) about what mode or combinations of modes are best for you based on your profile and fitness goals. But, as a general rule, caution is a good idea here. It's much better to be less aggressive with stretch loads on the muscles and tendons (say 60 - 75% of comfort tolerance) and get in longer stretches or more rounds of stretching, than risk injuring the joint and surrounding connective tissue. A good rule of thumb is to be careful to avoid a load that makes the tissue tense back up in defense against the load. You should be able to relax and breathe deeply into the stretch without difficulty.

Learning to read your body's signals will help you get the most out of your program, and you will enjoy the process of training much more as well as you sharpen that critical skill.

Flat Belly Recipe Low(er) Fat Deviled Eggs

I'm not sure why, but go to any party where there are deviled eggs, and they're often the first thing to disappear. Seems like nearly everybody loves them!

But what if I told you that the deliciously fatty but dang tasty little morsels could be much more healthy and better tasting at the same time?! Wouldn't that be amazing?!

Well, dreams come true, so here's a great variation on the party favorite that will save you calories, fat grams, and will make you famous among your friends for the best deviled eggs in the free world:

Here's the secret - instead of mixing the yolks with mayo and plain yellow mustard, use Trader Joe's Tomato Basil Hummus in place of the mayo and honey mustard instead of the regular stuff. And prepare to become addicted.

If you don't have a TJ's near you, Safeway has Mediterranean style hummus. Just add a little sun dried tomato pesto to the mix and that rocks too. Don't forget the paprika, which adds to both the taste and the look.

This will kill at your Super Bowl Party - so make plenty!

Two Questions

How do you find that critical connection between what you want and what you should do? Even if you have clarity about what you want for yourself, it's often hard to find the sense of certainty that the path you are pursuing is the right one.

I believe, deep in my heart, that consciousness or "present moment awareness" is key to finding not only clarity and certainty, but also a deep sense of purpose and fulfilment. Any area of life is enhanced with your full attention and emotional energy committed to it. Dwelling on mistakes of the past or fretting about what might go wrong in the future seem to me to be tempting preoccupations, but they definitely take away from the quality of your participation "right now". Consciousness is the open door back to where you need to be (here, now). And that, I believe, can be applied to any area of your life.

While I feel I have understood and successfully practiced the principles of taking care of your body for years, gaining that sense of clarity and certainty is something I've struggled with in other areas of my life. Specifically, I've had my challenges in the area of personal relationships. And more specifically, romantic relationships. In fact, I've been told that I could apply the ideas of "presence" and "being in the moment" more effectively in this area by more than one important person in my life over the years.

I wrestled with whether to admit this here to virtually anyone who may be reading this. But then I saw the parallel with those of you who may be feeling the same emotional magnitude (or perhaps even greater) about your weight, your physical fitness and your sense of self esteem as it's all connected. The two characteristics I want this blog to embody, always, are sincerity and a willingness to do what I have in my power to try to help.

Recently I read something that was on my mind this morning when I woke up. It's about two questions you should ask yourself before taking an action in a situation about which you have some uncertainty:

1. "What is this for?", and

2. "What do I want to come of this?"

Try asking yourself (or God, or the universe), or just raising the questions deliberately and leave it "hanging" out there - but don't actively look for an answer. Try to let it come of it's own accord. Be patient and have faith. Then get on with your day.

Pose these questions at various points during the day today, if you feel comfortable with the idea. I will too. Share your experiences with me either as comments on the blog or privately at Dan@TriValleyTrainer.com.

I wish you clarity and certainty today.

Habit #6: Recreation Workouts

Is playing just as good as getting in a workout? That depends:

On-line poker? No
A two hour hike? Yes
Swimming in a river, lake or at the beach? Yes
Dangling your feet poolside? Um, what do you think?

So you get the idea - it comes down to how physically challenging it is for you. A gentle, introductory yoga class might build strength and stamina for someone who doesn't regularly engage in cardio or strength training, but for a gym rat with great flexibility, the class may be designated as the "off-day" activity.

Here are some great ways to get a decent workout doing fun stuff:
- beach or grass volleyball
- throwing a frisbee
- shooting some hoops
- playing on the play structure with your kids at a nearby park
- golf without a cart
- racket sports
- long, hilly neighborhood walks

Generally speaking, you're not trying to get your heart rate up so high that your struggling to breath or loading your muscles to the point of soreness the next day, but more enjoying the activity, company and your surroundings while burning a few more calories than you would doing some light housework or gardening. If you're pooped when you're done, skip the workout the next day (especially if your muscles are particularly stiff or sore.) If not, go ahead and at least get in a cardio workout the following day if that's what's on your calendar anyway.

And most importantly - have a great time!

Do You Eat in Front of the Tube?

Is there a better set-up than the idiot box in front of your eyes and meal under your nose? Ah, consumption heaven!

Why is the idea of eating and watching TV at the same time so enticing? Maybe it's because we spend all day trying to cram as many tasks we need to get done together in the shortest period of time. And then when we finally settle in to relax for the evening, we want to let the sensory waves wash over us with the same enviable rate of productivity - no time to waste!

It could be that it's just a comfort thing - feeding our minds (or at least a small part of them) and our mouths at the same time just feels doubly good. Whatever the reason, it's a problem if you're trying to cut calories (and trim body fat). A 2006 study conducted at Penn State University revealed that we eat up to 30% more food while watching TV than we do with the TV off. Several of my clients confide to me that one of their biggest obstacles to losing weight is their habit of snacking after dinner while watching their favorite shows. If you're eating any calories late that you don't need - it all goes to stored fat.

The problem is that we are much less mindful about how much we're consuming as it relates to how much we need when we're distracted with the television. Have you ever finished a show or movie you watched while snacking and suddenly realized you're stuffed? If that happens an hour or two before you go to bed - that's nearly all excess you won't burn off that day.

So what are some good alternatives to eating in front of the boob tube? Here are a few:

• Stretching
• Sipping green or herb tea
• Flossing your teeth
• Deep breathing

Also, if you're alone, try walking around your house or apartment at commercial breaks, or write short cards or notes to friends or family. If you are with someone, make a point to hit the mute button during commercials (they always assault your senses with a big increase in volume for the commercials anyway - just in case you dozed off during the program) and discuss the show or share something that happened during the day. All these activities will help you to be more aware and focused on what you're doing - and less likely to consume mindlessly.

The next time you eat without watching TV, or watch TV without eating, stop for a minute to notice how each was just a bit fuller experience than it is when you're combining the two.

And greater enjoyment is a pretty good incentive to keep up healthy behaviors.

Vary Your Workouts for Balance and Consistent Improvement

Pizza tastes great. But would you eat it every day for a year? How about watching your favorite movie back to back for twelve hours (a marathon of Star Wars Episodes 1- 6 doesn't count - although that would still be too much intergalactic drama for me.)

You get the point, I'm sure. Simply to avoid boredom and maintain a reasonable level of engagement, you need to mix things up in your exercise program periodically. But there are a few other reasons that are at least as important:

• Distributing the stresses on your bones, muscles and connective tissues more evenly to avoid injury


• Avoiding the body achieving a high degree of adaptation and getting stuck at performance plateaus


• Minimizing the "diminishing returns" principle (each additional hour of a similar activity has a proportionately lower additional benefit than you have on the front end)

Now some people do really well with structure and repetition, and the idea of introducing any variation at all makes them skeptical. You don't have to give up a framework of structure to get some variation in your program, though. There are literally an infinite number of ways that you can vary it and still keep enough structure to keep it familiar and manageable. Here's an idea for cardio, for strength and for flexibility:

Cardio - If you're used to running on the treadmill for 30 minutes twice a week, try substituting a rotation of different activities on your second cardio day each week like a class, multiple circuits of jogging in place for three minutes and then skipping rope for two, swimming, rowing, elliptical trainer or stationary bike.

Strength - If you lift twice weekly and you want to stick to one major exercise for each body part for simplicity, alternate between your normal loads (8-12 repetition failure range) on the first day each week with about 60% of those loads for a 15+ repetition range on the second day each week.

Flexibility - Instead of doing all your stretching at the end of the workout, experiment with stretching each muscle group after working it on strength days and breaking up cardio with stretches at each 15 minute mark, as well as at the end of the workout.

If you are more the adventurous type, and you feel very comfortable with radical changes to your program (I work with a few competitive athletes who fall into this category), you need more objective-specific guidance. In this case I strongly recommend working with an experienced, nationally certified trainer (ACE, NASM, ACSM or NSCA) in your area to make the changes that will best suit your needs. Here's an article from my website to help you find the right trainer: http://www.trivalleytrainer.com/resources_3cs.html

Make your exercise program work for you. You're constantly growing and evolving. It should as well.

Flat Belly Recipe: Hi-Protein 4-Layer Bean Dip

Ingredients:
1 can of vegetarian re fried black beans
1 large ripe avocado
½ cup Safeway's Peach Pineapple Salsa or any medium salsa
16 oz. container of 2% Greek Yogurt*
½ cup grated smoked cheese

Heat beans to achieve a slightly warm, soft consistency. Spread on the bottom of a medium sized shallow serving dish. Remove avocado shell and pit and mash meat with salsa. Spread guacamole over beans evenly by dropping multiple dollops and smoothing with the bottom of a tablespoon. Stir Greek yogurt to thin consistency and spread over Guacamole layer. Grate cheese and distribute evenly over yogurt layer. Serve with Costco Pita or other firm chips. Serves 6-8

This stuff rocks and may be the healthiest thing you eat all day (although it feels like your biggest indulgence)!

* I'm a big fan of 2% fat Greek yogurt. Fage is a brand available at both Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's has it's own brand as well (less expensive). It comes unsweetened so if you like, sweeten it to taste with honey, jam or a little bit of flavored yogurt. It can be used straight as a sour cream substitute. Besides being free of all the corn syrup or artificial sweetener of most other flavored yogurts, it is between double and triple the protein content of those other brands.

Dig in!

Why Exercise When You're Feeling Down?

Several years ago I was going through a divorce and seeing a counselor to sort through some difficult issues. I had gotten married when I was 19 years old, so maybe that was reason enough for it not to work out. Still, it was very painful and threw my sense of self and, really, my whole world into a tailspin. During one of our sessions, he listened patiently and thoughtfully to me, paused, and then said:

"Oh - you need to do things that make you proud of yourself!"

That was a major turning point for me. It led to, among other things, a new family, a career change and, incidentally, to the fact that you're reading my words right now.

At the time, my only child was a seven year old son who thought I was awesome. Being a good dad to him was a no-brainer priority, but since I only had him half the time now, I had to figure out how to spend the rest of my time in ways that actually did make me feel proud of myself. Here are some of the things I did that year:

• Spent time reading and applying the lessons of spiritual/self-help books that interested me


• Formed friendships with new people who were going through similar tough times


• Dropped many of the judgements and blame I held toward others


• Wrote each of my parents long, personal letters (15-20 handwritten pages in separate journals) expressing my gratitude for their presence in my life and gave them as Christmas presents


• Wrote a personal mission statement to clarify my most deeply held values and to guide my daily thoughts and actions


• Re-established active relationships with extended family and close friends I'd lost touch with over the years


• Worked out most days every week

I love to work out, and I love the way I feel and look as a result. But if you've ever dealt with depression, you know that one of the symptoms is that you sometimes can't get enthusiastic about anything. And dragging yourself to the gym or even physically moving when you feel like doing nothing can feel like too much to handle.

Do it anyway.

Besides the mountain of research on both the short and long-term beneficial effects of exercise on mood and symptoms of depression, here are some other compelling reasons:

1. Sometimes you need to start doing something positive (especially if the idea of it is intimidating) before you realize you're glad you're decided to do it.


2. It will get you out of your head and focused on the present moment.


3. Exercise is a great stress relief and a perfect avenue to direct the energy that builds up and makes you feel lighter, less burdened.


4. Fitness is a self-perpetuating builder of not just your physical wellness, but also your self-esteem.


5. The discipline required for regular workouts will give you a sense of structure around which to build other positive rituals.

Note: If you haven't been doing things that make you feel proud of yourself lately (or if you have been doing things that make you less than proud of yourself), don't waste time beating yourself up. Start with something positive and constructive today - no matter how simple or unglamorous. You may slip back. I've fallen more times than I can count. So what. We're human. Start again.

And notice how you feel after each small step in the right direction.

Peek at My Eating Guidance for One of My Clients

Below is actual correspondence I exchanged with one of my newer clients recently on his current eating habits. I decided to share it with you all since his feedback was so comprehensive and, since he has a hectic work schedule and eats out often, his profile raises some of the most difficult issues in terms of options to planning and preparing meals in advance. It's presented in a question and answer format with his information first, and my responses below that. I provide this service free of charge to my regular clients, but also as on-line coaching to anyone via the internet. Please contact me if you'd like to learn more about this service - proper eating is the lynch pin to the "getting lean" project for anyone.

Q: For breakfast I'm usually running out of the house in a hurry. I try to grab a glass of milk or something on my way out. Usually right when I wake up I'm not hungry at all and eating makes me feel a little nauseated. Usually I have a long drive and will get hungry within a hour or so and might grab a bagel with cream cheese or a jamba juice (light). That's where I'm at with breakfast.

Lunch is a different story altogether. I eat out for lunch every week day and most weekends as well. On the weekdays I have a lot of business lunches and we go to a variety of different places. Here are some examples of restaurants:

Macaroni Grill
Black Angus
Chevys
Mimis Cafe
On the Border
PF Changs
Cheesecake Factory
sushi places
Chinese places
Italian places
Pizza places
Indian restaurants

Some of the places I end up eating on the weekends while I'm out with my wife are usually fast food type places:
McDonalds, Burger King, etc.
Rubios
Subway
Taco Bell

Any suggestions you can make will be much appreciated, and it will help me stick to eating right.
Thanks.

* * * *

A: It could be that you're not hungry for breakfast because you're eating too much, too late. Take the edge off your hunger in the afternoon with a light snack that includes protein, fiber and a little fat (like nuts or cheese and fruit or veggies). Dinner should be a small portion of 2/3 veggie , 1/3 protein. Eat fairly early in the evening and you should start feeling hungry for breakfast. Here are some ideas for breakfast that are super quick and easy:

• A glass of 1% or non fat milk, take a few handfuls of Quaker oat squares in a baggie and half an apple, orange or banana



• A hard boiled egg with two additional whites, a piece of whole wheat bread and a V8



• A few bites of cottage cheese, a clif bar and a handful of grapes

Each of those should hold you for about 2-3 hours tops, so have a mid AM snack like a small handful of fruit/nut trail mix. At lunch, try to stay with small portions that emphasize veggies like stir fries, salads with meat, or steamed/grilled veggies with a protein source like lean meat, beans or tofu. Another good idea is to order appetizers only, like a cup of broth (not cream) based soup and a small salad with lean meat and maybe a small piece of bread. Keep meal sizes to no more than two fist sized portions. It's a good habit to have the waiter bring you a take-home box right when they bring the entree. Put away at least 2/3 of it. After a five minute wait, you can go back for a very small portion of seconds only if you are truly still hungry. You know you're successful if you are feeling hungry for a snack no later than 4:00pm or so.

Sushi is generally great , as long as there's not a bunch of mayo, fried stuff or cream cheese. I get minestrone and eggplant (very light on the cheese and pasta sauce or I scrape most of it aside) or a salad w/meat at Italian places, tortilla soup or fish tacos at Mexican places, broccoli beef or asparagus chicken at Chinese restaurants and never dessert. I usually just mooch a few bites off my companion's plate if I really want something sweet. But if I don't order dessert, they usually don't either (positive peer pressure!)

You can get a regular burger (dump the top bun) and a side salad at burger joints. Pile on the produce (but, again, lose the top bun) at sandwich shops and skip the mayo. At Taco Bell, have a bean and cheese burrito and a grilled chicken soft taco (no sour cream, extra lettuce and tomatoes.)

No sodas or caloric beverages with meals - remember to have water right before you chomp into your meal - it will help.

Keep me posted!

- Dan

Habit #5 - Embracing Discomfort in Training

Boy - that title makes you want to tear into the article, doesn't it?!

Okay, first let me distinguish between types of discomfort.

1. The guy at the gym wearing hiked-up, super-short, way too tight running shorts while straddling the weight bench. Not good.

2. The feeling you get when, like gawking a pile-up on the shoulder of the freeway, you can't take your eyes off him (although you may want to pluck your eyes out of your head or get self-induced amnesia afterward.) Still not good.

It's also not the over-used and badly applied adage that originated with old-school bodybuilders: "No pain, no gain." That slogan had a very narrow relevance for a specific group of athletes who understood well the risks of extreme-intensity resistance training and were trying to reach unprecedented muscle girth development. But it's been distorted and misunderstood when applied to a general fitness context. Some light muscle soreness evenly distributed over the length of the targeted muscle that subsides in a day or two is fine. Exercise-induced joint soreness is bad news.

But there is a very positive discomfort you can experience at the gym (or working out at home). It's the feeling that you are challenging yourself and taking yourself a little bit out of your comfort zone. As you train more regularly and increase training tolerance, the body becomes more resilient. As long as the exercises are executed with strict control (correct posture, bio mechanics or movement streams, and fluidity or even cadence), a little discomfort is a good indicator of the main training objective: Gradual, consistent progression.

So, what do you look for in terms of discomfort for the two traditional aggressive modes of exercise (cardio and strength training)? Here are some tips:

Cardio: Deep, accelerated breathing, heart rate elevated so that conversation is difficult but not unmanageable. No dizziness, nausea or feeling of loss of control.

Strength: During a set, incrementally difficult repetitions and either progressive increase in the "burn" in the muscle, gradual loss of power or a combination of the two - but NO loss of coordination or joint pain.

The best indicator that the type and level of discomfort in your training is correct over the long term, though, is increased capacity in both areas of fitness. Over time, with individual workouts, you should be able to do more and recover more quickly.

Then, as you build your capacity, you'll also build your self-discipline and ability to focus on reading your body during the workouts.

And maybe you'll even have developed the composure to look the other way the next time mister tiny trousers is working out next to you.

Getting Lean: Taper Your Late-Day Calories

A very common misstep in keeping your waistline from growing over the years is the tendency to step up your calorie intake later in the day, just as your metabolism (calorie demand) is diminishing. Unless you work out at night, your final meal of the day should be neither your biggest volume meal nor your richest. For many people, it's often both.

That can easily create a calorie surplus for the day of 250 or more. That may not sound like much, but in a year 250 extra calories a day will add 25 lbs of fat and two or three inches to your waistline.

The best way to do just the opposite (create a moderate calorie shortfall) that will actually trim your belly but still provide adequate nutrients to continue rebuilding between workouts is to eat a light, veggie and protein rich dinner.

Some good examples are:

Stir fries
Sushi with edemame and a side salad (soy beans)
Salad with lean meat
Veggie soup with lean meat or beans

In order to make sure that satisfies you, eat a light snack that includes a fat/protein component like cheese or nuts and maybe a piece of fruit or a veggie within a couple of hours of dinner. That will blunt your appetite for dinner and keep your blood sugar more stable going into the meal.

Don't forget the water before (not during) the meal to slow ingestion and digestion!

Reach vs. Grasp

“Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?”
- Robert Browning

The famous da Vinci drawing to the left was in my head today, knowing that my plan was to introduce a Pilates-inspired exercise I include in my classes and with most of my private clients. The practical reason is that since I made up the exercise, I thought it was highly unlikely that I'd find internet images to illustrate the movements. But then, I realized there was a deeper significance, since the exercise is designed to exploit, challenge and, ultimately grow the overall range of motion for all four extremities. And the basic idea behind that is to close the gap between your current grasp and your potential reach. This has both literal and figurative implications that appeal to me.

I call this exercise "X-Touch".

It's a terrific exercise that stretches the hamstrings (back of the thighs) and incorporates most of the core including the entire abdominal wall, with the low back well-stabilized by the floor. Lying on a mat, make your body a big "X" (use the drawing above as a reference, as though it was drawn by someone standing above you at the time). Start by sweeping the left arm slowly and with fluidity as high as you can and directly above your navel (you will peel your lifting side shoulder up off the mat.) Repeat in a circuit with the right arm, right leg and finally the left leg. If that variation is easy for you, sweep the left arm and right leg up simultaneously and (try to) touch your shin. Don't go past the vertical line of the navel with either limb - come as close as you can with the "weak link" and then cover the same distance with the more flexible limb (your ability to reach the center point with your hand will actually be more affected by your upper abdominal strength.) Alternate sides and repeat until exhausted.

If you have any back discomfort, bend your knee to 90 degrees and touch it instead of your toe. If that still causes back discomfort, skip this exercise and see your doc about appropriate exercises for your specific profile.

When you do this with strict form and can accumulate 10 or more reps, it becomes moderately aerobic as well.

Try it out and leave me comments about how it works for you.

Flat Belly Recipe: Blackberry Mango Smoothie

This is great as a meal or a snack - low fat, a terrific source of calcium, multiple vitamins and protein:

1/2 cup each of nonfat milk, Fage 0% or 2% Greek yogurt (Whole Foods or Trader Joe's), frozen blackberries, frozen mangoes and a frozen banana (broken into chunks and put into a baggie and thrown in the freezer ahead of time.)

Put all the ingredients (milk and yogurt first, as listed above) into a blender and blend to desired consistency. You may need more milk to get it through a straw! Double the ingredients for a second shake. Absolutely delicious.

Enjoy!

What Do You Want to Be Different This Year..?

There's something magical about the beginning of a new year. We spend much of our time concerned with meetings, deadlines or bills that have a much more near-term focus. But a year is a reflection of our long-term growth, and, often, life-changing circumstances. It's good that we reflect on what we haven't done yet that we want to do this year. It's good that we think about what we've done last year that we may not want to repeat or continue this year. Another four seasons to make things a little bit (or a lot) better.

But it's also important to realize that it's simply an opportunity. And opportunities must be seized to be taken advantage of. That's where the courage to change comes in.



Alcoholics Anonymous has a slogan:
"Your Best Thinking Got You Here."

Einstein expressed a similar perspective with this quote:
"Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them."

Finally, Ghandi shared this wisdom on the power of our thoughts:
"Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behaviors. Keep your behaviors positive because your behaviors become your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny."

So, herein lies the irony: The key to permanent, fundamental change for the good lies in the power of our thoughts, which we experience every moment. The key is absolute consciousness right now - presence.

I have, as I believe we all do, a unique opportunity to make this year a year of profound fundamental change for the good. I'm committed to it, and I would like you to commit to it too. I can help you if the changes you're seeking involve taking a proactive role in creating and maintaining your health and wellness. I'll give you everything I have to give and will do my best to continue to find new ways to help you improve those critically important areas of your life.

Of you - I ask only this: Be present. Help me to find a deeper sense of service, of extending good. Share the blog with your friends, family and colleagues this year. Start to incorporate some (or all) of the changes I recommend in these posts into your life. Find a "wellness buddy" and make it a game - sponsor each other and check in with each other, comparing your respective progress, successes and struggles. Share them with me and others by posting comments and I'll do my best to address them as they come up.

Let's make this year different than all those that have gone by already. Let's start now:

In this moment.