How would you like to lose 30 pounds in 30 days? Have you ever read a headline in a tabloid advertisement and found yourself tempted to try their program? Well, there is a reason to be skeptical. It isn’t possible to lose more than a couple of pounds a week from adipose tissue (fat stores). Anything else you lose will come from water weight and if you allow your water levels to get too low you could be looking at a trip to the emergency room.

It is important to set goals with realistic time frames. Instead of dropping 30 pounds, why not set a fat loss goal of 8 pounds in 30 days and follow a well thought out program that will help you get there ?  I’ve tried a number of different strategies over the years to achieve fat loss. The following tips below have produced results for me and for my clients, and they will work for you if you stay the course.

1. Fasted Morning Walks – What is better than getting outside in the fresh air first thing in the morning? It is great for the mood and it sets you up for the rest of the day. Get up and have your morning coffee or in my case a cold glass of water and get walking for 30 to 60 minutes. When we get up in the morning our bodies are in a fasted state (8 hours or more without food), so we are more apt to use fat to fuel our walks than our stored carbohydrates because the intensity of this activity is on a reasonably low scale (3 out of 10). You are not going to burn hundreds and hundreds of calories on these walks, but a significant percentage of the calories you do burn will be from fat. That is the goal and that is why you need to do this a minimum of 5 times a week to get the best results. I have noticed a significant difference in my waist circumference after doing this for as little as 10 days.

2. Drink More Water – Drinking more water will accelerate fat loss. Next time you sit down to have your dinner, grab a tall glass of water and drink the entire glass before you have a bite of your meal. As soon as you are finished eating, have another tall glass of water. See if you are hungry in the next 3 hours after that meal. Chances are you won’t be. We tend to confuse hunger with dehydration. If you find that you are hungry outside of a mealtime, have a glass of water first, wait for half an hour and if you are still hungry, then go ahead and eat. Another trick I have found handy is drinking carbonated water when I am on the road and know I won’t be eating for a little while. The carbonation in the water keeps my stomach fuller for much longer than a glass of tap water.

3. Perform Tabata Workouts 3 Times a Week – You have probably never heard of this protocol. These workouts are extremely challenging to perform regardless of your fitness levels. They are also very time efficient and can be done anywhere at any time providing you have 30 square feet of unobstructed space. Choose a bodyweight exercise that you find challenging to perform. For a novice trainee, a properly performed jumping jack will be sufficient. You will need a timer or a stopwatch to do this properly. Perform 8 rounds of jumping jacks, 20 seconds on followed by 10 seconds off. The first couple of rounds likely won’t be too difficult, but the rests are very short, since you are working at a 2:1 work to rest ratio. By the time you have reached round 5 you should be breathing quite hard and by round 8 you should be gasping for air, ready to throw in the towel. The protocol only takes 4 minutes in total to perform, but it is brutally challenging when done correctly and the calories that you will burn post exercise will sky rocket. This is referred to as post-exercise oxygen consumption or EPOC. Be sure to use an exercise that challenges you enough to make it effective. If jumping jacks are too easy, try mountain climbers, burpees or running on the spot with high knees.

4. Make sure you are sleeping between the hours of 10pm and 6am – Get 8 hours of sleep each night—this is one of the most common health and well being tips out there. We all know that we need to get more sleep, but equally as important is the quality of the sleep we get. During these hours, our body repairs itself physiologically and psychologically from the stressors of the day. Sleeping from 1am to 9am will not have anywhere near the same benefits. When we stay up too late our bodies produce excess cortisol which is a stress hormone that can signal our bodies to store fat. If you find it difficult to fall asleep that early, try for 11:00 and work your way down gradually. Avoid computers, televisions and other forms of light a good hour before you go to sleep.

5. Compound movements need to be the basis of your training – I cannot stress this enough. Compound movements are those that require the body to work at multiple joints. A squat works both at the hip and knee joint while a biceps curl (an isolation movement) works only at the elbow joint. A squat will require you to use 3 to 4 times more muscle and energy than a biceps curl, and I can guarantee that you will be breathing a lot harder after performing a set of squats.  Use squats, deadlifts, rowing and pressing variations as 80% of your training volume and your fat loss will sky rocket.

While waiting in the doctor’s office last week I skimmed through a woman’s health magazine to pass the time. The opening line of an article in the diet section read: “Start your day off with a healthy low fat breakfast”, with a picture of a rice cake slathered in fat free jam and topped with sliced bananas. Now, if you think for a second that eating this for breakfast is going to keep you lean and focused throughout the day, you’re out of your tree! I’m not a proponent of fasting by any stretch, but I would rather drink water and wait until lunch than start my day off with this meal.

The problem with rice cakes, bananas and most cereal brands is that they have a glycemic index that ranges from 60 to 110. The glycemic index is a measurement of the type or quality of carbohydrates in a particular food, and how fast 50 grams of this carbohydrate raises blood glucose levels (and consequent insulin secretion and effects produced by the pancreas) as it is digested. As a good rule of thumb, when seeking fat loss you shouldn’t eat foods with a glycemic index above 50. A white bagel is only a great food choice if your goal is to have thighs that rub together, because it has a glycemic index of 75. Bagels are so effective at raising blood sugar, that a study done on long distance cyclists showed that bagels are superior to power bars at raising blood glucose. Power bars are nothing more than glorified candy bars.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. What you put in your body sets up your entire neurotransmitter production for the next 12-15 hours. If you are looking for concentration and a high attention span, a high protein/fat breakfast is what you need. Protein raises both dopamine and acetylcholine, which are the two most important neurotransmitters for focus and drive. Consuming protein causes a slow and steady rise in blood sugar. Including foods that are good fat sources, such as nuts, seeds and avocados provides a great source of healthy fats that cause your blood sugar to remain stable for an extended period of time. For protein sources, think eggs, various types of meat, full-fat cottage cheese and greek yogurt. These foods all have a glycemic index well under 50. There have been multiple studies done on employee productivity and children’s attention spans that demonstrated how a high protein/fat breakfast not only impacts the energy and productivity levels from morning till noon, but extended its effects into the late afternoon. I don’t know about you, but I like to be alert and on point for my training sessions. Foggy and lethargic is a bad combination.

So when are you supposed to ingest the majority of your carbohydrates? You can’t live on protein alone. Well, you could, but it is not optimal. You should eat the vast majority of your carbohydrates in the evening. Many trainees exercise late in the day after work and this is when you need to replenish your glycogen stores by spiking your insulin. Your muscles are in a glycogen-depleted state and are ready to soak up carbohydrates rather than using them for insulation (fat storage). Potatoes, pasta, bread and even rice cakes are acceptable foods later in the day. The added bonus of ingesting carbohydrates at night is the raise in serotonin levels. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that calms you down. At night, it is converted into melatonin, which is a major sleep hormone. Carbohydrates stimulate the production of serotonin, which is why it makes little sense to eat them before a workout (a debate for another day). If you eat the majority of your carbs at night, the quality of your sleep will improve because your serotonin levels will be higher. And night is the one time that you don’t want to be alert. Carbs can help you wind down from the rigours of the day, so you can fall asleep.

Omega-3s are a hot topic.  If you google omega-3s, you will find an inordinate amount of information touting their health benefits, and with good reason. The downside is that there is a lot of misinformation out there. For example, you could be buying a product that has been fortified with omega-3s that has zero health benefits for you, and you will be paying more than you would have for the un-enriched version. Understanding where they come from and how they interact with the body is crucial.

The human body is capable of making most of the fats it requires from other fats or raw materials. This is not the case with omega-3 fatty acids. These are referred to as “essential fats” because the body can’t produce them internally so therefore we must get them from food. Foods high in omega-3 include wild-caught fish, pasture-raised beef, poultry and eggs, nuts (especially walnuts), flax seeds, flaxseed oil, and leafy vegetables.

What makes omega-3 fatty acids so important? They are an integral part of cell membranes throughout the body and they affect the function of the cell receptors in these membranes. They provide the starting point for making hormones that regulate blood clotting, contraction and relaxation of artery walls, and inflammation. They also bind to receptors in cells that regulate genetic function. Due to these effects, omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to help prevent heart disease and stroke, may help control lupus, eczema, and rheumatoid arthritis, and may play protective roles in cancer and other conditions.

Omega-3 fats are a key family of polyunsaturated fats. There are three main omega-3s: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) that come primarily from wild-caught fish; and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the most common omega-3 fatty acid in most Western diets, which is found in vegetable oils and nuts (especially walnuts), flax seeds and flaxseed oil, leafy vegetables, and some animal fat, especially in grass-fed animals. The human body generally uses ALA for energy, and conversion into EPA and DHA is very limited.

Those of us in the west consume far more of another essential fat, omega-6, than we do omega-3 fat. The balance between omega-6 and omega-3 intake is critical to human health. The perfect ratio is somewhere between 1:1 (omega 6: omega 3) and 4:1. The average person in western society gets between 16:1 and 20:1 or even more. The problem is that these two fats compete to get into the cells of our bodies. When we overload on the pro-inflammatory omega-6s, the anti-inflammatory omega-3s can’t do the work that they need to do to fight inflammation which has been recognized as a root cause of many chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, depression, obesity and arthritis.

Researchers from INSERM (the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research) put a group of mice on a diet high in omega-6s (vegetable oils) and low in omega-3s. The imbalance produced significant consequences (all of them negative) on both brain activity and emotional behaviours. The researchers also noticed a significant increase in depressive behaviour amongst the omega-3 deficient mice.

The take home message here is to make sure you are getting some form of omega-3 fatty acids every day. If you are not a fish eater, buy some high quality fish oil. If you do enjoy eating fish, make sure it is wild caught. For meat eaters, seek out free range chicken, pastured eggs and grass fed beef. You can find them at Whole Foods and other grocers or you can purchase them directly through a local farmer. If you are a vegetarian/vegan, get a wide variety of nuts, seeds and dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, collard greens, broccoli) into your diet daily. At the same time, cut back your intake of omega-6 fatty acids. The biggest culprits are most vegetable oils, margarine, factory farmed meats and all processed foods (cookies, cakes, breads, pastries and cereals).

Supplements are a confusing topic. One study will claim that a particular supplement is a “must buy” if you value your health and well-being, then another study comes out a few months later refuting everything you read. I’ve googled a particular topic and found completely different answers depending on which result I read.  There is just too much conflicting information. So we end up experimenting on ourselves, trying out different supplements and combinations of supplements, until we can figure out what works.

It’s unfortunate that with the quality of our current food supply, we are missing so many of the vital nutrients we were getting 50 years ago when farming practices were much different. Feed lots, pesticides, and GMOs have created a strong need for supplements. In this article, I’ve listed the most commonly used supplements and discussed the pros and cons of each. This should help you decide whether or not they are something that you should include in your daily regimen.

1. Multivitamins – Multivitamins are probably the most commonly used supplement around and there are many different brands to choose from. I don’t see any harm in taking one daily. I look at multivitamins more as an insurance policy than anything else. Especially on the days that you didn’t get enough servings of fruits and vegetables into your diet. Take one daily or just on the days when your diet is less than adequate. Garden of Life, NOW Foods and Carlson Labs all ranked high in terms of absorption rates. You can find these brands at any reputable natural health food store.

2. Meal Replacements – Powdered and liquid meal replacements have become a big part of a number of people’s diets over the past 25 years. For people with illnesses who are unable to eat regular food, these products are reasonable alternatives and extremely convenient. They can also be quite handy if you are trying to manage your weight and calorie intake. There are two main drawbacks that I see with meal replacements.  They are loaded with fillers and sweeteners such as corn syrup solids, maltodextrin, sucralose and aspartame, and liquid diets are not likely to fill you up. Eating 300 calories will keep you feeling fuller a lot longer than drinking it will. If you still want to drink some of your calories, you are better to invest in a high quality blender and mix up a smoothie with some yogurt, frozen berries, spinach and nut butters (all natural ingredients without the fillers).

3. Calcium Supplements – Calcium is a mineral that is extremely lacking in the Western diet. Calcium supplements are currently taken by 1 in 5 women in North America. Every nutritional expert that I have read strongly suggests that we get our calcium from foods as much as possible. There have been many studies that have linked calcium supplements to an increased risk of heart disease. Calcium is found most prominently in dairy products. However, the jury is still out as to whether or not our bodies are able to absorb calcium from dairy products effectively. Many people are lactose intolerant so dairy might not be the best option. If calcium levels are an issue for you, I would look to increase your intake of dark leafy greens (e.g., kale, spinach, broccoli, bok choy), beans, lentils, raisins and fish. If you still need to take a calcium supplement, make sure to get blood tests from your doctor so you can have your levels monitored regularly.

4. Vitamin C – Vitamin C is widely believed to be effective in warding off the common cold. However, there is very little evidence to support the notion that it can decrease a cold’s duration and intensity. It is a reasonably safe supplement to take if your levels are low. Because it is water soluble, the excess will be excreted through the urinary tract. Taking up to 1000 milligrams daily is reasonably safe, but you are probably better off getting your daily vitamin C allowance from food. Try increasing your intake of strawberries, oranges, pineapples, melons, broccoli and peppers if you think your levels might be low.

5. Glucosamine/Chondroitin – These are very common supplements that are taken for joint pain. In a long term study performed by the New England Journal of Medicine, these supplements taken alone or in combination were not shown to provide significant relief for those with minor osteoarthritis knee pain. However, results in a subgroup study with participants with moderate to severe pain showed the combination to be effective. Glucosamine and chondroitin tend to have a cumulative effect; they are not the type of supplements that will provide instant gratification. They need to be built up in your system over time in order to work. The evidence is not conclusive one way or the other, but I don’t think it hurts to give them a 3 month trial period and then re-evaluate how you feel.

Life is full of ebbs and flows, ups and downs. I sure as hell don’t wake up every morning brimming with positivity and motivation. I have a ritual that I perform every morning to start my day in an attempt to get me in the right mind set. There are a small number of people who can jump out of bed in the morning, bang their heads against the wall a few times and attack the day with reckless abandon. But most of us are not like that. So the question becomes, how can we best function on those days when we have little drive and just surviving the day becomes a moral victory in and of itself ?

Here are some tips and tricks that I use with myself and my clients to squeeze out what we can when we just aren’t feeling it:

Push through it – Tell yourself, “I will just hop on the bike, start peddling and see how it goes.” Most of the time I find my lack of motivation is more mental than physical. Once I get moving, I start to feel better mentally and the rest takes care of itself. Build on these small victories and carry the momentum into your training session and you’ll be productive throughout the rest of your day.

Make a few changes – Sometimes the planned workout doesn’t sound terribly appealing no matter how hard you try to convince yourself otherwise. On those days, switch things up. Pick a new exercise that you have always wanted to try. Check out one of the group classes at your gym, or perhaps lower the weight on all of your regular exercises, perform more reps and focus on super slow negatives at the bottom.

Reward yourself – After I’ve performed a really challenging workout with a lot of volume, I make it a point to refuel with a big re-feed afterwards. On those days I will make plans to meet a friend at one of my favourite restaurants. It provides me with the motivation to get the workout done and it gives me something to look forward to later on.

Get a workout partner – If every day is a struggle to drag your butt into the gym, then you definitely want to think about getting a workout partner. Make a point of finding someone who has similar goals. When you surround yourself with like-minded people, it improves your chances of success dramatically.

Take the day off – Sometimes it just isn’t your day. Missing a workout is not the end of the world—it might even help you. The gym should never feel like a chore. Two or three times a year I take an entire week off to recharge mentally and physically. I focus on getting more sleep, catching up on other things and if I am really itching to move around, I will go for a long walk and listen to some music or a podcast.

Are you trying to lose fat? You are eating less, you are doing more. You are tracking your food, exercising regularly and yet you still struggle to lose weight? I have had my fair share of clients over the years who fall into this category. They lose 10 lbs only to put that same 10 lbs back on, plus 5 more, 3 months later. It’s extremely frustrating.

Now if you are sitting on the couch all day stuffing your face with processed crap and your idea of exercise is getting up to let the dog out into the yard then you deserve to look like a slug. But what about those people with the greatest of intentions, who do exactly what they are supposed to and still can’t seem to get anywhere? You are the ones I am talking to right now.

So despite the fact that you are exercising regularly and eating right, you can’t seem to lose any appreciable amount of weight. Or you lost a quick 5 or 10 lbs and then you hit a plateau and you can’t seem to get over the hump. Does that sound like you? So after a while you might start to wonder, “Is my metabolism damaged?”  Years of dieting will NOT harm the way that your body processes food.

Logic would dictate that when you expend more energy than you take in, you will lose weight, and if you do the opposite you will gain weight. The problem with this equation is that it doesn’t really tell us anything about body composition, which is influenced by a number of factors such as hormone levels, macronutrient intake (especially protein), exercise style, frequency, intensity, age, medication use, and genetic predisposition. Doing more and eating less is definitely a good start, but it doesn’t take into account all the other contributing factors at play. Here are some of the other things you need to consider:

• The number of calories listed in a meal does not necessarily match the number of calories it claims to have on the menu. So if you tend to eat out a lot, the labels that you are reading can be off by as much as 25% !!!
• The number of calories a food contains is not necessarily the same number of calories that will be absorbed, stored and utilized.  There are a number of steps involved in the digestion process and our bodies are all uniquely different from one another. The less processed a food is, the less energy we are likely to absorb from it because it is much harder to digest (e.g., an apple) The more processed a food is, the more energy we are likely to absorb because most of the work has already been done for us (e.g., a donut). So by eating a diet that is rich in whole, minimally processed foods, the number of calories you absorb will be significantly less than what you expect. If you are at all confused, this a good thing.
• Energy expenditure can vary quite a bit from person to person. Generally, the larger the person, the higher their resting metabolic rate tends to be. A 150 lb man on a stationary bike could burn 100 calories more than the 175 lb man on the bike right next to him who is expending almost identical effort.
• Not all calories are created equally. When we eat food, our bodies use energy in the form of heat to break that food down so it can be properly digested. Certain foods require a lot of heat and others barely any at all. One of the main reasons high protein diets are so popular is because animal products require your body to perform a heck of a lot to break them down. In general, you’ll burn more calories in your effort to digest and absorb protein (20-30 percent of its calories) and carbs (5-6 percent) than you will fats (3 percent). So make sure that you get ample protein and high fibre carbohydrates with every meal if you are struggling to get your metabolism revved up.
•  Our bodies are a lot smarter than we are.  Our metabolisms evolved to keep us alive and functioning when food was scarce. One of the consequences of this is that when energy consumption (food ingested) goes down, energy output (calories burned) goes down accordingly. The exact opposite occurs when energy ingestion goes up, our metabolisms will follow suit. So your only way out is to burn more calories. The best way to do that is through purposeful exercise. Weightlifting, swimming, walking, running. Find things you enjoy doing and do them often enough to create a calorie deficit.

Making body changes will always be harder for some than it is for others. Even if our bodies naturally defend us against weight loss, we can still lose weight and add muscle. A little patience and consistency goes a long way.

There is definitely merit in training heavy, but if your goal is to add a lot of muscle, then the chances are that you are probably training TOO heavy. Most guys looking to put on a ton of size will tend to train like Bruce Lee and go all out every session like it’s their last. They want to kill it every time. A little hard work never hurt anyone, but in order to be effective, your workout needs to be as smart as it is hard.

If you’re serious about muscle growth, then you need to focus on mastering your technique on every lift you perform. This must be your #1 priority in every training session. You need perfect technique, full range of motion and continuous repetitions in the hypertrophy range (6 to 15 reps, preferably on the higher end of that number), where the tension never comes off the muscle. In order to train in this fashion you need to lift weights that you can control. That is likely a 10% decrease in poundage from what you are currently lifting.

I love working with motivated athletes where we get to perform explosive movements, plyometrics, mobility work and a lot of heavy lifts. This type of work will get you stronger and more agile for your chosen sport, but it is not going to do a lot to alter your overall physique. The physiques that are the most aesthetically pleasing to the eye rarely belong to those who lift the heaviest weights. These people choose weights they can control, train full body multi-joint movements, and keep rest periods short (60-90 seconds). Their training sessions are finished in 60 minutes or less.

Training mistakes happen with some of the most experienced trainees. There is very little tension created, no stretch and contract, tons of pausing, bouncing the weights for added momentum which places a ton of stress on the joint, and they are training beyond failure on every set. Failure is not when you can’t move the weight any more. It is when you can no longer move the weight with perfect technique. That is why you should always complete your sets by leaving one last rep in the tank.

The hardest sets to perform are the ones with explosive-like reps, constant maximal tension, and continuous movement with a slow negative on the descent. They get your heart pumping and your muscles burning. They are the type of sets that last between 40-70 seconds which are a lot harder than throwing up some dumbbells with zero tension, a pause at the top and bottom and you are done in 20 seconds or less. To perform sets that will really spur muscle growth is extremely hard work. Don’t let anyone try to convince you otherwise.

In order to grow your muscles, you need a sufficient amount of volume, but you can’t train to physical exhaustion every time. That is how you can get sick, injured and depressed. Listen closely to your body. Success leaves clues.

Sugar is not your friend. We know what it does to our bodies in both large and small quantities. It elevates bad cholesterol, triglycerides, raises your blood pressure and sets you up for insulin resistance. If you are looking for energy, vitality and a long lifespan, you are best to stay away from sugar as much as possible.

But the idea of never putting another ounce of sugar in your body again is completely unrealistic. That would mean having to cut out fruit altogether and when you are craving something sweet, grabbing a piece of fruit is a great choice. So the chances of eliminating sugar altogether are remote at best, and you would be doing your body a huge disservice by doing so. Fruit is loaded with vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and fibre. Fibre slows down the entry of sugar into your bloodstream and keeps your insulin levels balanced. Just make sure you don’t eat too much of it. 2 to 4 small servings a day is plenty for a healthy, lean individual. If you are overweight, keep it down to 1 or 2 servings a day and stick with lower glycemic sources such as berries, cherries and plums.

When it comes to baking or making desserts, it starts to get tricky. There is nothing less appetizing than a sugarless, bland piece of cake, bread or pie. I’ve experimented with quite a few recipes and I’ve found some good alternatives if you are looking to maintain taste without jeopardizing your health in the process. The best part of all is that they are natural and chemical-free options.

1. Honey – Get honey that’s been organically and locally produced to reap the full benefits. It is sweeter than sugar, packed with vitamins, and it has antimicrobial properties. It does have more calories than normal sugar, but because it’s sweeter, you use less of it. It works brilliantly in cookies and cakes. The wide range of honeys available also give you scope for varying the flavour in cooking. Look to buy raw honey whenever possible.

2. Maple syrup can be used in place of sugar in most cakes, but because it’s liquid you’ll need to reduce other liquids by about a quarter. It has a very distinctive taste, so the richer the cake the greater the benefits of using maple syrup. And if you want to use it for more than just cooking, you can also get maple sugar that is made from dehydrated maple syrup. Like coconut sugar, it can replace regular sugar when you need it. Look for an organic version if possible and stay far away from the generic brands like Aunt Jemima. These brands only contain about 10% maple syrup and the rest is high-fructose corn syrup.

3. Coconut sugar – Coconuts are currently in vogue, particularly in North America where a boom in the sale of coconut water has created a growth in demand for coconut sugar. The sap from the coconut palm is heated which evaporates its water content and reduces it to fine sugar granules. Coconut sugar is nutritious and ranks low on the glycemic index, which means you don’t get a buzz followed by a crash. It tastes similar to brown sugar but is slightly richer. You can substitute coconut sugar for traditional sugar whenever you like.

4. Date sugar is made from dried dates. The fruit is dehydrated and ground down to produce the sugar, retaining many of the nutritional benefits of dates. It has a rich sweet flavour that makes it an ideal alternative to brown sugar. Unfortunately it doesn’t melt and is difficult to dissolve, making it unsuitable for use in drinks and some baking recipes. However it’s a great addition for adding to breads to give them more taste and texture.

5. Brown rice syrup is made from boiling brown rice, so the syrup is gluten and wheat-free for those with a sensitivity. It is great for adding to tea and it can also be used as a condiment and drizzled over pancakes, porridge or used in salad dressings. It has a slight butterscotch flavour. Although it is more heavily processed than some of the others alternatives on this list, it does transfer many of the benefits of brown rice to the eater without the long cooking times.

6. Stevia is a sugar that comes from a plant. You can purchase it in powder or liquid form. It may be the best of all choices because unlike other sugar substitutes, it has zero calories. One study found that people did not overeat when consuming a meal made with stevia in place of sugar. Their blood sugar was also lower after the meal made with stevia, than after eating a meal with sugar. Eating food with stevia resulted in lower insulin levels than eating food with either sucrose or aspartame. Stevia is great for baking. Whether you are making cookies, cakes or cupcakes, you only need a little bit because stevia is 40 times sweeter than sugar.

Enjoy !

We’ve been told to stay away from fat, cholesterol, artificial sweeteners, gluten, and now it’s sugar. Granted, having something that contains sugar can be comforting and satisfying. Every food creates a metabolic reaction and if the reactions are negative over a long term, it is best to limit or eliminate the consumption of substances that are causing the body harm.

Recent studies have shown that even “safe” levels of sugar are still harmful to mice. It induced sugar cravings, impaired cognitive function and caused the mice in the study to sleep more often and die sooner. While there are some people who can eat an entire french stick dipped in maple syrup and actually feel energized afterwards, they are the exception. People like that are referred to as slow oxidizers. For them, carbohydrates break down into sugar and enter the bloodstream at a much slower, sustainable rate. The other 95% of us will get a short burst of energy, followed by a dramatic blood sugar crash, called hypoglycemia. When this happens, the mind becomes foggy and light headed, often followed by anxiety, irritability and feelings of increased hunger or craving. We are called fast oxidizers and we are the norm. Slow oxidizers may be blessed with the ability to eat large numbers of carbohydrates without the outward detrimental effects of hypoglycemia, but take a look at their blood work and it tells a different story.

The long and short term effects of sugar use are well documented, and research indicates that they are not healthy. Sugar has not been found to prevent any long term diseases, but the long term effects of a high sugar intake lead to a number of them. Consuming sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soft drinks, fruit drinks, iced tea, and sports drinks dramatically increases your chance of developing type 2 diabetes. A recent study in the Journal of Diabetes examined 310,000 patients and found that those who drank just 1 to 2 servings of the sweet stuff a day were 26% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who drank it once a month or not at all.

A diet that is rich in sugar can also wreak havoc on your heart.  A  recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people who took in more than 17.5% of their calories from added sugars were 20 to 30% more likely to have high levels of triglycerides, a type of fat that’s found in your blood. When you consume more sugar than you need for energy, the excess sugars form triglycerides, which are then stored in fat cells.  What high levels of triglycerides do is contribute to the hardening of the arteries or thickening of the artery walls (atherosclerosis), which increases the risk of stroke, heart attack and heart disease.

While eating sugar can give your mind a temporary boost by triggering your body to release serotonin, a “feel good” hormone, overloading your system with sugar has the reverse effect. When you eat a lot of sugar, your blood sugar levels shoot way up and then go way down. These fluctuations drive your metabolism and mood crazy, leading to depressive episodes. Anyone who doubts the relationship between sugar and depression need only witness the demonic behaviour that ensues after your child consumes a 12-ounce can of their favourite soft drink. The results are undeniable.

Next week I’ll discuss some sugar alternatives and how you can get off sugar for good.

In the last two articles I made the point that sprint/interval training builds muscle and burns fat simultaneously. Sprints are time efficient, have great long term health implications and can be done anywhere. Steady-state jogging on the other hand does not burn fat, nor does it build muscle, and over the long haul it will actually hinder both based on negative hormonal responses. I’ve provided you with a discussion about the why, but not the how. So let’s get started.

If you are a beginner who has little or no experience with sprint/interval training, you need to treat yourself with kid gloves. Whether you are using a treadmill, stationary bike or an elliptical trainer, proceed slowly. A 4 minute warm up at an intensity of approximately 2 out of 10 is required to get your blood flowing and to warm up your central nervous system for more intense work to follow. After you have completed the warm up you should start working at an intensity in a range of about 6 out of 10 for one minute. (Consider that a 10 out of 10 would be running for your life.) You should never work that hard, but just shy of that. By the time you have completed the first minute you should be sufficiently fatigued and ready to catch your breath. Retreat back down to a 2 out of 10 intensity and recover for a minute and then repeat. You will be working at a 1:1 work-to-rest ratio. Continue this pattern for 6 to 8 intervals, finish with a 4 minute cool down, and try to add an extra sprint in each session until you reach 12. Once you get to that point, you will need to increase the intensity.

For the intermediate trainee, I have found that shorter, more intense work periods followed by slightly longer recovery periods are more effective. I would favour a 1:2 work to rest ratio.  Working at 20 seconds on followed by 40 seconds off is typically very effective on a treadmill or a stationary bike. You need to get your intensity up to an 8 out of 10 once you have completed a sufficient warm up. Start with 6 to 8 sprints and try to work yourself up to the point where you are performing 12 or 13. This could take some time, so you need to be patient. Cardiovascular adaptations are initially quick, but they slow down over time. Progress is not linear.

For the advanced trainee who is looking to improve athletic performance or just wants to get rid of that last bit of fat, I would favour the Tabata Protocol. It is brutally hard, yet brutally effective when performed properly. A Tabata session lasts for 4 minutes and consists of 20 seconds of very intense effort followed by a mere 10 second recovery. Each sprint needs to be performed at a 9 out of 10 intensity level. If by the end of the 4 minutes you are not lying on the ground in a pool of sweat, then you are not working hard enough. Your body should be vibrating for hours upon completion. This protocol epitomizes the benefits of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption that I discussed in last week’s article, Jogging for Fat Loss – Why sprint/interval training is your best alternative. If you are already fit and you want to improve your overall fitness and body composition, this is for you.

The examples that I used (treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical trainers) are not feasible for everyone. These workouts can be done in your basement or outside in the park on the grass or on pavement depending on the mode you plan on using. Body weight exercises can be just as effective if you have limited room. Jumping jacks, seal jacks, mountain climbers, burpees, high knees and duck unders are all excellent alternatives and will provide great results, assuming you are working at a high enough intensity.