Most people see this as a dream that will never happen realistically. The excuse for not achieving the lean state would be due to  lack of time, genetics, laziness, etc. People want a pill to do all the work instead of actually trying to do things right.

Well here is something I have come to realize in my own experience. If you want to achieve your goals, you can’t desire them. You must create the perspective that you NEED them. According to Wikipedia:

“A need is something that is necessary for organisms to live a healthy life. Needs are distinguished from wants because a deficiency would cause a clear negative outcome, such as [a]dysfunction.”

An example of what I am talking about is the need for food and water, which is a total different feeling then wanting those new pair of Nikes. You can’t live without food and water, but you don’t need exactly one shoe brand to help you get around.

What is also essential is to have a realistic plan of achieving your goals. A lot of people who are new to fitness think they can look like an advanced trainee in 2 months. That is just not going to happen. Taking things at a slow progressive pace will be more rewarding in the long run.

You don’t want training to take over your life either, just like you don’t want food to take over your life (man that would be a lot of calories). Training two times a day and eating 10 meals a day is just not realistic for most. In my experience, I find training 2-4 times a week plus Intermittent Fasting has allowed me to have more time for living.

The main point here is to make everything of habit and stay positive.

Was also mentioned in a blog post by Mike DePasquale. (“Coffee Through A Straw”)

I know it has been a while since I’ve put up new content on the site. Expect a new article up this week and on a more consistent basis.

Flow (according to wikipedia): “is the mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.”

You have a positive attitude, you are focused on your work/life and always motivated to get things done. No stress, no problems. You finally have control of your life and you feel things can only get better.

Sweet.

But then shit hits the fan.

It usually isn’t just one minor problem either. Well, it starts off that way. Then out of no where, negativity is hitting you with a big punch in the face. Moment after moment problems and situations keep piling up and seem to be getting worse. Your adrenaline starts pumping, anger levels start rising. Stress levels are as high as it gets. You can’t focus or think straight.

Many things can cause one to get stressed out. Crappy job, bills, economy, exams, relationships, friendships, family, taxes, car issues, dramatic changes in life, etc. There are a lot more on the list. One feels completely overwhelmed with everything. The state of “flow” is turned off and one enters a state of anxiety. At this moment, life pretty much sucks.

Then after being so tired of being angry, one enters the one state that really makes life feel like total hell.

Apathy.

Apathy(according to wikipedia): “is a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as concern, excitement, motivation and passion. An apathetic individual has an absence of interest or concern to emotional, social, or physical life.”

So one has no feelings of emotion, desire, or motivation. One is simply just a walking robot with no drive.

Great.

I’ll be the first one to admit this. I have fallen into this state of hopelessness many (and I mean MANY) times. It is on my list of top five worst experiences.

In a state of apathy, one has very low skill and challenge levels. This is NOT something that is fun. Apathy is a killer to one’s success and enjoyment of life. If you have a lot of goals you want to accomplish, this will stall you in your tracks.

To get an idea of what I mean. Check out the chart below:

What To Do About It.

Some people never fall into this state and can deal with stress very well.

Others can not handle any degree of stress at all. As a kid I used to be one of these people (mind you I am still not perfect.) Over the years, I have discovered ways to handle stress a lot more efficiently.

1. Talk to someone who will listen and is positive. - What I DO NOT mean is call someone up who’s only response is going to be “lets get trashed”. While socializing and drinking alcohol can be fun, alcohol is a downer. It has been known to make people feel really depressed (and even angry).

What I do mean is call one (both would be better) of the following two types of people:

• Someone who has more knowledge and experience then you about life (or the situation). These people usually have some awesome advice that can make your day. It is always refreshing hearing from a good friend that “things are going to be fine, I went and dealt with this. Here is how I did it.” It can be anyone you want to talk to. A friend, brother, sister, cousin, or parents. It doesn’t matter. As long as the person is positive.

• A close person who knows you well enough that can make you happy. It is always good despite how bad you feel to have a good friend make you laugh. Friends like this are completely awesome. Get one!

Now if you know someone who is well experienced, intelligent, funny and a good friend; awesome! You are very lucky.

Who you want to avoid talking to is a person that will only be negative. This usually makes one’s perception on life worse. I’ve had my share of people like this and they were nothing but a waste of time.

2. Take a deep breath and relax. – A close friend of mine gave me some very good advice this week. He told me the best thing to do when times get rough is to “take a deep breath, relax and start dealing with situations one-by-one.”

This makes perfect sense, freaking out does not help solve the problem. Anxiety will cause us to try to fix a problem; but usually we will do things completely wrong. Calming down and thinking logically will go a long way. Life is obviously not easy and things are going to turn up whether we like it or not. The best way to handle it is in a positive state.

3. Go for a walk. – Instead of throwing your cell phone or punching the wall; go for a walk. Seriously, you will feel better after you are done. Exercise is a physiological stressor. Psychological stress causes one to have a physiological stress response. So while one is “heated up” hit the park or nature trail and get some fresh air. The last thing you want to do is not vent your stress (which isn’t healthy), but you don’t want to break your $400 iphone either.

A note regarding weight training and other physical activity. I personally find hitting the gym a great way to vent my stress. BUT the issue with free weights for certain people is that they perform poorly under lots of psychological stress. The last thing you want to do is put on some heavy weight for deadlifts and injure yourself. If you know you can’t perform well when really stressed out, then go for a walk instead. If you are someone who is well experienced and can perform great, then go for it. (I obviously mean this in the context of one’s training schedule. I DON’T mean to go lift at any random time.)

4. Go out and have fun. – This might be somewhat hypocritical depending on the context. Going out and getting trashed with the wrong people like I had said will usually not help. Now if you can gather a group of the right people to be around, then do it. Go out to the movies, the beach, the city, etc. Do something fun. Being around positive friends and family will help take your mind of things. Human beings are social creatures, so be social.

5. Listen to music. – In my experience (and I’m sure everyone can agree here), music is like therapy. Putting on the right song can help one relax and calm down. Certain types of music can help one “vent” as well. If certain songs will make you feel worse, avoid them.

6. Read. - When calm, reading can be a great way to get your mind off things. Read a novel that is exciting or read a non-fiction book that is interesting. Also since this is 2010, reading the right blogs can have a big impact as well. A friend of mine has written a great article about big changes in life that I feel EVERYONE should read.

Another good friend of mine has an awesome blog about his life experiences you should check out. His blog is entitled, “Coffee Through A Straw.”

Well I hope the above points can help you get back to life. Are there any other points that can help?

3. Protein - Before I begin, let me just say that the best source of information available on the topic is Lyle McDonald’s The Protein Book. It literally has everything you need to know about protein. It is a great book for everyone, regardless if you are an average Joe or an athlete.

“So how much protein should I be consuming?”.

Well there are plenty of variables and situations that can give someone an answer. For the purpose of this article, I’ll assume that you are just weight training three times a week. 1-1.5 grams per pound of body weight is sufficient. So for someone who is 150 pounds, 150-225 grams a day would be the range of total protein one would consume. Personally, I would stick to the higher end of the scale.

Now I know some of you reading this have heard high protein diets are harmful, but this of course has been over exaggerated. There are many benefits to having a moderate/high protein intake. For satiety purposes, protein is the number one macro-nutrient that will fill you up. Try it for yourself. Increase your protein intake from whole food sources and you will definitely notice less hunger.

Also, if you want to build muscle mass, then you are going to need a good amount of protein. Unlike carbohydrates & fats, protein isn’t stored in the human body. Well technically, your muscle & organ tissue is made up of protein, but you obviously don’t want your body to use that as a source. (This happens during extreme cases of starvation.)

There are plenty of different types of proteins out there. Animal sources such as beef, poultry, pork & dairy are good forms of complete proteins. They have good biological value and a complete amino acid profile. In case you did not know, amino acids are the building blocks of protein. (Just like how sugars are the building blocks of starches.) Vegetable proteins such as rice & legumes can be added to ones diet on top of animal sources.

The key here is to have a variety of different protein sources on a daily basis. Now I know this can be hard if one has a certain number of food allergies/intolerances. Complete proteins such as dairy, fish, shellfish, eggs & soy can be problematic. It isn’t really a problem if it is just one source that one is sensitive to. The obvious conclusion is to just avoid it and use other sources.

What can be a major problem is if someone has a wide variety of food allergies/intolerances. It can be stressful trying to figure out what types one can eat that would give sufficient amounts of essential amino acids (EAAs). EAAs are amino acids that the body can not produce. They must be consumed within one’s diet. Consuming only chicken breast everyday for the rest of your life is a good way to miss out on certain amounts of EAAs & nutrients that only certain protein sources have.

I’ll use myself as an example here. I can’t tolerate dairy, eggs, legumes & high amounts of soy. Instead, I’ll eat poultry, beef, pork, fish, seafood & gemma pea protein isolate. I also eat tree nuts & gluten-free oats which have small amounts of protein.

EDIT: I have recently found out I am sensitive to oat protein, so I have excluded oats from my diet.

Since I have a variety in my diet, I won’t have to worry about being deficient in any EAAs. Also, I feel that people with celiac disease should be eating lean red meat. Being deficient in iron is common with people who have celiac disease.

For those not sensitive to dairy, you are in luck. Dairy contains high amounts of EAAs , especially the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). These amino acids are important for protein synthesis (I.e. muscle growth,). Dairy also contains a good amount of dietary calcium which is important for fat loss.

I am only being brief here on the topic of protein & food allergies/intolerances There will be a future article on the subject.

Certain EAAs are precursors to certain neurotransmitters that regulate mood. L-tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin and L-phenylalanine is a precursor to dopamine. Protein is more then just “muscle food” and has many other functions in the human body.

One more thing I want to mention is protein powders. They can be very handy if one does not have time to cook. Whey protein powder is the most popular on the market. It is a good item to use for pre and during workout since it is a fast-digesting protein. For purposes of using powders in a meal. Milk protein isolate (MPI) or gemma pea protein isolate for the dairy-sensitive are a better option. They are more filling and will keep you fuller in the long run.

If anyone is looking for good quality protein powders, check out TrueProtein.com. They are a very respectable company and their customer service is just awesome. I personally use their Dutch chocolate flavored gemma and it tastes great. Erin Elberson over at GlutenFreeFitness.com wrote an excellent review for TP’s gemma & rice protein powder. Check it out.

Part 3 will be up soon and I will most likely finish off this series with a part 4.

“What is your diet and nutrition program, I want to get into shape. I want to do what you do.”

This is an interesting topic to talk about since most people seem to miss the point that there is no one perfect diet or training program. What I exactly do will not have the same impact on someone else. There are basics that everyone needs to follow which is what I’m going to talk about.

1. Total Calorie Intake – This is a very important component of any program that most people tend to ignore. Whether you are dieting, maintaining or bulking, having an idea of how much you are eating on a daily basis will take you a long way. Tracking calories will also keep you on track and give you an idea of what “real portions” are.

When I first got started with counting calories (Weight Watchers), it really gave me a reality check on portion sizes. I know most are thinking counting calories is a pain in the ass, but after sometime of doing it, one can eye-ball their portions (and this solely depends on the context of what type of program you are doing.) For one to get to that level though, it takes time and a lot of discipline. I usually don’t recommend eye-balling for beginners.

A good website to use is Fitday.com, which I have used in the past. I highly recommend it and for certain situations, I‘ll still use it. In regards to measuring cooked (or raw) protein sources (I.e. meat) use a scale. Also, pull out the measuring spoons and cups. One of the biggest nutrients that is easily over consumed is dietary fat, so this is very important.

Another big piece of good advice stated by Martin Berkhan of Leangains.com is to “eat your calories.” Switching out the sodas and juices for water can make a huge difference regarding calorie intake & overall health.

2. Exercise – Exercise is another very important factor in maintaining health. Our bodies are designed for daily activity. Sitting on the couch all day with a bag of chips and a remote just won’t cut it. There are many different ways to go about doing an exercise program. For the average everyday folk, a combination of weight resistance training & cardiovascular activity will do fine.

Most people feel the need that one has be at the gym 12 days out of the week to be in shape, but this is simply not true. A 3-day split of weight training while staying active through out the day will do more then beating yourself to death. Example, doing one-body part a day and running on the treadmill for 2-3 hours. (I have seen some funny & sad things going on at gyms.) In most cases, doing less is more. JC over at JCDFitness.com sums this up nicely with his article “The Law of Diminishing Returns”. In regards to cardio, I prefer to have fun doing it. I personally think the treadmill is quite boring. Go outside for a walk, get some fresh air.

If you are a beginner who has never touched a dumbbell, a basic full-body compound routine is a good start. Isolation movements are not really of concern at this point. Yes, magazines will say other wise but magazines are nonsense. It is sad seeing people spend 90 minutes doing 10 different exercises for biceps, as if working the biceps alone will provide a whole body transformation. (Guess what, it doesn’t.)

What matters right now is not how much you can “bench for 315”. What matters is learning proper technique, stretches, and prehab work. Prevention for injuries is very important. Starting with the right tools from day 1 will do wonders as you progress with training.

Sadly, most people instead of training “smart” train with an “ego”. I see this a lot for example regarding the squat. Someone will throw on 315 and will perform a poor half-assed squat. This usually happens when the gym is crowded because one wants to impress the “bros“ and pretty females that are around. The same usually goes for deadlifts and well…everything else. People then complain how certain exercises are dangerous when really, the problem is the person doing the exercise.

Don’t fall into the trap of impressing people; worry about yourself and not what the person next to you is doing. If you know what you are doing is right, then continue on with a big smile.

To the women out there who feel weightlifting will make them huge like Arnold, no need to worry, A woman’s body is not designed to gain as much muscle as a man’s. If anything, a good program will yield an awesome beautiful physique. (And we can all agree that women are beautiful.) Girls, for more information read JC’s “The Muscle Building Guide For Women”.

Also, Lyle McDonald over at Bodyrecomposition.com has written a very good article series regarding beginners and weight training. I highly suggest you read it starting with part 1.

Since there is a lot I have to say about this topic, I’m going to split up this article into a few parts. Part 2 will be up within a few days.

It is a very odd condition, this is why. With most illnesses for example, people need to be cured with a cycle of antibiotics (bacterial infections) or be put on hormonal therapy (hypothyroidism). In other words, one has to be put on some form of pharmaceutical assistance. With celiac disease on the other hand, all one has to do is simply eliminate gluten from one’s diet. As soon as that happens, the body begins to heal itself.

Isn’t that awesome? The only solution to the problem is to simply avoid the culprit. But it isn’t as easy as it sounds. I’ll explain myself in a bit.

First I want to explain what gluten is. Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat, barely and rye. Despite what most people think, It is NOT found in oats. The whole topic of oats will be discussed in a future article. When a person with Celiac Disease ingests gluten, the body’s immune system reacts to the protein as an intruder. This usually occurs in the small intestine. During the process of the immune system doing “its thing”, the small intestine is also damaged and becomes inflamed.

On a microscopic level, the villi of the small intestine are being destroyed. This is a big problem, since one needs healthy villi to be able to digest and absorb nutrients properly. Now I know some of you are asking what the heck is villi? Well, villi are small “hair like fingers” that are attached to the small intestine’s wall. Their primary job is to absorb nutrients (vitamins, minerals, etc) and release certain digestive enzymes that are responsible for breaking down certain macronutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Lactose Intolerance is a very common with celiac disease since the enzyme lactase (which breaks down the sugar lactose) is produced at the tip of a villi. The top part of the villi is usually the first to be destroyed.

Now you can see where the problem can occur when there is no villi present. The normal process of digestion is interrupted. This is one of the main reasons why celiac disease if not treated or diagnosed properly can lead to some serious health problems.

If one chronically has his/her immune system always responding and causing inflammation, this can cause a series of other health problems and conditions to occur. Examples of other medical conditions to occur are leaky gut syndrome, hypothyroidism, malnutrition, depression and osteoporosis. There is even a possibility that with long-term chronic inflammation of the small intestine, cancer can develop.

I guess you can say that Celiac Disease is a “door opener” for biological drama, and drama is not cool.

On the topic of going gluten-free, it is not an over night process. For some people it is a smooth transition while for others it is psychologically stress-full. Gluten can be hidden in lots of processed food and even used as fillers for certain supplements. Most companies now are becoming celiac aware and are making their products celiac-friendly, which I am so grateful for. I give a lot of credit to the people who were diagnosed ten years ago for this condition since it wasn’t as easy to handle as it is today.

I would also like to mention that it is very common for celiacs to have other food allergies and food intolerances. One of the most common proteins to be of problem is casein. This has to do with the molecular structure of casein being very similar to gluten (a topic for another day.) In case you are wondering, casein is a protein that is found in all dairy products.

Celiac Disease in itself is still being researched and there is still a lot to be learned. What’s really cool is that most celiacs are very positive about the situation. Being diagnosed with celiac disease usually encourages one to focus on his/her diet and health. Most have a change in mood and feel brand new once one is gluten-free for some duration of time.

I have been gluten-free for around 3 years and I feel awesome, how about you?