1. Seen your drug dealer lately

The importance of blood work

That may seem an odd title for a fitness tip. Perhaps I’m going to discuss the drug abuse/cheating in sports (which, by the way, has been prevalent for as long as athletes have been looking for an advantage over their rivals, in other words, since the beginning of time in some form or another). Maybe I’m going to let you in on a secret pill or potion that can transform your physique virtually overnight. Hey, maybe I’m a steroid dealer looking for new customers...

No, I’m talking about your doctor.

In my experience, General practitioners know little about proper nutrition or supplementation.

As mentioned in a previous e-mail, I encourage all my clients to visit their doctor and ask for the following;

• hematology panel (i.e. a comprehensive blood panel)
• TSH test (Thyroid stimulating hormone test)
• liver enzyme/function (ALT, AST, gamma GT, bilirubin, alkaline phosphate)
• kidney function (serum calcium, uric acid, creatinine, eGFR)
• cholesterol (HDL, LDL, total-HDL ratio)
• triglycerides
• glucose fasting test

In addition, I would highly recommend a bone density test for women and a testosterone test for men. These tests should be taken yearly and all will be completely free of charge with the exception of the cholesterol test. Your doctor may expect you to pay for this, however, if you have high blood pressure (a test I did not even mention as it should always be taken regularly i.e. every few months) and/or a family history of cardiovascular disease, then your doctor can determine that it is a necessary procedure. You see, your doctor may discourage these tests (as completely ridiculous as that may seem) and not suggest them until you start exhibiting outward signs of deficiency or disease. This is akin to just driving your car around until something goes wrong. Sadly, most people are far more committed to regular maintenance tests on their vehicles than their bodies. I believe the medical system should send out mailers like your auto dealership reminding you that you are due for a check-up. I understand that many of you go for regular check-ups, but the blood work is often incomplete or non-existent. Outward appearances do not tell the whole story. Perhaps your glucose fasting test comes back at <6.0 mmol/L. Essentially, you are pre-diabetic. The use of an OTC GDA (glucose disposal agent) could potentially lower your levels in conjunction with a reduction of high-glycemic carbohydrates in your diet. Why ignore it until you develop type 2 diabetes and need to take prescription medication, or worse yet, become a full-blown diabetic dependent on insulin?

When I discovered I had slightly high blood pressure I immediately purchased a home BP monitor. My high BP was determined to be primarily genetic and it was not all that high (135/85). Although not life threatening it should and could be lower. I began taking a potassium supplement, reduced my sodium intake and added garlic to more meals as well as taking a daily odourless garlic supplement. I was able to reduce my BP to 125/80.

I have often heard clients say they have trouble losing weight due to their “slow metabolism”. Really? What is your TSH level at? Has it been checked? Maybe it is slow, maybe it isn’t. If it is slow then perhaps a supplement such as coleus forskolin could help. If it is not slow then you can look at actual solutions to help you lose weight rather than blame things on an imaginary condition. The only way to know is by being tested.

When getting tests done make sure to ask for a copy to be mailed directly to your home. You can request this at the lab. In my experience, many doctors have a “God-complex” and get insulted when you want your own copies of your results. It is your blood and your body, get your own copy. I would be more than happy to discuss the findings with you and fully explain the results to you. Your doctor will only ever respond if something is seriously wrong already. Otherwise, all you will hear from the doctor is “you’re okay”. I believe that people who invest in a personal trainer and work hard in the gym would prefer to be more than just okay. They want to be great and they want to take pre-emptive strikes against age-related decline and/or inherited health issues.

2. Catherine King’s health tips

The benefits of high-intensity cardio

When most people think about cardio they think of long slow distance (L.S.D.) training whether it be running, cycling or other such activities. L.S.D. is only one method of training for cardiovascular health, other methods do exist.

Many of you saw the effects of training on individual’s physiques at the Beijing Olympics from the huge shoulders and arms of the male gymnasts to the defined lean bodies of the volleyball players. When choosing a cardio training method one needs to ask themselves some important questions; how will my body respond to training (genetic component), and what do I want to achieve from training. Do you wish for the muscular look of a sprinter or the lean look of a marathon runner?

Next time you put on your running shoes try training at a higher intensity level for a shorter amount of time. After a 5 minute warm-up, try going all out and push yourself. The good news is you only need to do this for 20 seconds. Yes, it will be hard, but most people can endure 20 seconds of just about anything. If you are not comfortable on a treadmill then try the bike, the elliptical or any other piece of cardio equipment, following the same protocol. Remember if you are trying to change your body composition and lose weight you need to create a calorie deficit. You may accomplish it with L.S.D. or in a shorter period of time with high intensity interval training. The added bonus is that your cardiovascular system will receive greater benefit from the high intensity work. Don’t be afraid to push yourself.

Catherine King (NSCA-CPT, BCRPA)

3. The natural stack

Supplement Strategies for Gaining Muscle

Many bodybuilders, athletes and others in pursuit of their performance and physique goals are tempted to use steroids. This is especially true of young people today. The media spotlight on anabolic/androgenic steroids (AAS) has actually caused an increase in abuse. When I was growing up, I never, ever heard steroids mentioned. Even at the University level, steroids were never mentioned among athletes nor spoken about in weight rooms. I am thankful for that. These days, I hear skinny, non-athletes in their late teens and early 20’s talking about what “stack” they are on. They brag about how they are going to get a bunch of “gear” and get huge. Although I am not huge by any means, I have been able to gain about 35 pounds of muscle without the use of steroids. It does take a lot of time (my gains took approximately 5 years) however, I did not have to endure legal issues, side effects or the loss of my gains. That is the thing about natural training, the gains take longer to achieve but they are yours to keep. Most gains achieved through AAS use will eventually disappear.

Supplements do not work as well as steroids (despite what some ads would have you believe). They also do not cause the myriad of unpleasant side-effects that steroids can cause.

I have researched the many drugs used by bodybuilders and created an alternative, supplement-based equivalent. As mentioned this “natural stack” will not have drug-like effects. Also, it is not cheap. This stack is ideal for someone in their 30’s or 40’s who has been training for at least 7 years and has seemingly reached a plateau over the past couple of years.

This stack will not help trainers in their 20’s much as their body is already in an ideal hormonal state for muscle building. It will largely prove to be a waste of money. Changes to one’s training, recovery and, most importantly, diet will serve younger trainers far better at that age. However, if you are truly a 20-something hardgainer then it may be worth a shot. You may follow the “bulking” or “cutting” plans depending on your goals. I would suggest bulking for 6 months (winter is best) followed by cutting for 3 months. Most guys just want to “cut“. Unfortunately, most guys do not have much muscle to cut to start with! “You cannot carve a statue from a pebble, you need a big rock” – Arnold Schwarzenegger

BULKING

1. Testosterone – The big T is the base of most drug stacks. Obviously, here the goal is to naturally boost your own testosterone. I think “Zeus”is probably the best test-booster out there and I also like “T-Bomb”by MHP. Mind you, there are plenty I have not tried. I think Eurycoma Longifolia (aka “tongkat ali”) is most likely the catalyst and must-have ingredient. It is more effective than tribulus terretris for test-boosting.
2. Dianabol, Anadrol – These are “strength and mass” drugs used for off-season bulking. The best alternative plan of action is to take creatine monohydrate, increase your protein (to 300+ grams/day) and also increase your carbs (500+g/day). Like all natural bulking, it can be effective IF the calories are from quality sources. If they come from junk then you will feel bloated, look fat and feel like crap. Also, do cardio! I know this goes against what many do while bulking but the training during a bulk should be based around compound exercises and those take a lot out of you. If you’re in better shape you can train that much more intensely. In addition, I find a little cardio increases my appetite and helps me feel less bloated while bulking.
3. Insulin – High-level bodybuilders take insulin in order to transport more nutrients into the cells. In order to improve insulin sensitivity I take alpha-lipoic acid and chromium. If your multi-mineral contains 100mcg of chromium or more do not bother, if not, take 200mcg chromium picolinate/day. For ALA, I take 150mg with lunch, 150mg/dinner and 150mg/post-workout with a shake. Also, take 3-6 grams fish oil/day.
4. Steroids are not only anabolic, they’re very anti-catabolic. To reduce catabolism, take glutamine throughout the day (30-40g/day) spread out. The most important times are upon waking, pre-workout, post-workout and before bed. Also, take ZMA before bed to promote rest and repair (may also increase test levels - if you wake up “pitching a tent” then it’s working) There are also many cortisol-inhibiting supplements available. It may help to add one of them to your plan. “Cort-Bloc” is an example of one such supplement.

CUTTING

1. Testosterone (see above)
2. Growth Hormone – I’ve spent a small fortune on natural GH-boosting supplements and found them to be rather benign. I would just suggest 3g arginine upon waking, 3g pre-workout and 3g before bed. Must be taken on an empty stomach to work. Rarely do I go to bed on an empty stomach so I ditched the arginine before-bed plan and replaced it with 3 grams of melatonin. The melatonin is also supposed to promote GH release and it’s cheap. Best of all, it’s non-addictive and you can take plenty (I’ve used up to 9 grams) and it does not leave you drowsy the next morning.
3. Thyroid – Bodybuilders take T3 and/or T4 in order to keep their metabolism elevated. I tried guggulsterones and got jack. Then I tried coleus forskolin and felt a difference. I think this supplement is under-rated. Take twice the recommended dose when cutting in order to keep your metabolism from slowing down when reducing calories.
4. Clenbuterol – A beta-antagonist used to increase the number of calories burned as heat within the body. You could take ephedrine instead. I no longer take ephedrine as it raises my blood-pressure and gives me cramps (calves, hams and, ouch, abs). I just drink more coffee to get myself through cardio…well that, and I’m addicted to it….
5. Anti-estrogens – Reducing estrogen will eliminate any water retention, potentially increase testosterone and possibly improve muscularity or “hardness”. Like GH-boosters, these products are very expensive for the results, or lack thereof, they provide. “Novadex” by Gaspari Nutrition and “6-OXO” are examples of OTC anti-estrogens. Now, many natural bodybuilders actually take prescription estrogen-antagonists like clomid and nolvadex. These drugs are used by juiced guys in order to restore their hypothalmus-pituitary-testicular axis post-cycle. Essentially, it helps bring their endocrine system back into working order. Excess exogeneous testosterone (or its analogs, i.e. all steroids) cause suppression. Excess estrogen also causes suppression. Coming off steroids (i.e. no more exogeneous test) is only part one of restoring the HPTA. Part two is eliminating any excess estrogen, hence the use of nolvadex and clomid. I do not think it would help as the natural bodybuilder is only operating within his own endocrine system. A lot of your testosterone (natural or exogeneous) eventually gets converted to either estrogen or dihydrotestosterone to some degree. How much gets converted and what it gets converted to are completely genetic. Perhaps guys that are estrogen dominate (man boobs when fat, female fat deposits i.e. butt and thighs, soft skin, no acne, somewhat passive) could benefit. Guys that are DHT dominate (acne, some hair-loss, love-handle or belly fat, strong jawline, competitive nature) probably would not see a benefit. However, most guys are a combo of both, furthermore, you need a prescription (or a drug dealer) to get clomid or nolvadex. I am going to try the “Novadex” (note the spelling… nice touch Gaspari) and get blood tests before and during to see if it works. Being DHT dominant I will probably not see any benefit but if I do I’ll pass the news along….

4. When exercise doesn’t work

The importance of effective eating

Now, it may seem somewhat odd that a fitness professional would suggest that exercise is anything less than a complete cure-all and a fountain of youth. Why would you spend your hard-earned money, take time out of your busy schedule, endure grueling workouts and put up with me if it was proven to be only moderately effective at altering your body composition? Well, as you may know, I am a member and certified trainer with the National Strength and Conditioning Association and I receive the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. I like to research studies that can help people reach their goals. I use a combination of proven research, practical application, personal experience and client feedback when formulating a program. I respect your financial investment and in-gym effort. I also respect well-designed studies and the data collected...even if it is not what I, as a fitness pro, or you, as a client, may want to hear.

Bottom line...a recent study clearly demonstrates that exercise alone will only result in a moderate to minimal success in fat loss. Your diet is the single most important factor in initiating favourable changes in body composition.

Now, before you stop going to the gym, please take a moment to recall some Olympic events. In particular, the gymnastics competition. Obviously, these athletes all have incredible physiques and, as world-class athletes, their nutrition program is top notch. However, it is quite apparent that the hard, consistent training has been the deciding factor in their appearance. Further, I believe that 2 of the greatest benefits of exercise are stress-reduction and a sense of accomplishment. A good, hard workout has an almost magical ability to take you away from the seemingly overwhelming challenges that life occasionally throws our way. More importantly, it removes you from the many insignificant, petty, pointless issues we often stress over (or is this just me?). In addition, exercise improves self-esteem and confidence, sometimes dramatically so. Let’s not forget other benefits such as reduced blood pressure, improved triglycerides. lower resting heart rate, greater insulin sensitivity and better quality of sleep to name a few. Finally, many studies have shown that while people can lose fat through diet alone, long term fat-loss success was very elusive. The greatest success, long-term, was with regular exercisers.

5. Commitment

Realistic goal setting

As a trainer, I have experienced an ongoing phenomenon. Every time I meet someone new (or run into someone I haven’t seen in a while) and they find out I am a personal trainer they immediately begin telling me how they “used to” work out 10 times a week or how they are starting their new workout/diet plan on Monday. Interestingly enough, their new plan also involves training at least 6 days a week and following a strict diet as well. More often than not, these people are simply alleviating guilt or telling me what they think I want to hear. Perhaps they actually think they will completely transform their lifestyle overnight. In some cases they actually do embark on their quests only to crash and burn in a couple of weeks. Commitment is based on consistency, not some short-term or unrealistic approach to fitness. It is an ongoing, evolving process. Most people are over-doing it or under-doing it. At the West Vancouver Recreation Centre I see it all the time. “Mr. Smith”, “Mrs. Jones” or “little Johnny” train every day, two hours a day, for a month or perhaps six weeks. Then they disappear. They re-emerge a few months later determined to “really stick to it this time” yet the same pattern occurs (what a surprise).

The best approach is to select one achievable goal (I would encourage behavior-based goals over outcome-based goals) and focus your energy there. For instance, I determined that although I was committed to my flexibility, strength, nutrition, supplementation, and high-intensity cardio (intervals, stair-running) I had two areas that were lacking in my overall fitness program. First was my longer-distance cardiovascular endurance, the second was tightness in some muscles that was not alleviated through stretching. I made a commitment. I would seek out the help of a massage therapist to treat my tight muscles and I would ride my bike to work. Initially, I would go to massage twice a week then reduce it to one session a week (based upon my initial consultation with the therapist). I would ride my bike to work once per week then increase that to twice per week, possibly three times depending on my schedule. Of course this meant I needed to drop one of my weightlifting sessions per week (3/week instead of 4/week). These are well thought out, reasonable, progressive, attainable changes. They are not wishful thinking, unrealistic or impulsive.

Bottom line - select one (or two) changes and DO IT. Do not try to change everything at once and end up doing nothing

6. Preventing diabetes

Blood sugar control

As most of you know, diabetes rates have increased over the past 25 years with younger and younger people being diagnosed. Although diabetes, like any disease, is primarily determined by genetics, the recent increase in cases is attributable to lifestyle.

Diabetes prevention essentially boils down to blood glucose control. In order to help your body control blood glucose levels, please employ the following tips:

• eat every 3-4 hours
• avoid simple sugars such as fruit juice, honey, maple syrup, processed food (it’s loaded with high fructose corn syrup), candy, pop, jam, desserts etc...
• eat more high fibre foods such as oatmeal, whole grain breads, lentils, beans, peas, brown rice, vegetables (very, very rare is the person who eats adequate veggies)
• drink water, period. Of course coffee/tea and moderate use of alcohol may have their place, but essentially, 90% of fluid intake should ideally be pure water.

Beyond blood glucose control there are 3 key elements in reducing your risk of acquiring diabetes (or at least impaired insulin function)

• maintain a healthy weight
• exercise regularly (studies have shown increased insulin sensitivity following training)
• check your fasting and non-fasted glucose levels (ask your doctor for these tests next time you go for a physical)

7. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail

Nutritional planning

What are you planning on eating tomorrow?

What’s in your kitchen right now?

If you are like most people, the answer to the first question is “I have no idea”. The answer to the second question is often the same. We are all busy and tools such as daytimers, blackberrys and “to do” lists keep us from ignoring or forgetting our daily responsibilities. Some enlist the help of an assistant or a more organized relative or spouse to remind us of our daily tasks. Whatever method works for you, the bottom line is that deadlines are met, bills are paid, friends are contacted, leisure activities are enjoyed, and events are not missed. Further, as people who have employed the services of a personal trainer, you ensure that you maintain a regular routine of exercise. However, rare is the person who takes the same approach to nutrition.

What if you paid your bills whenever you happened to remember, saw friends/family whenever you randomly bumped into them on the street and went to work only when you felt like it? Well, you would probably be bankrupt, unemployed and pretty lonely. Why then is it that people expect to lose (or gain) weight when they take a completely haphazard approach?

Now, I am not suggesting that eating need become some rigid, bland affair. Just like other areas of your life there needs to be room for alternatives, personal taste, unexpected events, variety and spontaneity within the over-arching organizational principles. I realize it is a cliché, however, when it comes to healthy and effective eating…you plan to fail when you fail to plan...

Looking in my kitchen, I am planning on the following diet tomorrow;

6:30am
One piece of dry toast w/2 poached eggs on top
1 - 2 cups of coffee
One cup of oatmeal w/organic blueberries

10:30am
Homemade chicken sandwich
2 apples
Water

2:00pm
Non-fat plain yogurt mixed w/protein powder
OR nuts
OR granola
OR fruit
OR fibre one cereal
OR any combo of the above ingredients
Water

4:30pm
Large tuna salad
Water
Coffee

6:30pm
Workout

7:30pm
Vanilla protein powder
Powdered orange Gatorade
Glutamine (an amino acid)
Mix the above with 12-16 ounces of water, drink immediately following workout

9:00pm
Salmon
Broccoli w/melted cheddar
OR
Ground turkey w/brown rice, chick peas and some spaghetti sauce
Water or diet pop

11:30pm
Nothing (hopefully)
OR
Cottage cheese and fruit (if I’m still really hungry and awake)

As you can see, I do leave some room for variety. I try to eat every 3 hours however my schedule does not always cooperate. The point being that I look at my schedule the day before and attempt to follow my 3 hour objective as closely as possible. In addition, I lay out the ingredients and do as much prep as possible so that I am not tempted to forgo my plan and head over to Subway (which isn’t as healthy as Jared would have you believe...)

So, what are you planning on eating tomorrow?

8. Keeping it off

Long term weight loss management

In this month’s “Scientific American”, Dr. James Hill researched a variety of successful weight loss participants. That is, people who not only lost weight but were able to maintain their new bodyweights. The weight lost was modest, but permanent. Not to be confused with the eye-catching covers of “US” or “People” where people are shown after dropping enormous amounts of weight. Sure, they may lose 40-180 lbs. (and good for them), but where are they a year later? Barring those who utilized surgery, they are generally as big, if not larger than before. Again, Dr. Hill’s research focused on successful strategies for permanent changes. He found four common traits in successful weight loss.

The keys, according to Dr. Hill, are as follows:

• Exercise daily. He stated that people got to the point with physical activity where they don’t say they love it, but they do say “it’s part of my life.” Most participants averaged 60-90 minutes of daily activity.
• They had greater food awareness. The simple knowledge of how much fat, carbohydrate, and protein they’re eating helps them control calorie intake and limit sugars and bad fats. Ignorance may be bliss, but it also leads to blubber.
• Breakfast. Nearly every individual successful in long term weight loss maintenance eats breakfast every single day.
• Weighing In. Although weighing in has become taboo, according to Dr. Hill’s research, weighing in regularly helps improve weight loss and weight loss maintenance. Again, it comes down to awareness; you can’t expect to lose weight on a wing and a prayer.

9. Know your numbers

The benefits of exercise beyond outward appearance

Whenever I inquire about a new or prospective client’s goals I inevitably get the same response, “I would like to lose some weight.” The number obviously varies from one person to the next and occasionally the goal may, in fact, be weight (muscle) gain. I have yet to hear a single client say “I would like to lower my blood pressure”or “I would like to reduce my cholesterol level”.

My promise to you is that I can help you gain strength, endurance, flexibility, coordination, body awareness, improved cardiovascular capacity, mind-muscle connection and hopefully a positive attitude towards exercise. Regular training will also lower blood pressure, increase insulin sensitivity and reduce blood triglycerides and cholesterol. Additionally, you will gain muscle and lose adipose tissue (fat). I cannot promise that the number on the scale will decrease. Any trainer that makes that promise is simply a charlatan. I can provide direction, advice, and accountability regarding nutrition however I have absolutely no control over what you eat or how much cardio you do on your own.

The next time you are frustrated by seeing the same number on the scale I encourage you to check out some other numbers, namely, the ones mentioned above (i.e. blood pressure, resting glucose, resting heart rate, cholesterol). The greatest benefits of exercise are not usually outwardly noticeable. They are a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, improved bone density, a sense of accomplishment and increased confidence.

As a bonus, you’ll probably look better too...but that should not be the sole focus.

10. The 7 habits of highly effective eating

Nutritional strategies for success

This month’s tip is a blatant rip-off of Stephen R. Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”.

Here are my “7 Habits of Highly Effective Eating”

• Eat every 3 hours
• Eat complete (containing all the essential amino acids), lean protein with each meal.
• Eat fruits and/or vegetables with each food meal
• Ensure that your carbohydrate intake comes from fruit and vegetables (i.e. avoid processed carbs altogether and limit starchy carbs)
• Reduce saturated fat intake and increase monounsaturated fat (e.g. olive oil) and polyunsaturated fat (e.g. flaxseed oil, salmon oil) intake.
• Drink only non-calorie containing beverages, the best choices being green tea and water.
• The most important of all...actually follow the previous 6 rules.

11. The importance of meal timing

A sample menu

A question I hear all the time is, “What should I eat?”

An equally valuable question is “When should I eat?”

Basically, you should eat every 3 hours and keep meals relatively small. Furthermore, there are certain times of the day when optimal nutrition is paramount if you want to make progress with changes in body composition. First, breakfast is essential. Do not skip breakfast. An exception to this rule would be performing cardio first thing in the morning, when glycogen reserves are low, in order to tap into fat stores for energy. However, this only applies to low intensity cardio, not weight training or high-intensity cardio. Most importantly, it only applies to those who are actually committed to doing the cardio, and breakfast should be consumed following the cardio session. Skipping breakfast results in a sluggish metabolism. You should be attempting to kickstart your metabolism first thing in the morning through exercise (if practical) and solid nutrition.

Another crucial time is following your weight training. Lean protein and low-fat carbohydrates are essential for optimal recovery from exercise.

Finally, the difference between success and stagnation in your fat-loss efforts is generally linked to one’s eating habits in the evening. Keep the carbs low. Have lean protein and veggies, cottage cheese and fruit for dessert. That’s cottage cheese - not brie! Also, that’s fresh fruit (1 cup or less) not red wine or strawberry shortcake. Save the treats for restaurants and special occasions.

Here is an example of an effective day of eating;

6:00am
4 eggs (2 yolks) scrambled with salsa.
Coffee/tea
Water (most people wake-up slightly dehydrated)

9:00am
Tuna wrap
OR apple w/2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
OR handful of almonds and some raw carrot and celery sticks
OR plain non-fat yogurt with melon

12:00am
Chicken salad

3:00pm
Protein shake/bar
OR 1 ounce cheddar cheese with wasa crispbread
OR hummus and whole grain pita
OR half a turkey sandwich
OR beef jerky

5:00pm
Workout

6:30pm
Protein shake and a banana
OR the other half of the turkey sandwich

7:30pm
Turkey, chicken, fish or lean cut of steak (tenderloin, outside round, sirloin)
Vegetables (green beans, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, asparagus etc...no potatoes)
OR a green salad

Obviously, this is just an example. Adjustments will need to be made according to one’s schedule. I do, however, suggest that you start to apply some of these habits ASAP.