Quick Tips: Training and Nutrition – Episode I

Throughout the course of each week, I make sure to find time to read nutrition/training related articles/blogs.  However I only have so much time in my day, so reading long article after long article can become too time consuming or just start to get old after awhile.  Therefore, I really like articles that can provide quick, easy to apply information… kind of like this blog post I made a few months back.  Or, like the series Eric Cressey has going over on his blog.

My good friends from back in Cali are here to drop some quality tips that can help you get one step closer to reaching your health and fitness goals.  Both Michelle Adams and Marci Nevin have already made some great contributions (found HERE and HERE and HERE), and today they’re back for more…

Tips From Michelle…

#1) Stay busy! Don’t plop down on the couch at night and eat in front of the TV. Eat with the TV off. Clean up. Move on. One of my clients gave me a tip. She schedules something to do right after she eats, like fold the laundry. (Note from Danny: Oh, me likey!  Great idea… Michelle be sure to give your client props for me.  What a great idea!

2) Keep your list of food choices small. Stick to foods you like and don’t force yourself to eat foods you don’t like. I love oatmeal. When I was dieting for a show it was my carb of choice. Are sweet potatoes better? Yes. But when I was dieting it satisfied me. Feeling deprived just leads to overeating. I enjoy more food options now but I go back to my narrow food list when I need to tighten up. Caveat is #3.

#3) Get obsessed with vegetables. Explore new veggies and see how many colors you can eat it one day.

#4) Have tea at night after dinner. That is a tough time for me. I make a doctored up lemon ginseng tea, heating up a 1/2 c unsweetened almond milk and water and adding some liquid vanilla stevia. It’s very satisfying and hits my sweet tooth.

#5) Follow someone on Facebook that inspires you. I love Jamie Eason. Who doesn’t?! Just going to her page, reading her posts and looking at her awesome pics motivates me to stay on track.

Tips from Marci…

#1) In the wise words of Dr. John Berardi, “If it’s in your house, eventually you will eat it.” This is a simple way of saying, dont bring your trigger foods into your home. There are certain foods that I just cant buy, even healthy ones, as I know I have the ability to eat the entire box/jar in one sitting. There is bound to be a time when you lose your self control and cave to these foods, which often sets off a cascade of negative emotions and can cause you to blow your diet for the rest of the day.

#2) Some of my best workouts have come on the days when I felt the worst or was the least motivated. If a time comes when you really don’t feel like training, just get yourself to the gym (or where ever you train) and at least go through your warm up and a few sets. 99% of the time you will get into the zone and end up completing your whole workout.

#3) Stop program hopping if you don’t see the results you want within the first week. There is no perfect diet or training plan. The results you get are determined by how well you execute it. Find a plan and stick to it. Just make sure it is one that you enjoy and will be consistent with, as you will be much more likely to succeed.

Tips from Danny…

#1) Similar to tip #4 from Michelle above…

When I start to get a craving that I know I have no control over (i.e. my hand reaches for my phone to dial up some pepperoni pizza from the local pizza joint even though my brain is yelling, “PUT THE PHONE DOWN!”), I have 3 things that have worked for me to beat these STONG cravings..

A) Brush my teeth.  Because who feels like eating after getting that “clean mouth feel?”

B) Chew a piece of gum.

C) Drink tea (like Michelle mentioned).

Those incredibly strong cravings aren’t going to last that long, so if you can get rid of them for even a few minutes, they usually don’t come back.

#2) Make sure you have regressions and progressions for every exercise that you perform.  For example, let’s look at some single leg exercises, going from easiest to hardest…

Static Lunges with dumbbells (DBs) < Reverse Lunges with DBs < Walking Lunges with DBs < Static Lunges with a barbell (BB) < Bulgarian Split Squats with DBs < Reverse Lunges with a BB < Walking Lunges with a BB < Bulgarian Split Squats with a BB.

Now, I know I didn’t list EVERY POSSIBLE single exercise imaginable.  And you may disagree with the order in which I ranked the difficulty level of each.  But I hope you get the point.  And that is, if you are struggling to keep good form on one exercise, regress and master another one before “moving up the ladder” to a move difficult one.

Alright, that’ll wrap it up for now.  I’ll be back with some more great and easy (in theory) to apply tips from some of my friends in the fitness biz.

Now get out of here and go stock up on some tea and colored veggies.  Now!

If you think these tips can help a family or friend out, be sure to share it on FB and/or twitter…