3 New Year's Wellness Resolutions for 2012

Unless you believe that the world will end in 2012 because that's when the Mayan calendar ends, it might be a good idea to set some wellness goals for the New Year.

The goals might be the same ones you set for last year and the year before, and that's fine. I may have even written about these same goals in last year's blog. But they're all worth repeating because they can dramatically help with:

• weight loss
• energy
• pain-relief
• sexual performance (This could be linked with energy, but it's such a marketable bullet-point, it's hard to resist including it.)

All the benefits you'll receive from implementing these goals daily are inter-connected. A stronger immune system will give you better energy. Following the goals may result in better digestion and nutrient absorption, which in turn strengthens immunity, which leads to more energy. 

Get the picture? 

Already follow these principles? Please pass this info on. With 2 out of every 3 U.S. adults either overweight or obese, we all need to play our part in making our country healthier. 

Stop the preaching already. Get to the Goals!

1. Eat More

That's right...more, not less. It sounds counter-intuitive with 66 percent of us significantly overweight to recommend eating more. But most people don't eat enough, especially in the morning to properly fuel for the day. 

Many still skip breakfast; those that don't tend to eat unbalanced breakfasts that are loaded with carbs (read: sugar) like toast or muffins or waffles with orange juice. An unbalanced or skipped breakfast will throw you off for the rest of the day. The only way to attain steady energy for the rest of the day after an improper breakfast is eating a balanced lunch and a nap. But for those that don't have time for a nap, eating a balanced breakfast with enough calories is critical to having good, streamlined energy. 

Remember, food should neither make you hyper, nor make you crash. Eat 3-6 meals a day (Obviously, the more meals, the fewer calories per meal should be eaten), and you'll enjoy rock-steady all-day, all-night energy; no naps needed. 

2. Exercise less....

Am I on the Mayan prophecy bandwagon? Do I believe the end is near, so why bother exercising? No, but I do think the key to effective weight loss and all-day steady energy is to exercise as often as you eat: at least 3 times a day, in shorter bursts than traditional workouts. 

Good for you if you have to sit all day at work but manage to squeeze in a trip to the gym. But even if you workout for an hour at the gym, sitting for several hours at a time will result in poor blood circulation and tight muscles. 

If you're sedentary most of the day, try to do short bursts (as little as a few minutes is highly effective) of exercises that combine strength with flexibility, such as doing a push-up into downward dog. Try to perform at least one set every couple hours. 

3. Eat enough Omega 3 fatty acids and less Omega 6 fatty acids

Omega 3 fatty acids have received lots of praise from the mainstream media and nutritionists over the last decade, and for good reasons that aren't over-hyped. Indigenous cultures may not have known an Omega 3 fatty acid from a spear, but they did intuitively know what foods were rich with them. 

A very healthy dietary fat, Omega-3's may prevent Alzheimer's. They may also help lower blood pressure and triglycerides, which are processed by the liver and stored as potential energy in the form of body fat. 

(Eating too much of anything will result in the body storing triglycerides. This includes protein, which is erroneously presumed to not cause body fat storage by Atkins Diet followers.)

So frequently eat a natural source of Omega 3s (at least a few times a week), such as salmon or walnuts. Don't get fooled into eating cereals or chewing gum with fortified Omega 3's. There's actually no gum with Omega 3s but you get the picture. There's no substitute for cold oily fish and walnuts. Flax and Chia seeds and sardines are also excellent sources. A recent study's results on Omega 3 supplements showed that the pills did not improve Alzheimer's. This is a major bummer but shows that there's nothing like the real thing. If you have inflamed and achy joints, ditch all sugars from your diet and eat more whole food sources of Omega 3s. 

Just as ancient civilizations boiled animal bones into soups despite not ever hearing of the word 'calcium', old-world cultures instinctively knew which Omega 3-rich natural foods stimulated health. As advanced technologically as we are, most of us have only realized these benefits for at most 10 years. 

If you want to improve your body composition, increase energy and stay healthy, following these 3 tips could result in your breakthrough year, in which you take control of your health and prevent highly preventable trips to the doctor and paying for medications. 

Good luck and have a happy, healthy 2012.

Trying to Lose Weight? How Many Pounds per Week is Safe?

Trying to lose weight? If you're not, you probably know somebody who is.


Even if you're not in the wellness and fitness industry, you can help someone who is trying to lose weight. 


Do you know somebody who drinks soda on a regular basis? (I'm talking about non-diet soda; of course diet soda is terrible for health but that's a whole other story).


Explain to someone who drinks soda and is struggling with their weight that a typical can of soda has 150 calories. One soda per day per week equals 1050 calories (150x7). There are 3500 calories in a pound. So if your soda-drinking comrade drinks just one soda every day, that's 4200 calories in a month. 


You can see how easy it is for somebody with poor eating habits to pack on 20, 30, 50+ pounds in just a few years.


The 700 excess calories from the daily soda consumption leads to over a pound of weight gained in one month, assuming that is the actual caloric difference, i.e. calories in versus calories out.


In other words, someone with poor eating habits who doesn't exercise is most likely to gain way more than 700 calories above breaking even for the day. 


You may be surprised to know that even the most sedentary couch potato may burn 1500-2000 calories a day just by being alive. This is called the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and measures how many calories somebody burns to support cell function. That's right: Even if you sit on the couch for literally 24 hours a day you will burn up to 2000 calories. 


People who are lean, athletic and have optimum thyroid levels can burn 2500-3000 calories per day without lifting a finger. 


So even if the most inactive person can burn up to 2000 calories a day, it's surprising that two-thirds of American adults are overweight.


But people are eating way more than they need to and not burning enough calories. It's as simple as that. 


So if you're overweight, don't despair. It's not simple to lose weight. But if you try the following, you may be surprised. But first, let's ask a question.


How much weight is is safe and effective to lose per week?

Actually, before answering that question, it's important to stuff your scale in the closet. Limit yourself to at most weighing yourself once a week. The number on the scale is not telling you how much bodyfat you're losing--it's only telling you the combined weight of your bones, skin, lean muscle mass and adipose tissue (fat).

The most self-defeating thing anybody who's trying to lose weight can do is weigh themselves on a daily basis. Within a week, somebody who is constantly weighing themselves will feel down on themselves if the scale doesn't show a lower number.

If it does show a lower number, perhaps the person is dieting and just losing water weight or worse, muscle mass (true, muscle mass is partially water).

And if the number on the scale is higher because the person is hopefully on a strength-training program, since muscle weighs more than fat, the person might experience some initial weight gain.

In my humble opinion, the best way for someone to lose weight is to eat a minimum of two green salads a day, like a spinach salad. The best thing to do is make it a nutrient-dense salad, placing some nuts (like sunflower seeds; or walnuts for heart-healthy Omega 3 Fatty Acids), a few extra veggies like shredded carrots, celery, tomato and just a pinch of dried fruit or fresh berries. Add a whole egg once a day in one of the salads for extra protein and amino acids.

A medium-size portion of light fish like Mahi-Mahi or chicken breast along with the lunch and dinner salad to feel full is good. It would be no good if you felt hungry an hour or two later and then gorged on some dessert. Speaking of which, dessert is allowed every day only if it's a tiny portion, like one small cube of dark chocolate--no more than that!

For breakfast, a small portion of grains is ok for energy throughout the day, preferably in the form of sprouted breads like Ezekial or Manna bread. Conventional cereal will only bloat your gut and make you feel like you just put on 5 pounds. Instead, opt for brown rice or quinoa cereals, which are available at health food stores.

Breakfast should be the only time of day you have a significant amount of grains. Say goodbye to frequent servings of pasta and rice for lunch and dinner. You can reward yourself every other week with a pasta dinner.

You'll soon start to feel slimmer from all the fiber you're digesting and the lack of bloating from excess grains. Consuming pasteurized milk products, even if it's organic, can cause bloating in some people (look for a future article on that soon). You can eat one link or strip of healthy bacon or sausage (meaning minimally processed with no nitrate/nitrites) even if you're trying to lose weight.

Do not deny yourself your favorite foods. But do limit your intake of grains!

Add some moderate exercise to this healthy way of eating and you'll soon start to lose bodyfat. Notice I didn't just say weight, but specifically bodyfat. You don't want to lose muscle.

Oh, almost forgot to answer the question: so how much weight is safe and effective (meaning, you're likely to keep it off) to lose per week?

I would say one to two pounds per week is safe. That's eight pounds per month and 96 pounds per year.

Some more wellness math you can coach your friends on....

How to Get Leaner Without Working Out

Let's face it, some people just hate working out. The concept of breaking a sweat and wasting time at the gym when they could be drinking beer intimidates the "Gymophobe."

But beer-bellied boys who are planning on getting married in the near future can take solace in the fact that it's very possible to lose weight and get slimmer without touching a single weight, with the exception, of course, of 12-ounce curls.

Most people think that the key to getting a Fabio-like washboard stomach is doing hundreds of ab crunches. That couldn't be further from the truth. Truth is if you want to get leaner around your waistline, it's all about nutrition and eating smarter.

And before you get a preconceived notion that eating smarter equates to eating nothing but raw veggies and tofu, consider that many of the foods that you enjoy can still be eaten.

With the rare exception of someone who does best on a high-carbohydrate diet, most people primarily thrive on a lean-protein rich diet with healthy fats.

If a life-long weightlifter stopped strength training for the rest of their life, it's possible through nutrition alone that the weightlifter could preserve nearly all muscle gain through proper diet.

This means avoiding anything made with flour like the plague. No bread, pasta, cookies and other baked goods. If you go out to eat at an Italian restaurant, stop the waiter from placing on your table the white bread. Order instead a lean protein like chicken breast with vegetables. Skip the spaghetti entirely if you are in a race against the wedding clock.

A good grain to eat instead of pasta is Quinoa (Kee-Nwa), a high-protein grain from South America. Most health foods sell it.

Another foodstuff to avoid is snack foods that many people erroneously still regard as a health food, such as pretzels and baked potato chips.

Pretzels have flour. Flour will expand in your intestines and bloat your gut. Baked potato chips, while they might be healthier than fried chips, are still nonetheless empty calories that will go straight to your lovehandles.

The human body was designed to digest and process proteins, natural fats, fruits, vegetables and ancient grains.

If you stick to a diet of lean proteins (chicken, turkey, tuna, salmon), natural fats (avocado, olive oil, flax oil, fish oils, butter) and carbohydrates mostly in the form of vegetables and some fruit, you will begin to get leaner.

Avoid snacking on empty calories like pretzels and chips. Instead, eat some chicken or some all-natural or organic cheese and nuts. Don't worry about eating nuts and avocado. Many people avoid nuts and avocado because they are high in fat.

But natural fats are essential for organ function and protect against diseases and contain many antioxidants. It would be wise to limit all dietary fat intake but don't be duped into thinking that all fats are bad. Certain fats like Flax Oil actually help the body metabolize fat.

The way to a flatter belly is to stick to this type of nutritional protocol. If you crave something sweet, chances are you are eating the wrong foods. Stick with three meals with a balance of a handful portion-sized lean protein (all natural chicken sausage for breakfast), carbohydrates primarily in the form of vegetables (preferably fresh and lightly cooked) and natural fat (1/4 of an avocado).

If you are hungry in between meals, have a handful of nuts. Try to avoid dried fruit as this is usually very high in sugar.

A simple rule of thumb to follow when it comes to nutrition: if the food you're considering eating wasn't around 10,000 years ago, don't eat it.

Stick to this protocol and you'll be looking leaner in no time.