Archives for 2009

Dougal is competing in Adam Waters’ RTP Transformation Contest and I believe he has an excellent chance to win.  In the past, Dougal won the Body for Life challenge, so he is a formidable opponent in this contest.   Due to circumstances beyond my control (ie. Adam Waters refusing to allow me back into the Shreddersphere out of his own stubbornness, and for no other good reason) I am unable to cheer these guys on, but I am watching the external blogs and cheering for the contestants in that manner.

• Low carb or higher carb–for most people it doesn't matter. Losing fat is about burning more calories than you eat.
• Low fat or high fat–as long as it is essential fatty acids and good fat it really doesn't matter. Good fat in the form of essential fatty acids actually helps with fat loss. Again, it is more about calories than anything else.
• Calories are the reason you gain or lose fat, so it is much more important to count calories.
• Experimenting with macronutrients is a good way to find what works for you, but it still comes back to calories in versus calories out.
• I've personally tried many different macronutrient ratios. All of them worked as long as I paid attention to total calories.

The bottom line is that calories are king in this discussion.  If you eat 4,000 calories and keep a perfect 40/40/20 carb/protein/fat ratio you are still going to gain fat.  There is no doubt in my mind.  The simple formula is still true—you lose fat when the number of calories you consume is less than what you expend on a daily basis.

Why Your Brain is Important

 

• Motivation. Your brain is where you execute upon all motivating factors.
• Willpower. Your brain is the source of your willpower.
• Decision-making. Your brain is where the decisions are made
• Intensity. Your brain determines how much intensity you can and will use during a workout.

How to Train Your Brain 

• Puzzles. Jigsaw puzzles are a great way to train your brain. You learn to recognize patterns and put them together correctly.
• Reading. Reading takes your imagination and pushes it to new levels. You are forced to see the scenes in your mind. You expand your knowledge and your vocabulary.
• Chess. Playing chess forces you to think. Thinking expands your brain capacity.
• Food. Choosing the right food will also help train your brain. Fish oil and Omega-3, 6 and 9 oils are brain food. Use them daily.

Take these thoughts and apply them and you will begin to see changes that you are looking for.

• Blog. We will have regular blog articles that will include guest authors. The topics will be strictly about fitness and nutrition.
• Free moderated discussion board. We will have a free moderated discussion board where you can discuss the topics that concern you. You can get the answers you need from the many people who will be part of this discussion board.
• Members only subscription area. While there will be alot of free information available on the site, we are planning a members only subscription area that will contain more detailed information. The membership fee will be extremely small.
• Suggested products area. We will have an area of the site where we will suggest products that have been checked out. You can trust the recommendations made by the site.
• Ask the Experts. We will have an Ask the Experts area where you can ask specific questions and have them answered by our panel of experts.