Podcast episode #4

By Guy Lawrence

Ever wondered if we can live without carbohydrates? It certainly gets a lot of stick in the press…

In this episode of The Health Sessions I catch up with Shane Richards of Holistic Foundations who chats to us about life without carbs. Shane runs a thriving community/gym with a fantastic approach around health & well-being. Shane is one of the most passionate guys I know and it is a pleasure to have him on the podcast.

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By Khan Porter
There’s a reason we call Stu ‘The Whippet’. He’s a sprightly fellow, however, hopefully not for much longer.

After doing CrossFit for the last six months Stu’s become so lean that ocean swimming (a favourite pass time of his) has become more like taking an ice bath and each session is getting notably shorter due to the poor Stu being unbearably cold.

So in this edition of 180 seconds or less, we join Khan and Stu on the couch and chat about Stu’s new dietary and strength training endeavor, in which he’s looking to put his days of Whippetry behind him and become more of a Rottweiler, or better yet Great Dane.

The diet is based on the “Bigger Smaller Bigger” plan, put together by fitness and nutrition experts Dr John Beradi, Martin Rooney and Nate Green. They claim it helped Green pack on a massive 20lbs in 28 days, so we’re looking forward to seeing what it does for Stu!

Weight training gives your body muscle tone and makes it shapelier — as long as it’s done properly.

“Unfortunately many women use light weights and lots of repetitive movements because they’re afraid of getting large muscles,” says Professor Martina Herget from Germany’s High School of Prevention and Health Management in Saarbruecken. But women need not share this concern as the prerequisite hormonal make-up for large muscles is missing in females.

Herget’s advice is to follow an exercise regime of “maximum strength training.” Experience and research studies show that women in particular can benefit from training with heavy weights and low rates of repetitive movement. A routine like that will firm up muscles and give body shape “without muscles getting much bigger.” The result can be a thinner looking body while wearing clothes and a shapely figure when in a bikini.

Combining weights with interval training, where periods of intense exercise are separated by phases of rest, can also help keep you in shape. But Herget says you must ensure you eat healthily to see the maximum benefit.

Together with a diet of the right types of fat you can switch your metabolism to reducing body weight, according to Herget. “Useful fats to eat are the omega 3 types that are contained in fish oil.”

Read the full article here.

Increase your intake of good fats with 180 Superfood.

Building and keeping muscle, our metabolically active tissue, is the key for long-term health, vitality, longevity and fat loss.

Tufts University reports the top two determinants of aging we can control and biomarkers of how long you’ll live is muscle mass and strength. One of the causes, as well as symptom of the aging process is sarcopenia, or muscle loss.

Losing muscle as we age not only leads to overall weakness but is a direct cause of decreasing your overall metabolic rate. Muscle is denser than fat, takes up less space in the body versus fat, and burns more calories than fat. The more lean muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolic rate.

The majority of women opt for aerobic/cardio exercise as their preferred choice of exercise. Excessive aerobic exercise decreases muscle mass over time. For more than 20 years, I have advised my clients, men and women alike, against excessive LSD (long, slow, distance) exercise if their goal is to lose fat, rev up their metabolism, look good and feel great.

That’s right – and your body will completely transform! How? Resistance strength training.

Although many people, especially females, opt for aerobic and cardio exercise as their preferred choice, resistance strength training is one of the most important aspects if you want to change your physical body.

A program that includes a variety of push-ups, chin-ups and pull-ups, dead lifts, Olympics lifts, various styles of single leg exercises, step-ups and lunges, plyometrics and more using partner body weight and resisted exercises with dumbbells, suspension training with the TRX, jump ropes, sandbags, medicine balls, bands, Swiss balls, kettle bells and barbells.

Building muscle and maintaining your anabolic drive and metabolism will keep you lean, younger looking and feeling phenomenal.

What works to optimize your body composition, boost metabolism

• Eating foods that are nutrient dense equals more nutrition at less calories.

• Eat the same amount of (or slightly less than) the calories that you burn.

• Resistance strength training exercise.

• Detoxify your body.

• Make sure all systems are working (digestion, hormones, sleep).

• Have a reason for doing it.

• Believe in yourself.

Avoid:

• Antibiotics.

• Alcoholic beverages.

• Artificial fats like margarines and trans fats.

• Artificial flavorings, colorings and preservatives.

• Artificial sweeteners (including high fructose corn syrup).

• Corn-fed meats.

• Genetically modified organisms.

• Pesticides.

• All fast food.

• Sugar, processed soy, refined wheat and pasteurized dairy.

Read the full article here.

Supplement your daily diet with 180 Superfood.

Protein doesn’t build muscle directly: strength training using weights in the gym and resistance exercises are responsible for muscle growth.

Consuming protein alone and protein supplements, in the absence of weight training, will not result in muscle growth.  However, protein does play a vital role in the repair and recovery of muscle fibers that are broken down during muscle-building exercises.

Proteins are made up of amino acids which our bodies need and use to build tissue and are a building block of bones, skin and blood – as well as muscles. When you engage in strenuous exercise, your muscle fibers become stressed and literally tear. Protein is needed in this process of repair and recovery, leading to bigger and thicker muscle fibers.

The general recommendation for individuals who are exercising and keen to build muscle is to consume 1 gram of protein per pound of your desired body weight. So if you want to be 170 pounds, consume 170 grams of protein daily (1 gram of protein = 4 calories). Good sources of protein include chicken breast, fish (especially tuna), turkey, eggs, yogurt, cheese, milk.

It is possible to get an adequate supply of protein by eating well-balanced meals. But in today’s fast-paced world when many of us eat on the go, it’s a good idea — and very convenient — to use a protein supplement to make sure you are getting enough of this important nutrient your body needs.

Increase your protein naturally with 180 natural protein superfood.

Read full article here.