Captain Ahab’s BodyBlog

By following the “Holy Trinity of Fitness” as I call them you will be able to achieve not only your fitness goals but also quite possibly even your fitness dreams.
The members that make up the “Holy Trinity” are nutrition, weightlifting & cardio AND in that order.
It all starts with a great not good but great nutrition program which means you must eat 5 to 6 small, protein rich, low (high glycemic) fat, low (bad) fat meals per day of which 2 to 3 of these meals can and are recommended to be in the form of protein shakes.
This routine has you eating something every 2 ½ to 3 hours all day long and what this does is cause your metabolism (digestive system etc.) to kick into high gear so that it can process the foods you have taken in and get ready for what you have trained it to know is the next meal which is on its way shortly.
None of the food you’re eating will be stored as fat as long as you are working out with weights and/or doing cardio. In fact if you are doing cardio properly your body will pull its energy needs from your fat stores and not replace any of the fat because of your new nutrition program.
You can find all of the nutrition information at the Body for Life website and the only hard part about their nutrition program is remembering to eat as often as you should. Where some weight loss programs cause you to be hungry much of the time this does just the opposite, which I believe, is the better of the two options.
As a side note BFL builds in one “cheat” day a week during their 12-week program where if you have any unfulfilled cravings or wish to indulge in anything and everything that is full of calories sugar and fat, go for it. They have factored in that people have lives and many times there are anniversary dinners, birthday parties, office get-togethers etc where you are faced with poor choices if you are on a weight loss program so by factoring in a cheat day you can attend and eat as if you were not on a weight loss regime and not feel any guilt whatsoever. The only thing is that starting the nest morning you are back on your 5 to 6 meals per day until your next cheat day.
Next comes weightlifting. The only way that you will be able to shape your body and get that great V-taper that both men and women like is to lift weights and lift them correctly so that you are able to work each of the target muscles that you need to work. I believe that you should lift weights at least 4 times per week for about one hour per session. You can work upper body one day and lower body the next or at another time or you can do one or two body parts per sessions so that each muscle group gets a workout at least once per week.
After that and only after lifting weights comes cardio.
Cardio needs to be done with a purpose rather than just going for a walk on a treadmill or pedaling a bike while reading a magazine or some other type of reading material. I have always felt that if you can read while doing cardio then you are not pushing yourself hard enough to cause changes to occur in your body. Cardio should either be done directly after lifting weights or on a day of its own for at least 20 minutes but working up to 30 then 45 and finally one hour per session.

On almost every list of good carbs you see a recommendation that brown rice should be used in place of white rice and just in case you might be wondering why you should quit using good old Uncle Ben’s or whatever equivalent you use I thought that I would answer that little question.
Brown rice is the exact same rice that is used for white rice, but the protective coating called bran is removed. The reason behind removing the coating and leaving behind the white rice has to do with providing a product that gives us quicker cooking times and also making a product that is visually fluffier and more delicate in texture once cooked. The cost associated with making it quicker to cook and better to look at is that we end up with a much less nutritious product because many valuable nutrients are lost once the bran is stripped away.
Brown rice is significantly higher in fiber than white rice and getting enough fiber is something that is both helpful and something that is missing from most North American diets.
Brown rice also contains higher levels of vitamins, minerals and many other “good things” such as vitamins B and E, calcium, protein, phosphorus, riboflavin and iron.
It used to be that brown rice was only available in health food stores but with the growing awareness of the nutrient value among other things brown rice is fast becoming more mainstream and is available in almost every grocery store. Brown rice now even comes in long grain, medium grain, short grain and basmati forms, which can fit in perfectly with whatever type of cooking you like to do and what types of white rice you wish to replace.
The downside to brown rice and something that you should be very aware of is that with the bran coating still intact it can go bad or rancid much more quickly than white rice. In that case I would caution you to buy only what you feel you would use within a month or at the most two months, and to be safe I would suggest storing it in a tightly sealed container and keep the container in a cool, dark place or as some people do, store it in the fridge.
 
 

I was discussing fitness with my doctor the other day and he said that the number one thing he is telling his patients is that they need to lose weight. He says that they then ask him the best way and he tells them they need to eat a number of smaller nutritious meals rather than 2 or 3 big ones, lift weights along with doing cardio. He then says that about 9 out of 10 of his patients then ask if there is an easier way to do it. They usually ask if he has any recommendations for pills for them and some even ask about gastric by-pass surgery, anything other than changing what they eat and exercising.
What is wrong with our society?
Using my wife (bodyspace: judimax) and myself for examples it took us 12 weeks (using the Body for Life program) to get our body transformations. Out of those 12 weeks we went to the gym 3 times per week for a total of 36 workouts. These workouts consisted of lifting weights for 1-hour maximum followed by 20 minutes max. of cardio, for a total of 80 minutes spent in the gym 3 times per week.
We ate 5 to 6 high protein, low carb, low fat meals per day with 2 to 3 of those meals being in the form of either a protein shake or a protein pudding (that my wife made). Following Body for Life allowed us to have one built in “cheat” day per week so that if we had any cravings we wanted to address or an event or party to go to we could eat as we pleased rather than just pick at some vegetable so out of the 12 weeks of eating correctly we also had 12 cheat days where we could eat anything and everything we wanted.
So by going to the gym and doing both weights and cardio for 80 minutes per session we had 4 days off from working out every week plus 1 cheat day every week. At the end of the 12 weeks I had lost over 50 pounds and gone from more than 36% to about 10% bodyfat and my wife had gone from a size 12/14 to a size 4/6.
I don’t say this to brag but to showcase how easy it actually is to change our shapes and achieve a complete body transformation. I do not believe that my wife and I are special human beings with an extraordinary ability to lose weight and get into great shape. I think we are just two ordinary folks who made fitness a priority and followed a proven program that took us step by step through the whole process over the course of 12 weeks. I have gone on to use the Body for Life program with a number of my clients and only 1 out of about 20 did not see the same kind of results as my wife and I did. The 1 person who did not respond was someone who did not challenge themselves while lifting weights and did not follow their meal plan. They would work at cardio but with all else no matter how I tried to get them to push themselves they just basically went through the motions and the end result was they got out of it exactly what they put into it. The other 19 all had from good to absolutely astounding results.
So my questions to you is, if it really is as easy as I have proven it is, then why won’t people try it rather than looking for the magic pill or an operation?
 

72 – 36 – 12
No these are not the measurements of some wildly out of proportion exotic dancer, but rather they are how many days I followed the nutrition program set out by Body for Life, along with how many weightlifting workouts combined with cardio sessions it took me to achieve my body transformation and also how many cheat days I had during this time period.
I was doing a bit of thinking the other day and it dawned on me that it didn’t really take me the full 12 weeks to get into the best shape of my life and achieve the body transformation that saw me judged 10^th overall in the 2007 Body for Life Challenge. I did a bit of basic math and figured out that of the 84 days (12 weeks) that I was doing the BFL Challenge I was not following their nutrition program each and every day because I was able to take advantage of their built in “cheat” day once every week, to eat whatever I wanted and to satisfy any cravings that I might have been having.
So out of the 84 days of the challenge I had 12 “cheat” days so my math brought me from 84 to 72 actual days of following their nutrition program.
The number 36 was the number of combined workouts (weightlifting & cardio) that it took me to go from what I saw as my “ 36% bodyfat, muffin topped fat body” to my “approx. 10% bodyfat completely transformed best shape of my life body.” I was quite pressed for time, which I am sure many other people are and so I did my one hour of weightlifting and followed that by doing my 20 minutes of cardio right after. This is all that Body for Life asks you to put in for weights and cardio. This really helped me especially in the beginning because I was only working out every other day and had and needed lots of time to recover.
With the Body for Life nutrition program they have you eat 5 to 6 small, protein rich, low (high glycemic) carb, low (bad) fat meals per day. This way you are having something to eat every 2 ½ to 3 hours and really revving up your metabolism and just so that you are not always sitting down to either prepare or eat what I call a “chewable” meal, 2 to 3 of your 5 to 6 meals can and should be in the form of protein shakes. Unlike many other weight loss programs that have you eating less and feeling hungry a lot of the time, what I found with Body for Life was just the opposite, I found that I was watching the clock and I had to actually make myself eat more often than I normally would and never once did I feel hungry. One of the beautiful things (I believe anyway) about BFL is their built in cheat day. One day per week you are allowed to eat anything and everything your little heart desires. If it is Big Mac’s or Whoppers or half a dozen Baconators ( I exaggerate but you get the picture) followed by Blizzards or cheesecake at every meal of the day then go for it. This is totally acceptable. I believe also that this is a good thing because many of us have parties to go to (birthday, anniversary etc.) and this way we can partake of the wonderful goodies people have on hand and not have to bring our own “healthy” snacks. The only requirement is that the next morning and until your next cheat day, you go back to the 5 to 6 meals per day. So I figured out that I used 12 cheat days out of my 84 days following BFL eating program so I only ate correctly for 84 days minus 12 cheat days equaling, 72 actual days.
I did this bit of simple math and used these numbers as an example of how little it really takes to go from fat to fit. I would like everyone who reads this and is thinking that it must have taken an enormous amount of time for me to go from a muffin top to a six pack to see just how easy it is and how little time it does take if you make fitness a priority and follow a good nutrition plan along with weightlifting and cardio.
Hey folks, if I can do it, I know you can too.
 

1. Make fitness a priority.

Schedule and mark on your calendar your workout times. Make the commitment. It is a lifestyle change rather than a temporary fix.
 
 

2. Choose a convenient gym or workout facility.

Choose a place to workout that is convenient and close. If you have to travel a long distance or through heavy traffic you may find yourself finding reasons not to go.
           
3.    Set realistic & attainable goals.

Instead of saying I think I will lose 40 lbs this year, set weekly and/or monthly goals of losing 2 lbs per week or even 5 lbs this month. Small accomplishments feel wonderful, and can be just the motivation you need to push on to the next small accomplishment
 
 

4. Start off slow.

Don’t start by working out so hard that you end up making yourself too sore to move. Focus on learning correct form and using weights that allow you to continue with correct form.
 

5. Change up your routine.

Following the same routine continuously can result in either boredom or a plateau. Change your routine every 3 months. If not your routine then your sets, reps weights and/or rest periods between sets.
 
 

6. Keep a workout journal.

Keep a workout journal and hold yourself accountable to making improvements. It will help to be able to look back and see where you started and how far you have come.
 

7. Find a workout partner.

It helps to workout with either a partner or friend. Friendly competition can push you to greater gains.
 

8. Hire a personal trainer.

If you are not sure of correct form or what routine will give you the best results hire a personal trainer. If even for a week it will be money well spent if you are shown how to lift correctly. Some people may also need a personal trainer to motivate them, especially if they are not used to pushing themselves.
 
 
 
        9. Make sure you get enough sleep.

The fastest way to derail a good workout routine is by not getting enough sleep. Many times lack of sleep will lead top overeating, lack of energy and/or skipping workouts altogether.
 

10. Be patient.

Make a firm commitment to stick with it for at least 3 months, preferably four. Remember that it took you years to get into the shape you are now in and it takes a while for your body to adjust to your new workout program and the average time for a good body transformation is approx. three months, so be patient and give yourself a chance.
                      
 
 

I like grapefruit and many times I use grapefruit juice instead of water or milk as the liquid in my protein shakes. I also take some of my prescription medications with my grapefruit juice as well as some of my supplements. Now I find out that my beloved grapefruit increases blood levels of some medicines. I say this because when I had high blood pressure, (before losing weigh, getting fit and finding my blood pressure to be at a normal level) I used to take my blood pressure medication with swallows of grapefruit juice.
The findings show that the effects of consuming grapefruit and grapefruit juice stay around for 24 hours. The handful of medicines affected by grapefruit and/or grapefruit juice should not be taken if any grapefruit product has been consumed in the previous 24 hours.
Studies show that grapefruit and its juice are great for weight loss, but many times these same people who are overweight and who are eating and drinking grapefruit and grapefruit juice have also been diagnosed with high blood pressure, and are using a blood pressure medication (like Adalat, for example) that has negative reactions (could drop blood pressure too low) when combined with either grapefruit or its juice.
The way around this predicament is to check with your doctor or pharmacist and see if there is an alternative medicine that does not have the same problems when combined with grapefruit or it’s juice.
If you are not sure about what does or does not go well with grapefruit I advise you to 1) read the warning pamphlet that comes with your medication. 2) Ask your doctor or pharmacist.

I recently read that antioxidants are harmful and increase one’s chances of dying and that taking a multivitamin can add to this dilemma. So I did a bit of researching and was overwhelmed by the amount of explanations about how and why certain supplements cause reactions and produce results in our bodies and I tended to get lost in all the scientific rhetoric and 13 to 21 letter words they use to describe the elements in question. What I wanted was a simple explanation on what it does and why I need it and recently I found just the explanation I was looking for on the subject of antioxidants and if a multivitamin would add to the problem. You may already know this if you had been paying attention during biology and chemistry classes but I will go ahead for those like me who were not. I had heard that free radicals were bad things and I needed antioxidants to fight them but I wanted a better explanation than just that. Well, lo and behold I came across a great one by a Dr. Paul Donohue and his explanation was simplified even to the point that I could understand it and so using some of his explanation and taking literary license I am going to add my own spin on it and hopefully this will help everyone understand antioxidants. Imagine that your body is a chemical factory. The chemical reactions that take place in every cell generate harmful by-products, called oxidants. Now outside of the body these little buggers (oxidants) produce rust on iron products. They are the nasty little things responsible for turning the pulp of your apple brown when you leave it sit for a couple of minutes and it is exposed to air. Now inside the body these oxidants do equally destructive things if they aren’t neutralized. So how do we neutralize them you ask? With antioxidants (bet you didn’t see that one coming). Imagine that we have our own fighter squadron of jet fighters going around day and night looking to do battle with and shoot down these little Kamikaze oxidants before they can crash into and destroy any of our vital organs or exposed and defenseless organisms. We have to supply our squadron of jet fighters with an arsenal of ammunition so they can kill the Kamikaze oxidants. We have a small stockpile of antioxidants that our bodies produce naturally but that would soon be depleted if we didn’t keep adding to it and so we must depend on the addition of antioxidants from our food (kind of like Canada depends on the USA in times of war). Examples of antioxidants that our bodies need and we get from a nutritious diet are vitamins A, C & E, beta carotene, lycopene, lutein, copper, zinc and manganese. The foods that are really filled with our needed antioxidants include blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, beans (red, kidney, pinto & black), avocados, apples, cherries, plums, oranges, artichokes, spinach, potatoes, broccoli, walnuts, pecans, almonds and my wife’s personal favorite dark chocolate. If your diet is lacking in a number of these you should add to your ammunition stockpile and add an antioxidant supplement to your regime. Overdosing on antioxidants can happen and that is when the arsenal kind of explodes and does internal damage which proves you can get too much of a good thing so you need to be careful or else our jet fighters will end up crashing and burning into our own bodies and causing as much damage as those nasty little kamikazes. High doses of beta carotene add to the risk of cancer that comes from smoking. Too high a dose of vitamins A & E can be detrimental to anyone. Antioxidants obtained from your diet (food) do not create trouble but antioxidants in pill form can be troublesome if taken in high doses for too long. As far as multivitamins go according to Dr. Paul Donohue we don’t have to worry we are not going to add to the problem by using one.

As I have long believed and studies are now showing that as reported in a recent newspaper article from the Associated Press “Higher fitness levels lower death rates in men.”
According to the article the more fit you are, the longer you are likely to live, according to the study on U.S. veterans followed for an average of 8 years by the Veterans Affairs.
They found that “highly fit” men in the study had half the risk of death as those that were less fit. Being “very highly fit” cut the risk even more - by 70 per cent.
The research builds on what is already known about the benefits of exercise and fills in some gaps by addressing the effects of fitness in African Americans.
“A little bit of exercise goes a long way,” says Peter Kokkinos, lead author of the study. “Thirty minutes a day, five days a week of brisk walking is likely to reduce the risk of mortality by 50 per cent_____if not more.”
To determine the fitness level of the veterans a treadmill test was used and the men – who had an average age of 60 – were put into four categories ranging from “low fit” to “very highly fit.”
With over 15,600 participants, the researchers said the study was the largest to look at the link between fitness and mortality. The study also sets itself apart by looking at how exercise affects African Americans, whose death rates are higher than whites. About 43 per cent of the veterans in the study were African Americans.
 
 

A revision of an earlier blog: 

1.       Switch from whole milk to skim milk products. If you consume 3 servings you can save 200 calories a day, which is approx. 20 lbs over the year. 

2.       Reduce butter or margarine usage. Use unsweetened applesauce in recipes instead of oil. Try fat free butter-flavored spreads. Eliminating one pat of butter on your morning toast will allow you to drop 10 lbs in a year. 

3.       Let your soups, gravies and stews chill, then skim the off fat that floats to the surface. You can save up to 100 calories per serving. 

4.       Use extra lean ground beef instead of regular or lean. Try ground chicken or turkey in your recipes. Use Canadian bacon rather than your regular bacon. Trim off all the fat from your meat before cooking. 

5.       Cut the cheese. Replace the 1-½ ounces of cheddar in your sandwich with 1 ounce of non-fat mozzarella and lose 11 pounds a year. 

6.       If you have microwave popcorn every night switch over to the light kind and save enough fat and calories to lose 10 pounds in a year. 

7.       Replace regular bottled salad dressing (which has about 150 calories for every 2 tablespoons) with an equal portion of fat-free dressing (about 40 calories) and save over 100 calories per serving. 

8.       Cut back on egg yolks. Use egg whites or egg substitutes. In most recipes use two egg whites instead of one whole egg. 

9.       Switch from 100 plus calorie sandwich bread to light whole wheat bread. Save 100 calories per sandwich and get the benefit of whole grains.

10. Last but not least : Eliminate your daily specialty coffee. Switching from a 16 ounce cappuccino to regular coffee with artificial sweetener can save you well over 10 lbs a year.