Many people (and some in the media) still think of Almonds as fatty, high calorie and salty – more or less a junk food.

Ok,  yes almonds are a high fat food. But almonds are high in monounsaturated fats. These are the same kind of positive healthy fats found in olive oil and this type of fat has been linked to reducing the risk of heart disease. The bad rap that almonds get is that they are too fatty to be considered a healthy snack even while research shows that they actually reduce cholesterol levels.

Almonds are also loaded with protein, fiber, vitamin E, calcium, potassium and other antioxidants. Studies have found that overweight individuals are able to lose weight more efficiently when on an almond aided reduced calorie diet than on a reduced diet that is heavier on complex carbs (starches & grains).

Many even find dry roasted almonds to be a great snack due to their signature taste and unique texture. Dieters also find that the crunchiness is very satisfying and particularly enjoyable as their diets go through the initial stage of realigning their carbohydrates intake (replacing bad carbs with good and carb tapering).

As an added fat burning benefit, dry roasted almonds are not only excellent sources of protein (over 6 grams per ounce) but they are also high in fiber (with over 13% of the daily recommended amount). Research has suggested that the consumption of almonds prevents some of the fat and calories from being absorbed into the body — it acts like kind of a super highway right through the body.

As is the case with many of the best fat burning and healthiest foods the skins contain many of the best nutrients and almonds are no exception to this. Almond skins contain flavonoids that when combined with the high amount of vitamin E in the inner almond more than doubles the antioxidant benefits than when these two are ingested separately.

So enjoy almonds as a great stand alone snack but they can also be combined to form a powerful one two punch when cut into slices and added to your oatmeal, smoothies, green beans, mixed in with low fat yogurt, added to potatoes or just about anywhere else some extra crunch is desired.

Be sure to consume unsalted, dry roasted almonds and stay away from those that may be coated in salt or sugar.

Nutrient timing is a very complex subject but also one that I feel can have a very profound effect on your fitness goals. Complex because you also need to take into account — your body type (see if you are an Ectomorph, Endomorph or Mesomorph), your current fitness goals (trying to lose fat, build lean muscle, etc.), when you are eating and your body’s reaction to different types of carbs (complex or simple).  Nutrient timing is certainly more critical for those looking to get lean with intense exercise.

To the average person who is not regularly working out, nutrient timing is just not that important. For these sedentary individuals what and how much they eat will play more significant roles.

For this week’s Fat Burning tip I am going to concentrate on the timing of meals pre and post workout.

I like to workout early in the day (at the gym by 5:15am M-F and by 8am on Saturdays). For me, I feel that this works best as this schedule allows me to consume larger amounts of calories (and complex carbs) earlier in the day.

I have been especially intrigued experimenting with loading calories in my pre-workout meal (a smoothie) and then in my post workout breakfast. This is considered a micro level view at several meals during a specific time of the day as opposed to the macro, or big picture, view of total calories, protein, carbs and fat consumed throughout the week or day.

This is also a somewhat simplistic view given that it is not addressing the food that I consumed in the previous 12-18 hours and what effect it may still be having on my system but I have found focusing on this time period (pre and post workout) has had a big impact on me.

Shoot for your first meal (in my case a smoothie) about an hour before your workout. I consume mine at about 4:15am. This gives your body enough time to digest many of the nutrients.

After my workout I eat a substantial meal making sure that I get a good amount of complex carbs (especially oatmeal and bananas), protein (from 1% milk, some non fat yogurt and eggs) and good fats (typically from almonds and walnuts). I have also been testing adding spinach to my eggs for another serving of vegetables.

The theory behind this type of calorie loading is that you are fueling your body with additional calories when it needs them the most and this allows you to taper your calories through the rest of the day when your body isn’t demanding them at the same level.

Of course I am also keenly aware of what and when I am eating throughout the day. I do believe that by really focusing on fine tuning my nutrient timing around my early morning workouts has proven to be very effective in achieving my most recent fat loss goals.

For years, it used to be that carbs were the preferred choice of food for maximum energy and optimizing athletic performance. The general consensus was that consuming carb rich diets provided more energy and made us leaner while foods high in fat made us fatter.

But then in the late nineties there began a ground swell of interest in the low carbohydrate diet. These high protein/ low-carbohydrate diets were heavily  promoted as being a remarkably effective approach to losing weight. The guiding principal of the high protein/ low carb diet is to receive 30% to 50% of your total calories from protein.

This is not a belief shared by the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association or the CDC. These organizations all believe that you should follow a diet in which a much smaller percentage of daily calories are from protein sources.

The Bait and Switch of Low Carb Diet Programs

Most Low Carb weight loss programs have you begin with an almost crash course with a strict diet. Their goal is to get that big drop in initial weight by shocking your body. Their goal is to get you to see quick weight loss so that you believe their program is effective. This is the bait. Once you believe that the program works you’ll follow it blindly.

Their driving motivation in not your long term success but usually just in securing a larger percentage of your wallet. This is the switch.

If permanent fat loss is your goal, then going on this advanced strict diet (shocking your system) to start is going to lead to ultimate failure. You are more likely to mentally burn out quickly from these types of programs after putting your body into starvation mode. This slows your metabolism. Dieters usually fall off the wagon on these programs after hitting their first weight loss plateau.

Jumping off these programs always means that you ending up gaining back more weight than you had when you started the last program. The classic yo-yo diet.

Get the Basics Down

Really you should be concentrating on getting your “clean diet” fundamentals in place first before moving into any advanced fat loss strategies. And make no mistake the low carbohydrate, high protein diet is definitely an “advanced” technique.

Start simple, it is more beneficial to your body and it increases the odds of you making this a successful lifestyle change and not “just another diet”. Concentrate on training consistently. Don’t just go into the gym and move a few weights around while also “doing some cardio”. This will not produce results. You wouldn’t practice medicine or defend yourself in court would you?

Invest in a trainer. They can give you a routine to follow for 2-4 weeks for a low cost. I’ve seen great results with people using trainers just once a month.

A trainer is a good investment

Develop a solid understanding of the clean eating rules. I believe that diet is as much as 75% of your results.  The general rules:

• Eat fewer calories than you burn (more lean muscle burns more calories throughout the day)
• Eat small meals every 2 to 3 hours to keep your blood sugar level while preventing hunger (men should shoot for 6 meals a day and women 5)
• Eat lean proteins with every meal (eggs, chicken, turkey breast, fish)
• Eat complex carbs at every meal (half of your daily calories should come from carbohydrates — mostly from grains, cereals, fruits and vegetables)
• Eat low fat and choosing the right types of fat (nuts, fish, healthy oils)
• Avoid all over-processed and refined foods (especially sugar, white rice, and white flour)
• Avoid saturated and trans fat
• Avoid soda and other sugary juices and drinks
• Avoid high-calorie, zero nutrient foods (i.e., junk food)
• Drink at least 8 cups of water every day

Once you’ve established your baseline diet and workout routine then you can work on tweaking so that you are continuously losing or maintaining (depending on your goals at the time). Following this clean eating lifestyle will get easier over time.

Most of us know that a diet high in fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of many leading causes of death while also playing a significant role in helping Americans getting leaner. The CDC has just released their annual report and it shows that only an estimated 26.3% of adults consumed vegetables three or more times per day in 2009 while only 32.5% of adults consumed fruit two or more times per day.

Both of these critical figures are down in 2009 compared to 2000. Fruit consumption dropped from 34.4% to 32.5%, while vegetable consumption remained relatively flat 26.7% in 2000 and 26.3% in 2009. Other interesting numbers from this report show that women are much more likely than men to be getting their fruits (36.1% to 28.7%) and vegetables (30.9% to 21.4%).

So I guess that means that the KFC commercials for the Double Down Chicken Sandwich, with two pieces of fried chicken, two strips of bacon, two slices of cheese and  no bread (and not even a token piece of lettuce) sandwiches has been quite successful in their targeting of men. You Go Colonel!

According to the nutritionists of some of the fittest athletes in the world when your goal is fat loss, your diet should contain larger amounts of foods that have a high thermic effect. That means lean protein and fibrous vegetables. You would find it impossible to be fat if you are on a feeding regimen of lean protein and green salads.

Fruits and vegetables also make the best in between meal snacks – they are generally nutrient rich and light on calorie density. And if you are a believer in eating smaller meals frequently then vegetables fit right in line with this program.

Fresh fruit is packed with healthy nutrients

Fruit consumption is best when used as a smaller part of your overall carbohydrate calories and they should not be the primary source. Your goal should be one to two pieces of fruit a day (like blueberries or kiwi) and the remainder of your carbs coming from complex starchy carbs (such as oatmeal, brown rice and sweet potatoes) and also from fibrous carbs (i.e. asparagus, carrots, broccoli, etc.).

Sweet potatoes - a healthy alternative

Helpful hint – try to consume a variety of colors and kinds of produce, this gives your body the best mix of the various nutrients it needs.  Your best bet? Go for dark leafy greens, tomatoes and anything that’’s a rich orange, yellow or red in color.

A variety of fresh, healthy vegetables

And as a last thought – try to eat your fruits and vegetables in their most natural state possible. Fresh is always better than canned or frozen. Eat them as Mother Nature intended and you can’t go wrong.

If you are looking to eat clean and get lean then eat your five total servings of fruits and vegetables every day!

For those working on a fat burning diet one of the ongoing struggles is finding good tasty, clean food. I love to experiment with different foods and Kiwi fruit is one of the healthiest pieces of fruit that you can find. Because it isn”t as well known as the more popular super fruit blueberries, it most likely doesn”t make it’’s way into your grocery basket.

Here are some of my favorite kiwi fruit nutrition facts.

Not only are these one of the most nutrient dense amazing fruits but they will have a wonderfully delicate and sweet taste unlike just about any other fruit or vegetable. Kiwifruits are also called called kiwi fruits or simply kiwi. No matter what you call them they are are jam packed with many vitamins, minerals and flavonoids.

Just one kiwi contains almost the complete daily recommended amount of vitamin C and has as much potassium as a banana. You’ll also find these to be excellent sources of Vitamin E, beta-carotene, dietary fiber (12% of the daily recommended amount) and are very low on the glycemic index.

Brimming with more vitamins and minerals than 27 more commonly consumed fruit the kiwi provides a semi truck full of other benefits too. A study released by the University of Oslo found that consuming two kiwis per day may significantly lower the risk of blood clots, combat the signs of aging and dramatically increase your fat burning potential during exercise.

When choosing the perfect kiwi here are a couple of helpful tips to be on the lookout for. Hold one in your hand and gently squeeze. Those that provide the sweetest taste will give a little to the pressure of your fingers. Stay away from those that are really soft, mushy or are bruised. Just slightly firm is ok but you will need to let them sit at room temperature for several days to fully ripen. Research from Austria shows that kiwi when fully ripened (almost to the point of over ripe) actually boosts the release of their antioxidants.

So the next time you are craving something a bit sweet, but you are also working on perfecting your fat burning diet, try a kiwifruit instead.

With a new season upon us this is a good time to evaluate where you are in your efforts to get leaner. Evaluating where you are from a fitness standpoint shouldn’t occur only as part of your New Year’s resolutions. Have you been following a consistent lifting and cardio program but are stalled in your efforts to get leaner?

It might be time to look at your diet in a bit more detail. It took me more than 10 years of working out before I really began to understand that diet is the single most important part of the fitness equation. Once I discovered this I was able to more easily pack on lean muscle or reduce body fat while getting leaner (depending on what my goals were at the time).

Try eating more frequently.

If you have been focused on losing weight this might even seem counter intuitive to you. You’re thinking that you have to create a caloric deficit to burn off fat, right?  Well actually the only thing worse than skipping meals is leaving long gaps in between meals. Both of these bad habits slow your metabolism, create muscle loss and signal you body’s starvation responses to kick in.

It really isn’t a secret but by consuming smaller meals more frequently you are supercharging your metabolic rate. I have found that eating 5-6 small meals a day produced better results than just eating 3 or 4 larger meals each day. If you’re a guy your goal should be 6 meals a day, a women should be 5.

It takes 2-3 hours for your body to digest the previous meal so be sure not to overlap more than that for best results. As with anything related to fitness you will need to experiment to find what works best for you.

Frequent meals also help to control cravings and eliminate the likely hood of unwanted binging. Eating more often will also increase your energy levels by leveling your blood sugar levels and this also tends to keep you from over-consuming calories. When you consume more calories than your body can handle in a 2-3 hour period the excess calories get converted to body fat.

Smaller meals are more efficiently absorbed into the cells with the most immediate energy needs and the result is less wasted calories.

And don’t forget to be sure that you are drinking plenty of water both between and during your meals.

Most of us consider the Labor Day holiday to be the end of summer and we”ll be firing up the grill and having that last big backyard bash for friends and family this weekend. Of course this typically means grilling high calorie meat like brats, burgers, ribs, hot dogs or ribs. For those either trying to stay lean or get leaner, this weekend can be a big challenge.

You don’t have to stress about this and can actually have a great time and still eat lean without sacrificing flavor. It starts with a strategic plan so you can enjoy the food as much as your friends and family and not feel guilty with every bite you take. Here are some foods to consider as healthy and delicious alternatives:

Use larger pieces so they don't fall through the grill grates

Grill Your Veggies

Summer isn’t over yet and farmers markets are still in full swing. You can still pick up some great vegetables that are perfect for grilling. I think that grilled vegetables also taste so much better grilled than they do when steamed or baked.

Try marinating your vegetables before grilling as this helps them caramelize and caramelizing brings out the best flavor. Marinade your vegetables for an hour before putting them on the grill. If you’re rushed for time you can lightly coat the vegetables with a little olive oil or canola oil.

Here are some of our favorite grilling vegetables:

Asparagus spears – remove the white end and grill the spears whole on high heat for just a few minutes. Watch these closely as they tend to quickly overcook, which leaves them mushy and limp.

Bell Peppers – whether you like ‘em green, red, yellow or orange, grilled bell peppers have a slightly sweet, smoky taste that compliments just about any grilled meat. Grill for about 20 minutes over medium heat.

Corn – the secret to grilling corn is to pre-cook in water for about 10 minutes before putting them on the grill. Grill over medium heat for 5-10 minutes and be sure to turn frequently so that they don’t burn.

Mushrooms – Portobellos tend to be the best choice here. Use the biggest you can find, remove the stem and rinse away dirt and debris. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes and then carefully turn them over grilling the second side for another 5 minutes or until tender in the middle.

Seafood for the Grill

Fresh seafood is relatively easy to find this time of the year and with just a bit of creativity and attention, grilled seafood can be equally juicy and delicious.

Shrimp – For grilling, buy big shrimp, at least jumbo size. The secret to grilling shrimp is cooking time. Over grill and they quickly become tough and chewy, with no flavor. Cook your shrimp on skewers of 4 -6 shrimp each. Lightly coat the shrimp with olive oil if not marinated. Place on the grill 3 to 4 inches above a moderately hot fire.  Cook until pink, then turn and grill the other side.  Allow 5 to 7 minutes total cooking time, half on each side.  The shrimp when fully cooked will be pink and the flesh opaque white.

Salmon – Salmon is probably the most common fish used for grilling because of its firm texture and mild taste. Grilling salmon takes little time. The key is not to overcook. Fish grills quickly, and overcooking can ruin a good salmon fillet. Lightly oil the grill rack, and cook the salmon until opaque, turning once during cooking. Salmon cooks quickly, usually in about 8 to 10 minutes, so watch it carefully. Don’t let flames directly touch the fish.

Add the soft fruit, peaches & plums last

Don’t Forget the Fruit

Apples, pears, and pineapple are firm fruit that is surprisingly easy to grill and mouthwatering as well. You can also grill softer fruits like mango, papaya and peaches you just need to be more cautious as these tend to cook quickly, and when overcooked, become very mushy.

Grilling fruit caramelizes the natural sugars while softening the outer skin and releasing the delicious juices. The flavors of the fruit are intensified by the smokiness of outdoor cooking complimenting the sweetness of fresh fruit.

Apples –cut the apple lengthwise to grill both halves or crosswise for apple rings. Soak the apple pieces in a water and lemon juice mixture for a few minutes before grilling. Lightly coat the grill (or the apple) with olive oil to reduce sticking. Grill over medium heat for six to eight minutes on each side. Remove from grill and top with complimentary spices like cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg and cloves.

Pineapple – trim and peel the pineapple and then cut into quarters from top to bottom. Remove the core from each quarter. Cut each quarter slice into four equal size pieces (roughly 3” x 1”). In a bowl, mix some honey, lemon juice, and a little coarse black pepper. Lightly brush this glaze evenly over all sides of the pineapple chunks. Grill your pineapple over medium heat for about 4 minutes on each side (turning so that grill marks are on all sides) or until the pineapple becomes noticeably fragrant and the surface begins to dry out.

Pears – this is the easiest of the fruits to grill. Choose some pears that are soft but firm, you don’t want pears that are too ripe. Quarter and core your pears (we like to leave the skin on) into four wedges. Grill over medium heat until caramelized and smoky (or about 4 minutes), turn over and grill another 3 minutes. Serve with a small mound of low fat vanilla ice cream.

Mangos – these take just a little more work. Make a marinade of ½ cup of balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil, a pinch of chipotle chile powder. Boil your vinegar for 5 minutes, remove from heat, stir in other ingredients and let cool. Cut your mango into 1” thick slices and then place in cooled marinate for at least 2 hours. Remove from marinate and grill over medium heat, turning once until brown and soft (be careful not to overcook). For more on cutting a mango.

I’ve been working out for a long time and I have a hyper competitive personality (Penny stop laughing) and since I no longer compete in team sports I have turned this competitive energy into competing against myself. At some points during the year I change my workout cycle and concentrate on increasing muscle mass. My current cycle is about seeing how lean can I get.  I’m an old guy now so I am never going to have a young guys 6 pack abs – but I want to see if maybe I can get them to a 4-1/2 pack.

I don’t have a problem with motivation or discipline and I am very in tune with fueling my body with food. While I do obsess over food it is because in order to be successful at getting lean (or increasing muscle) you have to focus on your eating program – what, when and how much.

Building lean muscle mass also helps rev up your metabolism as it makes your body more efficient at burning calories throughout the day. But you also must have a strategic approach to cardio and interval treadmill training allows me to burn maximum calories, jump start my metabolism for the day and most importantly get out of the gym quicker. No boring 45 – 60 minutes cardio sessions for me!

My Current Interval Treadmill Program

For this current cardio cycle I modified my Interval Treadmill work and upped my total weekly cardio time a bit. I am still lifting 3-4 times per week (depending on where I am in my lifting cycle) and have been consistently hitting the treadmill 5 days a week.

On lifting days I complete my workouts with a 20 minute treadmill interval session and on non-lifting days I do a 28 minute session. I started this cycle at 14 and 20 minutes respectively and worked my way up to the level that I feel comfortable at.

My previous treadmill interval cycle was based on a program from the guys at Precision Nutrition. For this cardio cycle I switched to the base program from Darrin Steen and then made my own modifications to fit me.

Most of the cardio interval programs recommend a 5-10 minute warm-up, 5-9 intervals and then a 5 minute cool down. Darrin’s program recommended keeping your working intervals at a 45:1 ratio – 45 seconds of jogging and sprinting and then 1 minutes of rest (rest means slowing down to a moderate or quick walking pace). I found it too difficult to keep track of the 45 seconds of jogging and sprinting so I went with running for one minute during the work phase of this interval so a 1:1 ratio works best for me. You’ll have to find what works best for you.

The secret to this cycle was to continue to up the intensity for each interval (both the work phase and the rest phase). Up the intensity means kicking up the speed and/ or increasing the incline.

Here are samples of my two interval treadmill programs (20 minutes for lifting days and 28 minutes for cardio only days). I never do the same workout twice and look to increase my working interval speed each workout until I hit a max and then cycle over again.

This has been an amazing program for me and if you are up for it I would highly recommend that you start with 4-5 interval cycles with a 1:2 ratio until you comfortable (be sure to keep the warm up and cool down periods) and when comfortable bump it up in 1 cycle increments.

Remember I am not a doctor this is just a highly effective program that has worked for me.

We talk about food a lot – but it’’s not all about what you eat – it is also what you do.  The ”balance” is about incorporating all parts of your lifestyle into a healthy, fit, happy way of life.  You do have to be conscientious about what you put into your body, but you also have to learn how and when to move your body to maximize and use the food, ”fuel” you put into it.  The other part of the balance, as I see it, is the ability to relax and enjoy the things that go on around you.  Take time to step back, slow down and breathe.

This post however is about moving.  I have worked out consistently for many years.  I am by no means an expert and I have always struggled with weight issues while other people can do less than I do and see faster results.  I used to let that bother me – but I finally let that part go – I do what I do and my goals are different now than they were when I was 20 or 30 years old.  My body has served me well over the last 47 years, through childbirth, weight issues and most recently surgery, and I have to make sure I keep it healthy and fit to be there for me for however long I need it.

My workout routine is pretty straight forward.  T-TH-FR, I work out with Ben, my trainer.  He pushes me as hard as any of the 20 or 30 year olds he trains.  He doesn”t let me get away with anything.  I like that – he knows I can do anything he throws at me, (Literally, he throws things at me like weighted balls!) – even when I don”t think I can – and won”t let me give in until I know it too.  If you have thought about a trainer, but aren”t sure – here are 10 good reasons to get a personal trainer.

M-W are my cardio days.  I like to run on the treadmill, use the elliptical, and now my gym just got spinning bikes!  Do I love it?  I don”t know yet – it is HARD for sure – but I am sticking with it.  I needed a change to my routine for the Summer and this is a good change for me.  It has been a couple of weeks and I have gotten better at the form – and I got a gel seat to help cushion my rear end – yeah – get a gel seat or bike pants for sure – you will need them!  OUCH!!!

Sat – Sun, I rest my brain and my body.  I move – but it is usually more about housework and laundry than running and biking.  I have a full time job, plus I help Greg run our SpicesInc company on my off time – so I have to make sure I make time for me.

I read something this weekend called the 23:1 rule.  You can work out for 1 hour a day – really hard – push, push, push – but what are you doing with the other 23 hours in the day?  It is the other 23 hours that have the bigger affect on your life.  Make the workouts count – but use the other 23 hours to eat, sleep, work and be healthy.

How do you use your 23 hours?

Quick breakfast after spinning - Kashi cereal with fresh blueberries!

I leave for vacation in 31 days – so the countdown is on!       Have a GREAT day!! 

I saw this video on YouTube and LOVED it!

Now, I would probably fall right on my ”behind” but she sure seems to be having a fun time on the treadmill!

Sometimes just finding a different way to do the same thing is all you need to push yourself past a barrier when working out.

I guess the point here is to  – make it fun!